In 2012, Delhi’s Ashish Verma came across a magazine that featured exclusive locations for an enchanting experience in the hills of Uttarakhand.

This was the first time that he was reading about Jilling, a remote village located in the Kumaon ranges in the lap of the Himalayas.

“I was so fascinated by the place that I planned a trip to the village. Having lived all my life in the city, I was moved by the slow pace the village offered,” he says.

This experience prompted Ashish to build a home where he could look at the mountains every day.

That idea has now transpired into the homestay — The Nanda Stone — named so after the foundation stone that he carried from his trek to the base camp of the Nanda Devi Peak.

The home is designed in such a way that every corner of the cottage offers him the sight of the majestic mountain.

Being an advocate for sustainable development, Ashish has built the homestay using traditional architectural methods of the Kumaon region. For instance, instead of using cement, he used mud, cow dung, repurposed old wood, rock, and stones to construct the house.

“Additionally, I also adopted age-old practices of lipaai (painting walls with cow dung and water). This provides good thermal insulation and keeps the house warm in winter and cool in summer,” he mentions.

Stone slates came together to make slanted roofs with large sunroofs that let in a lot of natural light during the day.

“Sunroofs help us save energy as we do not need any power between 7 am and 3 pm. These sunroofs also allow you to see the stars at night,” Ashish explains.

He has also installed a rainwater harvesting system with a tank capacity of 20,000 litres, while a small stream near the home provides drinking water.

Spread across an area of 2,000 square feet, the Nanda Stone is a two-storey home with three bedrooms.

While here, you can enjoy the waterfalls and streams or accompany Ashish on village walks, fishing and bird watching.

As for how he has been enjoying his life in the hills, Ashish says, “I am glad that I made the right decision. This experience changed me as a person.”