| Mangala Heritage Home is a simple, traditional home
in the small town of Tirupugalur, situated on the outskirts of
Nagapattinam District, rich in agricultural beauty, green waves of
grain, tamarind-lined roads and cool, dark temple tanks. |
 |
 |
Ranvir Shah, who runs the Prakriti Foundation in
Chennai, stumbled upon the place when looking for a house that could
accommodate scholars and others exploring the magnificent
Thyagarajaswamy Temple in Thiruvarur. Once he bought, he was clear as to
what it would become – a place where travelers could experience Tamil
village life. Mangala has had the benefit of impeccable design inputs
from cultural heavyweight, Shanta Guhan and architect, Benny Kuriakose,
famous for his work at Dakshinachitra. |
 |
 |
The home has 5 a/c rooms – 4 en suite doubles and 1
without attached bath. The bedrooms are well equipped, inviting and meet
the high expectations of the discerning traveler. |
| The rooms painted in the fearless, yet serene colours
of the countryside. The floors are of red oxide, stone and terracotta
tiles. The bathrooms have hand-beaten brass washbins crafted in Pune and
locally sourced brass taps and pipes and is equipped with all the modern
amenities. The courtyards are painted in the colours of the sun and the
sky and are embellished with glossy, tapered wooden pillars. |
 |
 |
 |
The common dining area is situated to one side of the
larger courtyard. Home style, vegetarian food is traditionally served on
the banana leaf. Arun Kumar, and his wife manage the home and provide
the meals. They live just three doors away and are always on call. |
|
By Ms. Latha Anantharaman
in Outlook Traveller
A simple traditional home in the small town of Tirupugalur has been
turned into a spanking new homestay. It is well off the tourist routes,
and yet just 18km from the temple town of Tiruvarur in the district of
Nagapattinam. The district is rich in agricultural beauty, green waves
of grain, tamarind-lined roads and cool, dark temple tanks.The Mangalam
Heritage Home stands on a bend in a minor road between Tiruvarur and the
town of Nagapattinam, on which grain-laden oxcarts make a slow, rhythmic
bustle down the roads and bring all traffic to a more rational pace. |
 |
 |
From the symmetrical pillared veranda in the front to
the enclosed porch at the back, the spaces at Mangalam alternate between
cool interiors and sun-drenched courtyards. Ranvir Shah, who runs the
Prakriti Foundation in Chennai, stumbled on this place, he says, when
looking for a house that could accommodate scholars and others exploring
the magnificent Thyagaraja-swamy temple at Tiruvarur. A driver
discovered it and Ranvir committed himself to the purchase by laying
down Rs 101 in the puja room of the seller. It’s that kind of place. |
| Once he bought it, he was clear about what it would
become. Travellers who come to these parts, Ranvir says, basically want
a clean bathroom, hot and cold water, no bugs in their room and good
food. In this place, they can experience what it would be like to live
in a small Tamil village. |
 |
 |
 |
 |
It is a consciously pure idea. But, as with anything
Ranivir touches, it has been so elegantly executed that it has an
immediate sensual appeal. Mangalam has the benefit of impeccable design
inputs from cultural heavyweight Shanta Guhan and the architect Benny
Kuriakose, whose work is most familiar to us from Dakshinachitra. The
ceilings of the house are timbered in a way typical of the region, using
unfinished sawn planks. The bedrooms are small, painted in the fearless
and yet serene colours of this countryside. The baths have hand-beaten
brass washbasins crafted in Pune, and brass pipes and taps sourced
locally. Floors are of red oxide, stone and terracotta tiles. |
| The courtyards are painted in the colours of sun and
sky, with glossy, tapered wooden pillars, perfect for leaning on while
sunning your feet on the stone floor. Ornamentation is minimal, with
some dressed stone from Mahabalipuram, an old icon or two and a verse
from a Tamil epic. The eye is more often drawn simply by the play of sun
and shadow. To one side of the large courtyard is the dining area, and a
group of us who visited one afternoon were treated to a vegetarian feast
on banana leaves. The meals here are always home-style and vegetarian,
and every detail of that meal was perfect, not least the tamarind
symphony that goes by the name of kaara-kuzhambu. The smaller courtyards
have just a suggestion of a garden, with small trees, a well and a stone
trough that has been turned into a sink. |
 |
 |
 |
Arun Kumar and his wife manage the place and provide
the meals, using provisions and vegetables sourced locally or in
Kumbakonam. They live just three doors down and are always on call.
There are four double rooms with AC and attached bath and an extra
double room without its own bath. The spaces are all of an intimate
family size and uncluttered. |
| The property has just got started. So far the guest
house has hosted a few friends but it is now ready for travellers who
want an intimate look at the unseen beauties of Tamil Nadu. |
 |
 |
 |
It’s an ideal stop on a driving holiday or you can
base yourself here en famille for a longer stay, visit the region’s
massive temples from the Chola era, and just immerse yourself in village
life. Guests can look in on pottery-making and bamboo-weaving, and drive
out to the culturally rich cities of Kumbakonam (35km away) and
Thanjavur (80km away).The ancient temple to Shiva as Agnees-wara, where
13 idols were unearthed some weeks ago, lies very near Mangalam. |
| From the deep, stepped porch at the back of the
house, there are views of the temple’s vast tank and nothing in between
but a narrow sandy path frequented mostly by goats. |
 |
 |
We spent an afternoon here, lounging about after a
rich meal and listening to a scholar tell us about the music of the
universe and the divine event that transformed it into the music that
permeates this land. Our bodies were limp with satisfaction, but our
faces shone with discovery. As I said, it’s that kind of place. |
Tariff
Off Season
March – Sep - Rs. 1500/- per day*
*inclusive of breakfast. All other meals and drinks charged separately.
Extra bed charged at Rs. 500 per day.
Concessional Rates during Off Season:
If the period of stay is more than 1 week, the daily charge is Rs. 1000,
inclusive of breakfast.
Peak Season
Sep – Feb - Rs. 3500/- per day*
*Inclusive of breakfast. All other meals and drinks charged separately.
Extra bed charged at Rs. 500 per day.
Luxury tax (12.5%) extra |
|
|
