Let your mind be charmed by new sights and sounds.
Let your soul be stirred by new revelations.
~ A Sufi saying ~
The way of life in this rural community of Kozhinjampara is unadorned yet uplifting, casual but joyful, where everyday happenings become an extraordinary experience. Celebrate the drama of rural life here as it unfolds unpretentiously around you. Find beauty in the ordinary and let the peace and quiet touch you deeply. Nirvriti - the name for this restored home built in 1865 - variously means fulfilment, contentment or bliss. It is now home to Ria and Joseph who live here in a spirit of growing joy and gratitude for each day.
This imposing house, built more than 150 years ago, was the grand residence of a wealthy clan member of the Gounder community of Kulukkappara. They first came to settle in these parts more than two centuries ago as feudatories under the royal house of Kollengode. Namasivaya Gounder - the grandson of Raghunatha Gounder and forbear of the clan - was the original builder and first occupant of this stately house that was completed in 1865.
Passionately driven by their love and appreciation of fine food, the hosts joyously explore various styles and traditions to cook up and serve simple, hearty and satisfying meals for their guests. Food provides a platform for them to conduct many a culinary adventure born out of curiosity, experiment and art all rolled into one. Their menu will carry dishes prepared from local ingredients obtained from their own farm as well as those from the surrounding region, which has a rich agricultural tradition.
Meet Ria and Joseph, your hosts at Nirvriti. Together they embody graceful etiquette, warm hospitality and an expansiveness that comes from years of international travel, meaningful interactions and quiet reflection. Global in outlook yet deeply rooted in the native and local, they offer a unique world of experience. The couple along with their two children, Elia and Paul, have spent more than two decades living outside India. They travelled extensively during this period visiting new places, meeting new people and having new experiences that enriched their lives as a family and as individuals.