Rusticating matkas

These two age-worn water jars or matkas (hindi for pots) are propped against the stone foundation of Jenkins House, an old colonial building of offices and apartments, tucked into the side streets behind the Taj hotel in southern Mumbai.
For thousands of years, matkas have been placed along Indian roadsides, providing a ready source of cool water in the heat.
Even today, many families still use smaller, evaporative terracotta water jars called surahis to keep their drinking water cool at home.