A long, loose, woolen robe that serves as both a cultural symbol and an engineering solution to the harsh Himalayan winter for Kashmiris. Its origins are highly debated. While some narratives claim the Pheran was forced upon Kashmiris by the Mughal Emperor Akbar in the 16th century to make them "lazy" and curb their martial spirit, this popular theory is widely rejected by historians as improbable. The accepted consensus points to cultural diffusion: the Pheran’s name comes from the Persian word