Ancient Wisdom in Kashmir Homes

A year-long study in Srinagar shows that traditional Dhajji-Dewari houses naturally maintain comfort across seasons, consume far less energy than modern buildings, and provide lessons for sustainable construction in Kashmir’s changing climate.

- Dr. Shujaat Hussain Buch

In Srinagar, a few blocks away from the bustling roads and traffic snarls, an old Dhajji-Dewari house sits unassumingly behind a faded wooden gate. Its timber frame creaks softly when the wind shifts, the latticework of beams filled with mud holding centuries of memory and weathered winters.

On paper, it might look fragile next to the tall, angular brick-and-cement homes that now dominate the skyline. But inside, there is a warmth and rhythm that modern architecture often misses.

Over the past year, this contrast has been documented in a study that compares the age-old Dhajji-Dewari houses with their modern counterparts in Srinagar.

The research is as precise as it is intimate.

Temperature sensors were installed in every room of two homes: one traditional, one modern. These devices recorded fluctuations day and night, across snowstorms and summer heatwaves, capturing how spaces felt to the families who lived there.

Tahir Mohammad Bhat, a research scholar in civil engineering at IUST Kashmir, spent months monitoring the readings, adjusting for sunlight, cloud cover, and the everyday movements of human life.

The winter months revealed the first surprise.

In January, when the valley dips to freezing, the Dhajji-Dewari house retains warmth almost stubbornly. Timber beams absorb daylight heat and release it slowly, keeping rooms roughly two to three degrees Celsius warmer than the modern brick home by evening.

In the concrete house, heat escapes rapidly. Large glass windows, concrete slabs, and thin walls mean residents must rely on electric heaters or blowers, running up energy costs with each passing night.