Mayapott Bungalow: In the lap of nature

Get imprisoned in nature - yet sleep in the lap of luxury. We are talking about a home, a home where the Pottamkulams meet up when they feel like giving the outside world a miss. A home that is literally built on a rock. A home that takes in the strengths of nature to be the foundation of its bonds. A short distance from Thekkady, the seat of the Periyar wildlife reserve, yet far from anything that can disturb your soul. A home that frees you to relate to yourself in the deepest possible way.

The only reason to be here is to be truly you. And no wonder that this home is called Mayapott, the mystical point. Set amidst 100 acres of a cardamom plantation, Mayapott is built around a huge rock, which was used as a resting point for hunters. Legend has it that the bonfire around which they rested was a safe refuge from the herd of wild elephants that raged the area. The house rests in the "Chekuthanmala" (devil's rock) valley with views from the house facing the hills all around. The rainforest canopy, the floor of which houses the cardamom plantation, provides the serene setting for Mayapott.

Built entirely out of chiseled rock from the region, the structure is unique in the fact that little cement is used to bond the building rocks together (no cause for concern since there is strong skeleton that holds up the structure). Each rock was painstakingly templated on to the other and the structure took more than two full years to be completed. The wood ('mullu venga') that is used around the house is of a special variety and can withstand wet weather for years together.