A shikara is seen parked on the banks of the frozen Dal Lake on a cold winter morning, in Srinagar on Saturday as 'Chillai Kalan' saw temperatures dip to the lowest in 50 years, according to the meteorological department.

A man walks on a frost-covered wooden bridge on a cold winter morning in the interiors of the Dal Lake on Saturday. 'Chillai Kalan' is the 40-day period of harshest winter that commences in Kashmir every year during this time of the year

An elderly vendor sits on the banks of partially-frozen Dal Lake on a cold winter morning, in Srinagar on the same day, as temperatures dip to make it Srinagar's coldest December night since 1974, when the city recorded a low of minus 10.3 degrees Celsius, and the third coldest since 1891.

A pair of moorhen on a frozen Dal Lake on a cold winter morning, in Srinagar on Saturday, December 21. Srinagar's lowest-ever minimum temperature in this month was minus 12.8 degrees Celsius on December 13, 1934. 

An elderly vendor rows his boat through partially-frozen Dal Lake on a cold winter morning, in Srinagar on Saturday. 'Chillai Kalan' will end on January 31 next year but the cold wave continues in the valley as it is followed by a 20-day 'Chillai-Khurd' (small cold) and a 10-day 'Chillai-Bachha' (baby cold).