A Subterranean Sanctuary

Like caves out of the earth, architect Avinash Ankalge's design for a cultural community space in Karnataka's Kaggalipura village, truly responds to its site.

- NEERJA DEODHAR

The khair tree, a deciduous giant with yellow blossoms, is found in abundance in Kaggalipura—a village in Karnataka named after the tree, known as kaggali locally. Three hours away from Bengaluru, this leafy village frequently draws in bird watchers, owing to its proximity to the Bannerghatta National Park.

Now, it is also home to “Subterranean Ruins”, an unconventional space spread across a lush three-acre farm where mango, coconut, and avocado trees thrive. Characterized by exposed brick walls, graceful arches, and open-air seating areas, the space could potentially become a microcosm of Kaggalipura’s spirit, and its epicentre of culture and community.

In his initial conversations with the young Bengaluru-based architectural firm A Threshold, businessman V.S. Bhaskar asked that a farmhouse be built. Avinash Ankalge—architect and cofounder of A Threshold—says the firm responded with a vastly different proposition: a dynamic, multifunctional structure that could serve as a homestay, a meeting place for the local community, and a site where exhibitions and artist residencies could be facilitated.