From frozen Dal Lake to Sonamarg Tunnel: Why Kashmir in winter should be on your travel bucket list

Winter bliss in Kashmir: Dal Lake and Sonamarg Tunnel make headlines; winter wonderland in the Valley draw tourists.

Amid the ongoing cold wave in the Kashmir valley, the iconic Dal Lake in Srinagar developed a thin layer of ice on its surface on Monday. Earlier, on Sunday, Srinagar had recorded a steep decline of 3.1 degrees Celcius in its seasonal minimum temperature, with the mercury settling at -5.1 degrees Celsius during the coldest hour of the day.

Tourists around the Dal lake take in the frozen view of the water body in Srinagar, Kashmir.(PTI)

Meanwhile, the maximum temperature was recorded at 10 degrees Celsius, a deviation of 3.4 degrees Celsius from the normal, as per the India Meteorological Department (IMD).

Visuals from the Dal Lake area showed a group of tourists, dressed in layers of woollens, taking a stroll in the city amid the cold and dry weather conditions. Speaking to ANI, Zubair, a tourist from Delhi, said, "The cold here is twice as much as in Delhi. It feels great to be here. I visit this place every year, and that too around this time only."

His enthusiasm reflected his admiration for the Kashmir valley. "Though there are lesser chances of snowfall this time, visiting Kashmir is always a pleasant experience," Zubair stated. "The Dal Lake is partially frozen right now, but the ice gets shattered once the 'shikaras (houseboats)' make their way through the water," he added.

This story has been published from a wire agency feed without modifications to the text. Only the headline has been changed.