This story was originally published by Reasons to be Cheerful
On a quiet June morning in Dudran, a remote village in the Indian-administered state of Jammu and Kashmir, the stillness is broken only by the rustle of the breeze, the gurgle of mountain streams, and the lively chirping of birds. Amid this calm, Mohammad Aamir walks steadily, balancing a deaag, a large metal vessel, brimming with fresh milk. He is headed toward the village’s traditional cooling cave, locally known as a dodh daaer or dodh khot, a centuries-old, stone-lined chamber fed by icy spring water.
He pulls open the wooden doors of the cooling cave, their hinges creaking softly. Carefully, he places the metal vessel inside, nestling it among the cool stone walls. Then, with practiced ease, he places a small rock on top of the lid to keep it firmly in place, an old trick passed down through generations to secure the milk as it chills in the natural spring-cooled chamber.
Families in Dudran have long used these natural refrigeration systems to store milk, butter and cheese, preserving their dairy without the need for electricity, even during the hottest summer days. This simple, sustainable cooling method offers a promising model for remote and off-grid communities where electricity and modern refrigeration are scarce or unreliable. By harnessing natural spring water and subterranean stone structures, the caves maintain consistently low temperatures without any energy consumption or carbon emissions.
“We have around eight or nine dodh khots here,” Aamir explains. “Each one can hold about 10 to 12 large metal vessels, though some caves can fit more; it depends on the size of the spring and the structure we’re able to build around it. The layout is usually shaped by how the water flows beneath.”
