Other than a few temples, there isn’t much to see in the small town of Kollengode in Kerala. But this is something you have to be told. For you would never discover this by yourself as long as you are a guest at Kalari Kovilakom. Simply, because you are not allowed to step outside the big, black gate that keeps the mortal hands of modernity far from the secrets of ayurveda. You’re not allowed to choose what you eat during the stay either. You’re not given access to a television set. You can’t even enjoy a chilled beer from the refrigerator because there are no refrigerators in the rooms here and besides, alcohol consumption is strictly forbidden on the premises. You’re not allowed coffee, not even sugar; if you want to sweeten your herbal tea, you have to use honey! And you have ayurveda, all the time.

There is no beach to walk anywhere near Kollengode. There is no backwater even to cruise upon. The only reason for any foreigner to go there is Kovilakom itself, a two-century old palace lovingly restored by the private-sector CGH Earth Group to serve as a luxurious modern quintessence of an ancient way of healing. Plan a holiday to experience a new life – one that includes yoga, a balanced diet, and ayurveda – at Kalari Kovilakam, the Palace of Ayurveda.

Kovilakom, as the name suggests was once a palace. It housed the daughters of the royal family of Vengunad. Today the meticulously restored public rooms of the palace were finding purposes never imagined by their original royal inhabitants. Now, it has evolved as a place that joins hands with ayurveda to rejuvenate its guests. Very little has been touched or added as you can feel at every junction of your stay. Enjoy your ‘prescribed’ lunch in the carefully constructed extension – subtle blend of modernity and original architecture – which serves as a quasi-al-fresco dining room, with a fantastic view of the lush fields. You will be escorted to your room where you can find beautiful motifs carved into the ceiling and wooden beams radiating from its plumage like rays of the sun. A smaller room is also provided with sufficient space for storage, and further doors open out to a bathroom with toiletries made of sweet basil and aloe vera. Nestling with a telephone on the wall and chill whiffs of air conditioning will remind you that, after all like a hermit, you are not in a time warp.