Sunday, November 3rd, 2024

There were no freezers during the time of the Mughal emperors, so where did the kings and rich people get ice from? the story is interesting


Most parts of India are hot and humid in summer. Thirst increases due to heat and ice is also needed to cool the body. When people go to places with snow for sightseeing, they drink ice sherbet or cold drinks to quench their thirst. In such a situation, it is difficult to imagine life without snow.
But have you ever thought that when there were no freezers in the world, no ice making machines nor any means to store it, then where would the kings and rich people get ice from in the medieval era. How did the Mughal emperors use ice? The answers to all these questions are very interesting. After knowing this you will also be able to know the importance of ice in life.

Nawab used to get pieces of ice from the mountains

In the Mughal era, there was no means of artificially freezing water from ice, hence people depended only on the ice that formed on mountains and water bodies. If we talk about kings, maharajas, nawabs or rich people, then these people used to get pieces of ice from the mountains. You will be surprised to know that in the 15th century, Humayun started breaking ice and importing its ingots from Kashmir. At that time the king used to send fruit juice to the area with snow laden mountains. There these juices were collected and sherbet was made. he/she used to drink this sherbet in summer.

Snow for Akbar came from the Himalayan valleys.

Snow for Akbar used to come from the Himalayan valleys.

During the reign of Akbar, ice was brought from the Himalayan valleys. Even ordering it was not that easy. For this the help of elephants, horses and soldiers was taken. Since Agra was ruled by Akbar and Agra is at a distance of 500 miles from the Himalayas. At that time, ice was brought from the Himalayas wrapped in sawdust and jute cloth. The blocks of ice that came from far away remained small, so the kings invented a way to prevent the ice from melting.

This thing did not let the ice melt

This thing did not let the ice melt

Today we have many means to stop the snow from melting, but at that time there was no such system. That’s why kings and emperors used saltpeter to prevent ice from melting. That is to say, potassium nitrate was sprayed on the snow. Due to this the snow did not melt for a long time.

Ice King’s idea worked

Ice King's idea worked

While it was difficult to get snow naturally in India, America had its natural sources. During the winter season, lakes and rivers would freeze and the ice would be supplied from there. Businessmen like Frederick Tudor understood this need of the people and started exporting ice to warmer regions. he/she is also known as Ice King. The Tudor Ice Company also developed ways to ship ice over long distances. They broke the ice frozen in the rivers, wrapped it in powder and loaded it on ships with ice chambers. From here, ice was sent to many countries other than India.

Snow came to Delhi for the first time in 1833

Snow came to Delhi for the first time in 1833

It dates back to 1833, when ice was brought to Delhi for the first time. The hearts of the British became very happy after seeing the snow that came from America. However, the British were finding this method of getting ice very expensive, so they developed a means of making ice in Delhi itself.

Ice was prepared like this for the first time in India

Ice was prepared like this for the first time in India

The British used to dig trenches from Delhi Gate to Turkman Gate, fill them with salt water and prepare ice in winter with the help of sackcloth and husk. This ice was specially stored in pits, so that it could be kept safe till summer.

Ice houses were built

Ice houses were built

During the British era, America was the largest exporter of ice. But cheap and good quality ice from America was sold in Kolkata. It became known in Mumbai and Delhi. Then the British built ice houses to freeze ice. Due to its low price, it reached middle class families in a very short time.

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