This boutique resort is set on the edge of a vibrant valley, where the architecture is shaped by the natural contours of the land. The design respects the topography and native systems, preserving the spirit of the place rather than imposing on it. Buildings follow the slope, creating multiple levels that reveal spaces gradually: from the courtyard, through stone walls and halls, into gardens, out onto the pool deck, and finally toward the sweeping valley views. The sequence of framed and sometimes hidden vistas brings expectation, surprise, and delight into the journey.
At the heart of the resort is an infinity pool that forms a plateau, becoming a new horizon from which the valley can be admired. Around it, lounges, decks, shaded pavilions, steps, platforms, and gardens enrich the experience. Setting the levels for the buildings and the pool is crucial, ensuring that each space relates harmoniously with the site and offers the intended visual and spatial experience. The result is a rich network of interconnected outdoor and semi-outdoor spaces that feel both fluid and memorable.
Below the pool deck and closer to the valley sit twelve private rooms. These 700 sft units combine living and sleeping spaces around intimate balcony terraces, where cool breezes and the sounds of the valley drift in. The resort is built with stone gathered from the site itself, with materials such as rough stone, warm timber, and soft grass lending texture, warmth, and belonging. Inspired by tea estate housing, long parallel forms follow the contours of the land, roofed with tile and cement sheets. The architecture responds to climate, culture, and materiality, creating a presence that is humble yet deeply expressive.
The project is sighted into a very beautiful valley.
A valley just full of life.
You know, everywhere that you look it's so beautiful
and it is about crafting that experience
which enables that peace to unfold.
The stillness, the quiet, the peace, the beauty
and how do you translate that essence of the site
into something which is beautiful.
I've seen that and then how do you add architecture to it?
Building a resort is not just about adding rooms.
You see, you're very fortunate to work with such beautiful landscapes
while you're in this country.
And what you like about the place
is the fact that it is beautiful.
It is untouched, it is pristine.
And then you bring in architecture
and the idea is that
even after the construction
when you walk into that space
are you getting the essence of what you actually saw in the place?
Bhagavan is a very beautiful place.
There is still a lot of potential waiting to be tapped.
We here at Vasta
we have about some 20 acres of land
which is spread out
but the entire development we've done it in about 2-3 acres.
This was a beautiful valley that we saw.
The site was a sloping site
and so what we tried to do is
the program of the site is along the slope of the land
and we've done it in different levels.
What it does is
it creates a slow reveal to a person who comes in.
The view is always there.
We need to modulate the ground
such that you can appreciate the views.
We created this large plateau.
It acts as a stage
which is like a new horizon
from where this explosion of valley happens.
So that is when there is a drama happens
or an experience which comes in.
One walks in through the corridor
you pass the stone wall
you walk into the lobby
the arrival hall.
It is not just one flat image.
It is not one view that you are giving.
But then it works on.
It is a sequence of spaces.
It's a curated, crafted experience
that we've given, we've made.
And that is the beauty of it.
See it is about knowing what to do
and just doing that.
And how does one do that with architecture?
I think for that architecture has to be powerful.
Powerful not in terms of its expression
but powerful in terms of its restraint.
How it holds back.
How it holds back to make sure
the essence of the site speaks.
So there is so much power
in the simple things in life.
You just have to look at it long enough.
With a certain material choice
will we get a certain quality.
So for example, we've used stone extensively
in this project while we excavated
for the pool block.
Generally a soft material
and it's not used for construction
but we've used it for landscapes and pavings
and that really gives rootedness to the place.
And below the pool block
is where we have laid out the rooms,
the cottages.
From the different cottages
which is at different levels
you get to see different views.
So each cottage has a different experience.
Designed like a cottage which has
a living space and a bed space
which is organized around a terrace.
So all the materials which we've used
are also part of the context
and earthy in that aspect.
Other than that, timber,
a lot of wood is used,
natural stone, kota,
all those are earthy materials
that we've used here.
People just come there
to just have their coffee,
to just gaze into the view.
As a designer, as an architect,
you have to constantly be aware of the fact
that you're playing with human emotions.
Of expectation, of joy, of surprise,
of anticipation, of coming together.
These are things that one expects to
carry forward to have a place to unwind.
For us, it was not just a project.
It was what, earlier like we said,
it is about a shared vision,
imagining and dreaming something together.
But here then it was about
how you make sure that this thing really lives.
It is only when this trust is given to the architect
and the trust is given back,
either way, mutually,
that you feel that this is important.
It is about being constantly,
emotionally being invested in it.
But to be able to see it for the life
that it plays out much later.
