It seems winter has once again tightened its grip across the Himalayas, with several popular destinations in North India recording sub-zero temperatures. Chill nights, frost mornings and snow-covered roads – these are some of the issues that a few regions are grappling with as cold waves intensify. There are places from hill towns to isolated high-altitude cold deserts that are under blankets of snow and biting winds. Water pipes freeze, travel is hindered, and residents try to grapple with the way of life that challenges both the infrastructure and one’s endurance. The brutal cold, while inconvenient for travel and daily life, also turns the region breathtakingly beautiful. Here are five locations where temperatures have fallen far below freezing, where most of the roads are closed, and are likely facing the last touches of winter, but are at their best form in snowy white.
