Actually they always had Bathroom there so taking a bath was never a problem. They didn't have toilets there as it was thought that relieving yourself within the boundaries of your home will bring bad smell in your home. That was the issue in several villages in north where there are lots of rich farmers. It's not all about poverty. There were some people ofcourse who couldn't afford to have toilets in their home due to poverty and space constraints. When you have a population of 1.2 Billion, not everyone gets all the basic amenities, that's just one of the several sad facts of life..