Host since ...
2024
At Aranya Agosh, we offer guests an opportunity to move away from their daily routine. They have a chance to start their morning fresh with a village walk and have their breakfast at Letibunga’s most tranquil spots. They can spend their day with the natives in the village, observe their lifestyle, interact with them, and understand how they can help in the growth of the local community. We offer local Kumaoni food with materials sourced from the village or nearby areas to help the local economy as well.
Currently, we are planning all-women retreat to show our deep gratitude for the mighty nature.
Aranya Agosh by Shoonya is an attempt to move beyond temporary escapes, offering a unique space for intentional withdrawal from daily routine.
More than a vacation- it is a transformative experience that deepens and celebrates your pursuit of self-awareness, compassion, and creation.
Every room at the property is built in a unique way using many natural materials. We also have a communal space called Kriti which is the centre of creation at Aranya Agosh. A space to share the joy of Creation – designed for individuals or intimate groups to foster their thoughts, cultivate their ideas, and bring them to reality.
There are inviting sitting spots perched atop uniquely designed underground rainwater harvesting tanks. We have a willoe garden of Panchtatva, a space that offers multiple tranquil spots to bask in the warmth of good food and the pleasure of living. The different spots denote the 5 elements of the Universe: नभ (Space), जल (Water), अग्नि (Fire), क्षिति (Earth), and वायु (Air).
A part of the property descends to a space called Mrida, set to become the epicentre of Shoonya’s soil conservation project. A walk down this long mountain step reveals the majestic panorama of the Himalayan peaks—Trishul, Nanda Devi, and Panchachuli—stretching uninterrupted.
We have put a significant effort to cultivate an environment that ignites the spirit of exploration and offers avenues for self-discovery.
Shoonya started with the idea of uniting extraordinary individuals in a nature retreat. Our aim is to cultivate an environment that not only sparks personal awareness and potential but also serves as a platform for sharing life experiences, skills, and resources, empowering all participants in their collective pursuit of growth and fulfilment.
Aranya Agosh is our debut property which is nestled in the quaint surroundings of ‘Letibunga’ – the Lying (Leti) Hill Top (Bunga), at ~7300 ft in the mountains of Kumaon. The place stimulates one’s physical senses, fostering tranquillity without being disconnected to the world we inhabit.
It is a sanctuary for friends, families, and colleagues alike to connect and rejuvenate, offering a paradise for nature & bird lovers, stargazers & explorers, photographers & artists, meditators & thought leaders, readers & writers, and whoever you want to be.
2024
English, Hindi
India
Shifting to the mountains a year back, we went through a transformative experience. An awakening that deepened our pursuit of self-awareness. Knowing who we are, what we want, and where we want to go- are the biggest questions we keep pursuing answers to throughout our lives.
Living here has just simplified those thoughts. We are still celebrating that pursuit, just in the most natural way. There is a sustained realization that boundaries only exist in our minds, that you cannot keep yourself away from nature because nature is you, and that you can barely make your actions count without the support of fellow beings.
We continue on this way of exploring individuality, cultivating empathy, and acting to express ourselves.
Shoonya is one form of our expression that calls fellow beings to join us in this eternal endeavour of elevating Self-awareness to inspire Creation driven by Compassion. And we want others to experience it as well.
As you enter Aranya Agosh, you’ll find yourself on the Miyawaki Walkway that winds past flower beds spilling colour, several native trees, shrubs, and ground-covering herbs. Following the tenets of Japanese botanist Akira Miyawaki, the Miyawaki Walkway is an attempt to plant native tree species that help in water conservation.
Every year, we plant trees during the monsoons. This year, we planted some 200 native trees (Deodars) that help in water conservation through their root system. The 0.5 acre area at the property has more than 1000 plants, mostly native to build a mini forest. In fact, the name of the property itself means In the forest’s embrace (Aranya Agosh).
Water is the biggest commodity in our area. The region has faced drastic weather changes in the past few years. Rainfall is scarce, snow has stopped, temperature has started rising to 32 degree celsius during peak summer months. In this condition, it becomes extremely important to use water in the most sustainable way.
We have water harvesting tanks with a capacity of 80,000 L to save the maximum water we can during monsoons. It is our effort always to aprise guests about the scarcity of water in the region and urge them to use it in an efficient way. We discourage the use of flush and instead request them to use bucket water.
We have recently built a grey water treatment system to reuse the kitchen waste water for farming.
Village, Letibunga-Dhanachuli Rd, Mukteshwar, South Gola Range, Uttarakhand 263137, India