Srinagar, Dec 4: Centuries-old stone Hamams have got a new makeover
`Brick Hamam’ has made this traditional heating system affordable for people who were hesitant to start a facility at home because of its high costs.
An innovation brought by the Mughals, a Hamam is a room in which thick, hand-hewn rectangular slabs of limestone are laid over a hollowed-out floor supported by bricks. Firewood is placed inside the Hamam and then alight. A chimney that snakes through the walls opens its mouth at the roof. The smoke passes through the chimney to avoid any suffocation.
In Brick Hamam, instead of limestone slabs, bricks are being used with heavy usage of cement and river sand to make it firm and heat absorbent.
Brick Hamams are cheaper and serve the same purpose as that of a traditional Hamam. “There is a misconception that Brick Hamam is not durable. It is very much cheaper and durable. We have been building these Hamams for the last five years and got good reviews from our customers,” said Ashiq Ahmad Bhat, one of the makers of the brick hamam from Bandipora.
Bhat said this type of Hamam is more than 50 percent cheaper than the traditional one. “If a traditional Hamam costs Rs one lakh, Brick Hamam costs just Rs 35,000 to 40,000. We have many masons from different districts who have got the expertise and build Brick Hamams in good numbers now,” he said.
Locals are welcoming this innovation, as it bridges the gap between tradition and modernity.
“The Brick Hamam has been a good innovation. It keeps us warm and adds an aesthetic appeal to our home. It consumes even less wood and emits more heat compared to the traditional hamam,” said Mohammad Yusuf Khan, a resident of Baramulla who last year built a brick hamam in his newly constructed house.