Sunday, September 23, 2007

A Palace for Ayurveda.

Kalari Kovilakom or the Palace for Ayurveda is located in the old princely capital town of Kollengode in the foothills of the Annamalai range, Kerala, India.

Kalari Kovilakom was built in the 19th century and the name 'Kalari', comes from the fact that it was built on a site that contained a ritual space for 'Kalaripayattu', Kerala's ancient martial art.Hand painted wooden fresco in the 'mandapam'

Today it has been restored by the CGH Earth Group into an unique experience of wellness. The palace has two main wings the Old Guest Wing with old colonial western styled rooms & Palace Wing which has traditional Kerala architecture.
A typical room in the Old Guest wing, a section of the palace built specially for visiting European visitors and see the lovely four poster beds and 30's style floor tiles.Amazing carved wooden panels on the ceiling with vegetable dyes. Kalari Kovilakom with beautiful hills in the background.
Kalari Kovilakom's breezy dining area with plenty of light and fresh air. Look at the red oxide flooring:-)
The empty spaces have been converted into beautiful bedrooms retaining the charm of carved doorways.Go in for the ayurvedic experience, learn yoga or Kalaripayattu, de-stress with many herbal massages, eat simple & healthy food prepared in the ayurvedic kitchen.
So what are you waiting for?
Start planning your next 'Ayurvedic Holiday' soon.
De-stress, rejuvenate, relax and forget about your worldly worries while you are treated like royalties in the Palace of Ayurveda.

( images from http://kalarikovilakom.com/)

10 comments:

zobars said...

Oh My goodness, this is like something from a whole different world where no worries exist and where you are surrounded by so much natural beauty and serenity. i would love to visit at this slice of heaven on earth. thanks for posting about it.

Anonymous said...

Arch, you find such good subjects and make a post that it not only adds to our information bank but it makes us curious enough to want to find more about it on our own and also want to visit that place. I wouldnt have known about this place through any travel agent. this is denfinitely worth a visit.

We have a show here on HGTV called small space big style. May be you already know about it. But they featured a townhouse which is 850 sq feet but decorated beautifully ..a zen like style. Here is the link if you want to see the pictures.
http://web.mac.com/rb.thompson/iWeb/Core10/big%20style%20photos.html

Vinita

Vineeta said...

I agree with vinita :) I had no clue of the existence of such a place. Will check the link out. I come from a family of ayurvedic doctors. So this info is hopefully useful as well :) I loved the handpainted mandapam & those gorgeous pillars :)

Gill said...

Oh! Shirodhara followed by ayurvedic massage...a lovely meal. And sleep, tons and tons of sleep...in that bed!
xo
blue

Archana Srinivas Pottery said...

zobars- Thanks:-)

vinita- Thanks and thanks for the link on HGTV...I check their site on a regular basis:-)
The link you gave was really beautiful...I think you shd start your blog v soon:-)

vineeta- Thanks:-)The handpainted image of Goddess Lakshmi is my fav too:-)

Blue- Do make a trip soon to India:-)

Anonymous said...

It looks marvelous & peaceful, I love the dining area photograph.
:)

Maryam in Marrakesh said...

Yowza, I could so so use some of this wellness!

Anonymous said...

Just Breathtaking Arch! Such amazing beauty! Never seen anything like it!

madelyn said...

I will be in Kerala in February so
I will visit - how perfect!

wonderful post Arch:)

katiedid said...

A visual treat! Thank you for the virtual vacation! I needed that.