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A short while from Thekkady, the seat of
the Periyar wildlife reserve (the new highway
being constructed will take you to Periyar
in 20 mins), yet far from anything that
can disturb you….. So cut off that even a newspaper
rarely reaches it.
A home that frees you to rejuvenate yourself
in the deepest possible ways.
The only reason to be here is to be truly
yourself, away from the world of "maya" in a home called Mayapott….the mystical
point……..
Context of Mayapott
Set amidst 100 acres of 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”
(devils 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.
A stream flows under the bridge that connects
the two portions of the house, which is
quite an delightful sight during the rains.
The area also houses the huge pond that
has been used as a storage tank for irrigating
the plantation.
Unique nature of
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 2 full years to be completed.
The wood (‘mullu venga’) that
is used around the house is of a special
variety and can with stand wet weather for
years together. |
