Our decade long jounery @vaatalya
What we now call Vaatalya was a piece of barren disconnected mountain top land that we purchased in 2007.
We choose to live in a way that will soothe our eco-conscious conscience. When you visit us you will realise that one doesn't need to give up certain comforts just because they’re agreeing to go eco-friendly & sustainable.
What was just a virgin rocky mountain top is now an eco-friendly community retreat. When we initiated working on this space, we had to off-road for almost 10 km & hike 02 km to reach the mountain top.
The design, construction & architect of the retreat is done by the hosts with the help of local artisans. The know-how of the construction is passed to the local artisans from generation to generation in most oral and empirical tradition by working as an apprentice for several years. We have blended this ancient form of architecture with have good use of the modern facilities to ensure that we do not compromise on the basic comfort of life.
All walls are thick and thermally insulated in a way that you feel warm inside the dwelling in snow & rainy season. We believe in conscious consumption & ecological balance where we allow and limit the only certain number of audience at a time without disturbing the natural environment.
The owner's residence is separate from the other accommodation offered to the travellers. Travellers enjoy their privacy & space while having the option to be in touch with the hosts at Vaatalya.
Indoor dining and common area can cater to up to an audience of 15-20 travellers. Depending on the weather conditions, we also offer alfresco outdoor seating. We create an evolving dining menu, where we invent healthy ways to cook food using local, organic and innovative ingredients mostly grown in our farms.
We have 02 English Mastiff Mountain dogs. We call them “Laila”, “Chatur” These mountain dogs are found in northern India, especially states in the western Himalayas region and Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand. Though initially bred for hunting purposes, the Gaddi Kutta(local name) is widely used by local shepherds, mostly Gaddis (from the South Asian tribe of the same name) and are reputed to be strong enough to repulse attacks by leopards, and to have the intelligence to herd stray sheep and goats back to their pens. They enjoy their outdoor lifestyles at Vaatalya. As a powerful and robust breed, we enjoy their loyal companion & love.
We have a small library with unique books related to 8 pillars of our foundation & creation at Vaatalya. The genres are life, leadership, biographies, philosophy, Osho, permaculture, food forests, nature healing etc.
Basic medical facilities are always available at Vaatalya. In case of emergency, it will take approximately 30 minutes to reach the nearest hospital. 108 facility is also available. It may delay in extreme weather conditions of snow or heavy rains as the location is disconnected.
We have made a parking space for up to 6-8 vehicles at Vaatalya free for in-house residents. We have made small compact “DMYOS” Home Gym for personal use available with basic equipment. The calisthenic park is currently under construction.
We have solar geysers, vermiculture, ongoing projects for rainwater harvesting and are indulged in practising various methods of sustainable living. We endeavour to bring back the long lost method of healing through nature, Ayurveda & spiritual practice and create a fully sustainable model which can be utilised by people.
Designed to be whole from the time the first house is built, interconnected to make sustainable living possible, free to develop organically over time, and so beautiful you will never forget. We minimize our imports by growing most of the items at home. We follow the Triple Bottom Line Model committed to focusing on social and environmental concerns, not just profits. A major portion of the amount that is earned by the travellers who come & visit us is diverted to our research projects on sustainability, practices on healing through nature & the study of wild plants useful for the human mind & body. We focus on making our model unique & useful for mother earth. We do not cater to more than 15-18 travellers at a time to ensure that we maintain the ecological balance of nature.
We have planted and nurtured almost 2000+ plus trees and counting. We also have an orchard consisting of plants of apples, nectarines, cherries & pomegranate. In our farms, we grow herbs and vegetables too.
We’re just building one of the places where all of us can come together. This isn’t a project. This is a way of life. We were born with explorers’ souls at a time when great work wants doing. Vaatalya is our base camp for launching this century’s expeditions into human potential.
In our space we say sorry, we like to have fun, we like to say please and thank you, we give big hugs, we chase dreams, we forgive, we make mistakes, we give second chances and we say I Love you often.
