Punkah

"With a large, cool bungalow, plenty of punkahs..." (Croker, "To Let", Annotated Version https://editions.covecollective.org/edition/haunting-imperial-nonsense-what-cannot-be-captured-victorian-ghost-story)

Punkahs are fans that require physical labor to work. In this image it can be seen that the punkahs close to the ceiling are being moved by the man, in the middle, sitting on the floor.

French Magazine 1895 Issue, Public Domain,  https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Karikal_Brahmins_1895

Reproduced in accordance with the Doctrine of Fair Use, as per 17 USC 107