Nestled amidst the serene hills of Panchgani and overlooking the majestic Krishna river is the ‘Avabodha Homestay’, started by a mother-daughter duo.

Alka Shesha (60) and her daughter Prachi Chaphekar (34) have built a sustainable oasis.

“I travelled across the country from Uttarakhand to Himachal to find the perfect piece of land, while it was right here in Panchgani all along!” says Alka referring to her trips in 2010.

“When I first saw the land and its view, I was taken aback. I have never seen a place this beautiful,” she shares.

“There was something about the place that kept luring me back. It was like nature had chosen me to show it to the world while preserving its sanctity,” she adds.

This firmed Alka’s decision to purchase the land.

In 2019, the homestay opened its doors to guests. Since then, the mother-daughter duo have hosted numerous artist retreats and more than 1,000 guests in their homestay.

Alka shares that one of the biggest challenges was to find an eco-friendly architect who fit into her budget.

“I wanted to use mud for the construction of my home. However, the place did not have enough clay in the soil to hold it together. So we had to switch to laterite stone,” she adds. The present homestay is built with mortar containing seven percent cement and the remaining is sand and mud.

The masonry of the walls is done using a stabilised earth model. “We have no columns in the structure and steel is used to the minimum quantity. Every bone in our home is in alignment with nature,” Alka notes.

She adds that the homestay features solar heaters eliminating the use of geysers in the summers.

While the property offers numerous engaging activities — such as gardening, pottery, star gazing, and bonfires — the duo encourages their guests to do nothing instead.

Avabodha also hosts various yoga and artist retreats where artists are welcome to do soul-searching at the property.

The property has three bedrooms — a hall and a kitchen along with a bonfire area, a hammock area, and a garden.

The homestay serves only vegetarian food cooked by their caretaker, Kalpana. “She is amazing, and our guests never stop praising her,” states Prachi.