Fire places and Bukharis of BuaRani Chander P Mahajan Ancient fire pits were sometimes built in the ground, within caves, or in the center of a hut or dwelling. Fireplaces are used for the relaxing ambiance they create and for heating a room. The structuresare made of brick, stone, metal or other materials designed to contain a fire. Historically they were used for heating a dwelling, cooking, and heating water for laundry and domestic uses. The fireplaces of the Victorian era were thought to add a cosy ambiance to homesas well as providing heat. They also served as a gathering place within the home. Bukhari is a traditional space heater from the northern areas of the Indian subcontinent, which is typically awood-burning stove. Bukharis consist of a wide cylindrical fire-chamber at the base in which wood, charcoal or other fuel is burned and a narrower cylinder on the top that helps in heating the room and acts as a chimney.
On our 17th wedding anniversary, I got a custom made cast iron bukhari from Nahan Foundry*, with a special embossing W A C P V 1985 (Chander Parkash Vishav Kirti) Most fireplaces are made up of two parts, the surround and the insert. The surround consists of the mantelpiece and side supports, usually in wood, marble or granite. The insert is where the fire burns, and is constructed of cast iron often backed with decorative tiles. o Usually, a fireplace may have the following: o A foundation, a hearth, a firebox, a mantelpiece; a grate, a lintel, a lintel bar, a damper, a smoke chamber, a throat(waist), a flue, and a chimney filter. o On the exterior there is often a corbelled brick crown, to keep rainwater from running down the exterior walls. Cap and a spark arrestor at the top to keep small animals out and to prevent sparks and burning embers frombeing splintered out into the atmosphere. To beat the cold of 2007 of Shimla,we joined our son Manu Maharaaj atPatna but to our dismay, there it felt colder.Fire places of the ‘City S P’s residence’ of British times,were yet choked with their spark