Heritage Estate · South India · Est. 1924
A century-old palatial estate where colonial grandeur meets the soul of South India — now brought to life through immersive digital experiences.
Our Heritage
Built in 1924 by the merchant prince Krishnaswami Saratha, this palatial estate stands as one of the finest examples of Indo-Saracenic architecture in the region. Its high vaulted corridors, hand-painted frescoes, and teak-wood antechambers whisper stories of a time when grandeur was a way of life.
Spanning over 18,000 sq ft across four wings, Saratha Vilas has hosted royalty, diplomats, and artists. Today, it is preserved as a living museum — every room a chapter, every corridor a verse.
What Awaits You
Explore the estate's Indo-Saracenic façade, its Moorish arches, intricate jali screens, and ornate stucco work — a vocabulary of design that blurs East and West.
Over 600 artefacts — bronze Nataraja sculptures, colonial-era silverware, hand-knotted Kochi carpets, and correspondence from the Dewan's court — are preserved within these walls.
Four acres of manicured gardens surround the vilas — century-old rain trees, a rose terrace, a lily pond, and a secluded pavilion once used for evening recitals.
Seasonal events, classical music evenings, and storytelling walks bring the heritage alive. Saratha Vilas is not a relic — it is a living, breathing chapter of South India's cultural story.
Select suites within the estate have been thoughtfully restored to offer overnight stays. Fall asleep beneath hand-painted ceilings, wake to the fragrance of jasmine in the courtyard.
Decades of photographs, letters, and blueprints have been digitised into an accessible public archive — a gift to historians, researchers, and the simply curious.
Saratha Vilas is not merely a house. It is the autobiography of a family, the memoir of a region, and the testament of an era that chose beauty as its highest virtue.
— The Hindu, Heritage Supplement, 2019
Explore the Estate
Two ways to experience Saratha Vilas — each crafted to bring you closer to its soul.
Step inside Saratha Vilas with a VR headset and move through its rooms as if you were there — the creak of teak floors, the play of afternoon light through jali screens.
A curated visual journey through every wing — rendered in high fidelity. Pan, rotate, and pause in any room. Ideal for planning your visit or exploring remotely.