When there was no electricity, how was cooling done?

Summer Season: As soon as the summer season arrives, people start thinking about fan, cooler, AC and fridge. It seems difficult to survive without them. Sometimes if electricity goes off for some time then the situation starts getting worse. Today we get rid of the heat so easily, because we have electricity and these appliances that run on it, but have you ever thought that hundreds of years ago, when there was no electricity, no things like fridge, AC or cooler, Then how would people bear the brunt of the heat? Would things like cold sorbet or ice cream still be available?

What is underground and stilt house?

Hundreds of years ago, such architecture was used to build houses, so that they could remain cool even in the summer season. On the contrary, they can stay warm during the winter season. Underground houses and stilt houses are its best examples, which are still built today. The temperature in houses built underground remains the same in every season. Such houses remain very cool in summer. Apart from this, stilt houses i.e. houses which are built at a great height from the ground with the help of pillars, also remain cool to a great extent during the summer season. In summer, when the ground becomes extremely hot, they are not affected by the heat due to being built at a height. At the same time, such houses also remain warm during cold weather. Because even the cold of the ground does not affect them. Such houses are popular even today. To keep the house cool, techniques like double wall and double roof were also adopted. Also, the outer wall was made with a lattice-like design. Which acted as a buffer zone between the heat of the house and the outside. The roof of the house was made of mud, on top of which another sloped roof made of thatch and wood was placed. Due to this, the strong sunlight had no effect and the house remained completely cool.

cool breeze came from the courtyard

Old houses often have a large courtyard, around which there are rooms. This architecture of the house is done to make it more airy. Even today, in coastal areas and where there is high humidity in the air, similar architecture is used to keep the house cool. Apart from this, there was also a well in the courtyard. This well reduced the temperature of these houses by several degrees, because through it cold winds went throughout the house. In Rajasthan, the stepwells built inside the palaces were also built under this architecture. Not only did they provide cold water to people, but it also reduced the temperature of the surrounding environment by 20 degrees compared to the outside.

Cooling decoration in the Mughal period

During the Mughal period, people also installed water fountains at many places in the house. This was not just for decoration. This also helped in keeping the house cool. Apart from this, people used to place tall black chimneys on the roof of their houses. When the air became hot in the afternoon, this chimney started pulling up the hot air present inside the house, due to which cold air started flowing in the house. Very beautiful curtains made of khus and chik have been used in Indian homes since ancient times. These curtains are soaked with water and hung on windows and doors, which brings cool air inside the house. You must be aware that this same khus strip is also used in traditional coolers.

How was ice cream made without a refrigerator?

Do you know that the world’s first ice cream was made in Iran with the help of milk, that too more than 2400 years ago. In such a situation, the question is that without refrigerators and ice-making machines, how would the people of Iran have made ice cream 2 thousand years ago? Because these devices were invented not very long ago. The answer to this question is- Yakhchal. Actually, this building with a pointed roof was the first place to make ice cream. When you go inside this building, there is a deep basement. Usually it was used to collect snow. Such cellars are 400 years older than Christ, i.e. about 2424 years old. Due to the materials with which such cellars were made, they did not get hot even in the scorching desert. Its advantage was that ice could be stored here throughout the year. To make ice cream, initially ice was kept in a big vessel and milk was kept in a small vessel. Then the milk was churned thoroughly and ice was added to it and frozen. Gradually the milk would freeze into pieces and then completely. This was a very long and tiring process.

This is how you can keep your house cool

If your room is getting hot due to direct sunlight in summer, then by adopting some small things you can also keep your room cool. To reduce the effect of sunlight, place such curtains on the windows of the room, which reflect the sun’s rays in the other direction. Dark colors always absorb heat, so use light colored curtains. You can also plant plants of your choice near the window. This will reduce the heat by giving you cool air. In the morning and evening, when the heat is less, open the windows and doors so that cool air can come into the house. Keep them closed during the afternoon. Use of exhaust fan also helps in taking out hot air from the house.

Also Read: Pandit Kumar Gandharva is an integral part of my musical practice: Shubha Mudgal