Newstrack

Auromatrix to open Sparsa resorts in temple towns

Sangeetha Neeraja - Chennai

The Auromatrix group, which has been in the industry for about ten years, and who, till three months ago was the master liscencee of the Days Inn, will soon be opening the Sparsa chain of resorts, scheduled to come up in Thiruvanamalai -a temple town in Kanyakumari on the beach front and also at Chidambaram. As all these three temple towns do not have big properties in the vicinity, the launch of Sparsa would be greatly welcomed by pilgrims and also other leisure holiday seekers.

'Sparsa', in Sanskrit means 'the touch', and runs with the tagline 'as unique as you are'. "The idea behind our concept of coming up with this chain of experiential resorts is to take people back the forgotten way of life. Our resorts are designed in such a way as to provide visitors with an ethnic Tamilian experience, without compromising on the luxury" says an exuberant Udday Kumar Krishnan, MD, Auromatrix Hotels.

The property at Thiruvanamalai, designed within a Tamil village setting, is a forty room villa style hotel. Some villas have private plunge pools, apart from the typical resort amenities like meditation hall, spa and rejuvenation centre, gym and swimming pool. The uniqueness of the place lies in recreating a rustic ambience, with tea kadai (tea shops at the road side) and pu kadai (road side flower shops).

The day at Sparsa begins with a chant of Gayatri Mantra by a purohit, whose soothing rhythms resound throughout the resort from sound systems placed all over. One can also try one’s hand at milking cows, to get the feel of a bygone era.

There are bullock carts in the resorts complete with inbuilt music systems, to take the visitors for sightseeing and to near by temples. Long forgotten scooters from the 50's can be hired for those who want to explore the town. Cars, on the other hand, are stopped at the gate - one has to walk around inside the resort, with the elderly getting some help from a special battery-operated car. "The buildings are eco-friendly with high end water recycling systems, etc. There is also a well-stocked ethnic boutique and the cuisine here is pure Tamilian and 100 per cent vegetarian. We will also soon be bringing in a celebrity chef from the UK, who, with his cross -over experience will customise Tamilian dishes to suit the palate of foreign clientele," says Krishnan.

Sparsa is an experiential resort promoted by Auromatrix Hotels, a Chennai-based group. Designed by the Laurie Baker disciples, Jeyagoplan and Latha, it bears the indelible marks of the great architect. The Sparsa at Thiruvanamalai opens in the first week of October. The package for single occupancy starts at Rs 3,000 and double occupancy comes at Rs 3,500, including breakfast.