In search of the most effective homestays in Kanyakumari? Rajchandar Padmanaban and his spouse, Naga Jeyalakshmi, constructed Muthunandhini Palace as a heritage dwelling the place sustainability meets Tamil Nadu’s conventional structure.
Sitting amidst the gorgeous hills in Pothayadi village close to Kanyakumari, Tamil Nadu, is a house that was as soon as a pair’s dream. An ideal mixture of Tamil, Venad, and Chettinad cultures and types, the place, referred to as Muthunandhini Palace, is the love baby of Rajchandar Padmanaban (35) and his spouse, Naga Jeyalakshmi.
Full of historic artefacts and antiques from Kanyakumari, Tirunelveli, Madurai, and Karaikudi, the house stands as a testomony to the wealthy cultures of the world. The couple determined to share their treasure of a house with others by changing it right into a homestay.
“Once you go to the homestay, you’ll be able to count on serenity, tradition, and heritage. The character surrounding us will fill you with a way of peace, and our genuine meals will nourish your soul,” says Rajchandar in a dialog with The Higher India.
The homestay is not only a marvel of tradition but in addition an excellent instance of sustainability. From composting their waste to implementing measures to recharge groundwater, the mud homestay is elevating the bar for nature-friendly journey.
Inspiration from grandmother’s dwelling
Born and raised in Kanyakumari, Rajchandar is a geo-data scientist who has spent nearly all of his life round environmentalists.
“Spending a lot time round them, I needed to make my dwelling as aligned with nature as doable. I had all the time been involved concerning the degradation of the environment and didn’t wish to contribute to it,” he shares.
Rajchandar fondly remembers his grandmother’s dwelling, surrounded by greenery.
“Visits to her dwelling have been my favorite half. At the moment, I used to be unaware of how her deeply conventional and nature-friendly dwelling would someday develop into an inspiration for my dream dwelling too,” he says.
“Her dwelling was quite simple with minimal use of cement and really conventional in design,” he says.
Whereas dwelling within the metropolis, he longed for a extra secluded place surrounded by nature.
“After I first noticed the village and the piece of land which now holds my dwelling, it was like love at first sight. I may envision the way forward for the place and therefore selected to purchase the land,” he says.
Rajchandar continues, “There’s a very attention-grabbing story that goes round concerning the hills surrounding the world. It’s mentioned that when Lord Hanuman lifted the Dronagiri Parvat to take it to Lord Lakshman, a bit of it broke off and fell right here. Therefore, these hills have a number of medicinal vegetation rising round.”
The couple didn’t wish to disturb the biodiversity of the world and determined to construct a house that blends into nature as an alternative.
In 2021, they began to work on their dream dwelling and opened their doorways to the company in 2022. “Since we determined to share our area with company, we’ve hosted greater than 200 company up to now,” he informs.
Made with some mud and plenty of love!
The homestay is a mixture of totally different architectures, combining a mix of Tamil, Venad, and Chettinad types that showcase the wealthy cultural heritage of Tamil Nadu.
“I’m personally a collector and love amassing artefacts from the world. I had been amassing a number of artwork items and determined to show them within the dwelling. A few of these items are greater than 100 years previous,” he says.
One factor that Rajchandar was clear about from the start is that he needed to make use of pure supplies to construct the house.
“We didn’t simply wish to have sustainable practices. We needed to make the very roots of our dwelling eco-friendly. We used eco-bricks made from limestone and purple clay for the partitions,” he says.
Itemizing all of the pure supplies that he used, Rajchandar says, “Apart from eco-bricks, we additionally used Athangudi Tiles. These tiles are made up of sand discovered close to Athangudi River which is rather more sustainable than regular tiles.”
For the ceiling, the scientist used a way referred to as filler slab approach to minimise the usage of concrete. In accordance with Studio DCode, “Filler slab is an alternate slab building expertise the place a part of concrete within the backside of the slab is changed by filler materials.” The roofs even have clay tiles on the roofs too.
“We used purple soil, lime, cow dung, rice nightfall, egg and jaggery to make a paste for building,” he shares.
Moreover, the homestay options rainwater harvesting, and they’re within the course of of putting in photo voltaic panels to harness the solar.
“We additionally make compost out of our kitchen waste, which is then utilized in our backyard. We develop all our vegetation and meals organically so our company can get pleasure from contemporary meals day by day.”
The place boasts 5 bedrooms, 3 balconies, and three dwelling areas for company to get pleasure from. “Whereas the homestay is shared by us with the company, we additionally prioritise their privateness.”
Rajchandar highlights, “A singular function of the property is its pure coolness whatever the climate exterior. With 50 upcycled home windows which are over 100 years previous, loads of air circulates inside. Moreover, for the reason that home is made from mud and clay, it stays naturally cool all year long.”
One widespread suggestions he receives from company is how his dwelling seems like their very own.
One of many prospects, Gavin, who stayed on the property, says, “The place actually seems like dwelling. Dwelling at their place with all of the beautiful structure depicting our Tamil tradition was an expertise of a lifetime. It’s big in dimension with a number of areas to calm down however the uniqueness was within the small particulars like the way in which they handled us. The meals, their accommodating behaviour made our keep very pleasing.”
Discussing future plans, Rajchandar says, “We actually wish to develop the property as many individuals wish to keep, however we are sometimes absolutely booked. We additionally intention to include extra sustainable measures like photo voltaic vitality into the present homestay.”
You possibly can e-book your keep at this Rajchandar’s homestay by reaching them at 9360946642
(Edited by Padmashree Pande; All Photos Credit score: Rajchandar)