Temple Of Solace

Architect Shailesh Devi creates the sculptural Gumpha in Nasik which is set in jungle-like environs. This dramatic and soulful cave-like structure bridges the chasm between the darkness in the depths of lands and the light which comes calling from the heavens — and celebrates the communion of the two. For the Pande family who owns Gumpha, it’s a place of rejuvenation, meditation, calmness and self-discovery.

- Deepa Nair

Gumpha…

A response... to the adventurous nature of explore. An expression... of the innate nature of land and hills to surprise.

A journey... to lose the identity and discover self.

A poetry... by the earth itself.

A dialogue... between man and nature.

It’s not every day that an architect would get poetic while describing his creation. And, it’s definitely not every day that one comes across a project that transports you to a different realm — one of tranquillity and abundant peace. In these pages, we’ll discover the beauty of the simple and spiritual Gumpha, a creation of architect Shailesh Devi, the principal at the Nasik-based Within N Without.

But before we enter the Gumpha, let’s understand its surroundings and what led to its creation.

Gumpha, (or the cave in English), is situated just 15 kilometres from Nasik city in the flourishing Grape County, an eco-living and eco-resort destination that is blessed with nature’s bounty. A place such as Grape County is what an urban dweller would seek to rejuvenate and re-energize, whether choosing to live amidst it every day or make ritualistic weekend trips to unwind in the lap of nature.

Businessman Milind Pande falls in the latter demographic. He purchased land in Grape County and invited Shailesh to design a farm house with some unique attributes — a place that shuns materialistic attachments, a place to reconnect with nature and definitely one that would take him on a path of self-discovery.