Pithoragarh, Nov. 28 -- Even as severe winter conditions have set in early in the high-altitude Adi Kailash region of Pithoragarh district, located at an elevation of around 14,500 feet, the flow of tourists and pilgrims has not waned. The freezing of Parwati Kund and Gauri Kund has signalled the onset of harsh winter, but authorities say the number of visitors continues to rise. "The process of issuing inner-line permits will stop only after snowfall begins in the region. In the last two days alone, we have issued more than 30 permits. This takes the total number of pilgrims who visited Adi Kailash this year to 36,461," said Jitendra Singh, sub-divisional magistrate, Dharchula. Villagers from Rongkong and Kuti, the last settlements before Adi Kailash, confirmed that both Gauri Kund and Parwati Kund had frozen by Friday, indicating a sharper-than-usual drop in temperatures. According to locals, daytime temperatures in the region are not rising beyond 7degC, while night-time temperatures have plunged to between -5degC and -10degC. "It seems winter has arrived early this year. The lakes usually begin to freeze from mid-December, but this time it has happened much earlier," said Nagendra Singh Kutiyal, gram pradhan of Kuti village. The Shiva-Parvati temple at Adi Kailash was closed for winter on November 5, much ahead of the expected drop in temperatures....