PALACE FOR AYURVEDA
Kalari Kovilakom is the Palace for Ayurveda, perhaps the first and only one of its kind. Its face is the face of the warrior-king, elegant and expansive. But its heart is that of a sage, offering a deep healing, a doorway to the union of the mind, body and spirit.
If the old legends are to be believed, healing is part of Kalari's very soul. Stories are told of a Prince who came to the foothills of Kerala's Annamalai Hills around the 10th century. It seems he was afflicted with a particularly troublesome skin ailment. So he came to cure himself in the healing spring waters of this land. Possibly, he also sought the medicinal Venga tree that grew here in profusion.
Dharmavarman stayed on to found a kingdom, Vengunad, 'The Land of the Venga Tree'. And for all the days to come, his descendants held sway over these silent and green foothills.
It was in the 19th century that they built Kalari Kovilakom.
At Kalari, every therapy is personal. Our treatments are customised for you by our doctors, often combined with yoga and other methods to provide deep healing from within and without. Every treatment is based on your needs and your ayurvedic body type. Even the food you're served is individual, with health drinks and herbal preparations that vary with your treatment.
The result is nothing less than a return to the womb. There are no game rooms, no shopping expeditions, no television sets. The evenings are alive with chanting and hymns, unsullied by the sounds of the city. In fact, apart from these post-dinner gatherings where guests and staff alike participate, there is nothing, absolutely nothing, to disturb your new-found inner silence.
You are in a space like no other on earth that we know of. An atmosphere that makes you conscious only of the potentials within, being slowly unlocked as your therapies progress.
A new life
Today, Kalari Kovilakom has been restored and recreated into a unique experience in wellness. Combining the healing experience of India's ancient medicinal system, Ayurveda, with the grace and scale of palace living.
So is it a spa? A Palace hotel? An ayurvedic hospital? An ashram? Kalari is beyond these simply because it is a little of all of these.
The intent and purpose of Kalari Kovilakom is to give you a chance to start your life all over again. Ayurveda, if correctly followed, promises not only a new body and mind, but a deep connection with the spirit.
To the ancient Indians, this was a cosmic connection. A chance to be reborn in this life itself.
Shoeless indulgences
To stay true to the traditions of the palace, no meat, leather footwear or alcohol are allowed at Kalari.
You will see echoes of Ashram-like austerity. Yet, enjoy a rare level of amenities and service, part 21st century comfort, part 19th century romance.
The original dwellings of the lords and ladies of Vengunad are still yours to delight in, unchanged from times past.
We restored them as authentically as we could. Then added as many modern facilities as we dared, without compromising the Palace's original character.
The air-conditioning, the luxury bath fittings and the four - poster beds will certainly lull you, but they shouldn't mislead you. For Kalari offers unvarnished ayurveda, administered in its purest form, in accordance with millennia-old texts and traditions.
So what is going to be for you? Flip-flops or barefoot and fancy free?
