Yogic chants and the resonant echo of conch shells have defined the spiritual rhythm of Kumaon: the ‘home of Gods.’ But if you listen closely, the silence becomes profound, and the mountains do the talking. The snow-capped Himalayas and their sheer scale humble you and we mean that with total reverence. What follows is at best, an inner monologue: a quiet reflection of self, standing before nature’s most majestic architecture.
The Kumaoni way of life has been shaped by this idea for generations. Here, every peak, lake and ride is named after Gods and Goddesses, and their stories are anchored in myths and folklore. This devotion to the landscape has helped locals safeguard the mountains’ serenity. And as visitors, it is our duty to partake in this tradition – to listen and to honor the Kumaon, one quiet day at a time.
While there are many vantage points from where one can do this, we found a place where stillness is absolute. A place where the mountains manifest themselves as a sanctuary of the soul and not just a pretty frame. Nestled between Bhimtal and Mukteshwar at an altitude of 6,700 feet, RAAS Devānya is where the scent of oak, deodar and rhododendron envelops the air. It’s a place that lets you wake up every day to Kumaon’s poignant beauty. The surrounding wilderness through the nearby Binsar Wildlife Sanctuary – a refuge for the leopard, the Himalayan black bear, and hundreds of avian species adds to its charm. A closer look and you realise that this four-bedroom villa is one with the landscape it’s nestled in. Built eco-consciously, RAAS Devānya sits on a large hill where twenty acres are dedicated to fruit orchards and another twenty acres are left entirely as untouched forest. Native plants like ringal bamboo, Himalayan raspberry, and Indian willow grow undisturbed, making it like a natural extension of the mountains.
Here, life follows the pulse of the mountains – slow and almost perfectly still. Your early mornings are shaped around long hikes on dirt trails, and mid-afternoon is reserved for looking out the balconies and windows and just being awed by the peaks. Lunch is a bowl of slow-cooked Kumaoni meal with local greens and some bhang (hemp seed) chutney. As the sun begins to set, doom scrolling takes a back seat and is replaced by a front-row view of a completely clear, star-filled sky. Amidst the mountains, every day spent is a reminder of what it actually feels like to unplug and coexist with the outdoors. Deadlines, work emails, and city traffic suddenly feel incredibly far away, giving you the mental space to just breathe. And before you know it, it’s time to say goodbye.
But as you drive down the winding roads, roll the windows down and listen to the mountains, the wilderness and the birdcalls – these Kumaoni acoustics have subtly rewritten your internal rhythm. You head back to the noise of the world carrying a piece of that profound silence within you, a quiet sanctuary to return to whenever the city gets too loud.
