half chowki house

Going down from the ancient market street, towards the west one encounters an old half chowkinuma house where Prakriti Sharma and her family reside. This house is made using wood, slate and mud plaster. The wood used in the construction is locally available ‘deodar’ wood.  This house is over 100 yrs old and the owner wants to preserve it. This house has a ground and one storey. The ground floor is occupied by a cow shed with other rooms used as storage spaces. The courtyard formed by the L shape of the house has a wood panelled outdoor room for the cow. These days the ground floor is also used for tuition classes during the summers. Children use the panelling of the cowshed as a board to write on.

The top floor has a verandah with a series of rooms strung around it. Earlier the house was occupied by a joint family which is now split. One part of the house is left vacant as this family has moved out but maintains a claim on the property. The  verandah space which wraps around the inner rooms is where the majority of time is spent by the family. The verandah overlooks the courtyard created by the L shaped house and the road beyond. This type of house also has two kitchens, one for the summer and one for the winter. The toilet is located outside the house and is a later addition. Since the walls of the house are made of slate and the floor is plastered with mud, the house remains warm in the winters and cool in the summers.