Daringbadi: Daringbadi in Kandhamal district is said to be the Kashmir of Odisha thanks to its hilly, dense forest with a cool climate to boot. It has been a huge draw of tourists who visit Daringbadi in large numbers every year in the winter.
But their preference for accommodation and night shelter are tent houses or camps built of wood in traditional style of tribals. These accommodations with natural cooling systems have much demand for tourists, a report said.
According to the report, the state government has set up 25 such tents with five star hotel facilities at Daringbadi as part of its eco-retreat programme.
There are scores of such traditional wood houses in Daringbadi area. “These houses have special qualities. In winter, one can’t feel chill inside while in summer, one can’t feel the sultry weather,” said Sanjit Kumar Pradhan, a resident of Karmala village.
He says naturally built wood houses have automatic cooling system. “My family has been staying in a wood house for many years. Now, the thatched roof has been replaced with asbestos, because wild creepers and grass are not available in forest in abundance,” he pointed out.
Such houses have low maintenance cost. A mix of dung and red clay is applied on its wall for protection.
Most of these houses are equipped with cots and other furniture built of bamboo. People stock their packed grains on the bamboo cots. Now, some of these houses have been electrified for the last few years.
“People find it better to stay in wood houses than in concrete houses here,” said Leshak, a man of a local tribal community.
PNN
