Searching for the perfect 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 attractive 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 kinds, the place, referred to as Muthunandhini Palace, is the love little one of Rajchandar Padmanaban (35) and his spouse, Naga Jeyalakshmi.
Stuffed with historic artefacts and antiques from Kanyakumari, Tirunelveli, Madurai, and Karaikudi, the house stands as a testomony to the wealthy cultures of the realm. The couple determined to share their treasure of a house with others by changing it right into a homestay.
“If you go to the homestay, you may anticipate 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 a fantastic 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 at all times been involved concerning the degradation of our surroundings and didn’t wish to contribute to it,” he shares.
Rajchandar fondly remembers his grandmother’s dwelling, surrounded by greenery.
“Visits to her dwelling had been my favorite half. At the moment, I used to be unaware of how her deeply conventional and nature-friendly dwelling would at some point turn out to be 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 residing 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 realm. It’s mentioned that when Lord Hanuman lifted the Dronagiri Parvat to take it to Lord Lakshman, a chunk of it broke off and fell right here. Therefore, these hills have a whole lot of medicinal crops rising round.”
The couple didn’t wish to disturb the biodiversity of the realm 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 visitors in 2022. “Since we determined to share our house with visitors, now we have hosted greater than 200 visitors up to now,” he informs.
Made with some mud and many love!
The homestay is a mixture of totally different architectures, combining a mix of Tamil, Venad, and Chettinad kinds that showcase the wealthy cultural heritage of Tamil Nadu.
“I’m personally a collector and love accumulating artefacts from the realm. I had been accumulating a whole lot of artwork items and determined to show them within the dwelling. A few of these items are greater than 100 years outdated,” 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 far more sustainable than regular tiles.”
For the ceiling, the scientist used a method referred to as filler slab approach to minimise using concrete. In line with Studio DCode, “Filler slab is an alternate slab development know-how 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 development,” he shares.
Moreover, the homestay options rainwater harvesting, and they’re within the technique 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 crops and meals organically so our visitors can take pleasure in recent meals each day.”
The place boasts 5 bedrooms, 3 balconies, and three residing areas for visitors to take pleasure in. “Whereas the homestay is shared by us with the visitors, 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 outdated, loads of air circulates inside. Moreover, because the home is made from mud and clay, it stays naturally cool all year long.”
One widespread suggestions he receives from visitors is how his dwelling appears like their very own.
One of many clients, Gavin, who stayed on the property, says, “The place actually appears like dwelling. Dwelling at their place with all of the beautiful structure depicting our Tamil tradition was an expertise of a lifetime. It’s large in measurement with a number of areas to chill out 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 pleasant.”
Discussing future plans, Rajchandar says, “We actually wish to develop the property as many individuals wish to keep, however we are sometimes totally booked. We additionally goal to include extra sustainable measures like photo voltaic power into the present homestay.”
You may e-book your keep at this Rajchandar’s homestay by reaching them at 9360946642
(Edited by Padmashree Pande; All Footage Credit score: Rajchandar)
