In 2024, IIT Roorkee PhD student Syed Ifrah Asfar was surveying the ‘ghost villages’ of Uttarakhand. During her stay at the Raithal Homestay, she found herself captivated by the homestay’s striking, centuries-old design.

An architect by training, Ifrah was drawn to the 500-year-old structure built entirely on an ancient, disaster-resilient blueprint known as the Koti Banal architectural style. “I later presented a paper on this at a conference in Italy; Koti Banal architecture is a case of circularity and sustainability,” she says.

Locally rooted and crafted from abundant wood and stone, the style relies on interlaced stone-and-timber bands that lock together at the corners. The varied stone dimensions give the buildings a rare flexibility. “Even after an earthquake, the structure will not move,” she adds.

Growing up, Prithviraj Singh Rana (28) would hear stories about his ancestral home. “Even earthquakes 30 kilometres away did not damage the house,” he says. Over the years, this deep-rooted pride inspired him to share the home’s legacy with others.

In 2016, the commerce graduate opened the doors of his beloved home to the world, converting a few rooms for guests. The structure stays true to its origins. Elaborating on the materials that have gone into the construction, Prithviraj says that wood, mud and stone form........

© The Better India