Inside the Glasshouse

Most of us know that rooms are built to protect you from the outside world. The Glasshouse at Nandhi does the exact opposite. It’s built to remove everything standing between you and Arunachala. Be it the Glasshouse or Arunachala, it invites you in and asks you to be with it. Longer than you expected.

Mornings here start before the world awakes. The light comes in low and gold, unfiltered by curtains or walls, and if you’re inside during that first hour, you will eventually understand, or almost instantly, why this space even exists. Guests often stop by to stretch or have a slow breathing session, away from the chaotic world. A few of them walk in to just sit with a cup of coffee or something warm of their preference and sip away the haze of life.

By afternoon, the Glasshouse starts to speak a different language. By that we mean a space for conversation, for a small gathering, for a meal that doesn’t need those four walls to feel intimate. There’s absolutely no formality forced onto it. A long table might be set for eight, or a single chair might sit empty in the corner for whoever wants to disappear into a book for a few hours.

And when the evening arrives, the glass does something that the rest of the retreat can’t. You see, it holds the last light of the day for a little longer than everywhere else, before allowing the stars to be the centre of attraction.

This place refuses to be just one experience. It wants to be a space that changes its purpose depending on what hour you walk into it, and what you happen to need that day.

Studio Nandhi

Notes from the hill — stays, spaces, tables and walks around Arunachala, written slowly and captured in time.