Searching for the perfect homestays in Kanyakumari? Rajchandar Padmanaban and his spouse, Naga Jeyalakshmi, constructed Muthunandhini Palace as a heritage residence 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 kinds, the place, referred to as Muthunandhini Palace, is the love youngster of Rajchandar Padmanaban (35) and his spouse, Naga Jeyalakshmi.
Full of historical 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.
“If you go to the homestay, you’ll be able to 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 isn’t just a marvel of tradition but in addition an incredible 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 residence
Born and raised in Kanyakumari, Rajchandar is a geo-data scientist who has spent the vast majority of his life round environmentalists.
“Spending a lot time round them, I needed to make my residence as aligned with nature as potential. I had all the time been involved concerning the degradation of our surroundings and didn’t need to contribute to it,” he shares.
Rajchandar fondly recollects his grandmother’s residence, surrounded by greenery.
“Visits to her residence had been my favorite half. At the moment, I used to be unaware of how her deeply conventional and nature-friendly residence would in the future grow to be an inspiration for my dream residence too,” he says.
“Her residence 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 residence, 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 fascinating story that goes round concerning the hills surrounding the world. It’s stated 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 lots of medicinal crops rising round.”
The couple didn’t need to disturb the biodiversity of the world and determined to construct a house that blends into nature as a substitute.
In 2021, they began to work on their dream residence and opened their doorways to the friends in 2022. “Since we determined to share our area with friends, we’ve hosted greater than 200 friends to this point,” 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 amassing artefacts from the world. I had been amassing lots of artwork items and determined to show them within the residence. 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 need to have sustainable practices. We needed to make the very roots of our residence eco-friendly. We used eco-bricks made from limestone and pink 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 way more sustainable than regular tiles.”
For the ceiling, the scientist used a way referred to as filler slab method to minimise using concrete. In line with Studio DCode, “Filler slab is an alternate slab development 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 pink 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 friends can take pleasure in contemporary meals day by day.”
The place boasts 5 bedrooms, 3 balconies, and three dwelling areas for friends to take pleasure in. “Whereas the homestay is shared by us with the friends, 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 can be 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 frequent suggestions he receives from friends is how his residence looks like their very own.
One of many clients, Gavin, who stayed on the property, says, “The place actually looks like residence. Residing at their place with all of the beautiful structure depicting our Tamil tradition was an expertise of a lifetime. It’s enormous in measurement with a number of areas to calm down however the uniqueness was within the small particulars like the best way they handled us. The meals, their accommodating behaviour made our keep very fulfilling.”
Discussing future plans, Rajchandar says, “We actually need to develop the property as many individuals need 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 possibly can e book your keep at this Rajchandar’s homestay by reaching them at 9360946642
(Edited by Padmashree Pande; All Footage Credit score: Rajchandar)