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ShaktigiriVidyaranyam
తెలుగు

The Vidyaranyam Vision

A village of learning, envisioned around the sacred hill

An ecosystem of spaces where Gurus and Shishyas live, learn, serve and celebrate together.
Conceptual illustration
Planned

These facilities are planned, not yet built

The spaces below are drawn from the architectural concept by Anagha Architects. All illustrations depict the envisioned Vidyaranyam. Facilities marked “Future phase” are identified for a later stage.

Site plan

The sacred and the everyday, side by side

From Nalanda Dwaram at the main road, past Sri Padma Theertham, to the Gurukulam, the community spaces and the Shaktigiri hillock.
Hand-drawn site plan of Vidyaranyam with numbered locations from 1 to 16, showing the Gurukulam, community spaces, residences, lotus pond, entrance from the main road and the Shaktigiri hillock.Conceptual illustration
Site plan with numbered spaces · Concept by Anagha Architects

Key to the plan

  1. 1Nalanda Dwaram
  2. 2Sri Padma Theertham
  3. 3Kalpataru
  4. 4Jeeva Dhara
  5. 5Giri Pradakshina point
  6. 6Shaktigiri Devasthanam
  7. 7Aacharya BhavanAdmin block & library
  8. 8Utsava Pranganalu
  9. 9KamadhenuGoushala
  10. 10Farm land
  11. 11Annapurna MandapamDining
  12. 12Thakshasila Dwaram
  13. 13Vignana KendramSchool
  14. 14GurukulamGurupada Veedhi, Vedamandapam
  15. 15Vidya NilayamFuture
  16. 16To be confirmedNot labelled in the concept document
  17. 17Athidhi BhavanamFuture
Illustration of Gurupadam Street: a shaded earthen street lined on both sides by tiled-roof houses with timber-pillared verandahs.Conceptual illustration
Gurupadam Street — the street for living · Concept by Anagha Architects
Illustration of Veda Mandapam Street: raised stone platforms under trees where students sit with their Gurus.Conceptual illustration
Veda Mandapam Street — the street for learning · Concept by Anagha Architects
14Planned

Gurukulam

Gurupada Veedhi and Vedamandapam

One Gurukulam, two streets — one for living, one for learning. Gurupadam Street is the entrance street, lined with the Gurus' houses and their verandahs. Behind them, Veda Mandapam Street gathers the backyards, where each house has a raised platform under a tree for Veda recitation and learning.

  • Guru residences arranged in a row, each with its own semi-open Veda Mandapam
  • Platforms covered with a pitched roof and open on three sides
  • Students sit with their respective Gurus on these platforms
  • Narrow walking paths between houses for privacy, ventilation and shade

Supports: Guru–Shishya learning · Community and belonging

Illustration of Vignana Kendram: classrooms with verandahs arranged around an open courtyard with a central tree.Conceptual illustration
Vignana Kendram — classrooms around an open courtyard · Concept by Anagha Architects
13Planned

Vignana Kendram

The centre for formal education

Designed as a manduva house — ten classrooms attached in a ring around an open-to-sky central courtyard. The court brings in light, ventilation and nature, creating a vibrant space for interaction, assemblies and community learning.

  • Ten classrooms around a central courtyard
  • Verandahs on the inner side for informal learning
  • Natural light, cross-ventilation and shade
  • Traditional materials — clay tiles, lime plaster, wood and stone

Supports: Formal education · Curiosity, discipline and love for knowledge

Design to be detailed in a later stage of the architectural concept.

7Planned

Aacharya Bhavan

Administration and library

The administrative block and library, among the support and services that keep the village running — administration, kitchen, store, health and other essential services.

  • Administrative block
  • Library

Supports: Stewardship of the community · Access to knowledge

Illustration of the Annapurna Mandapam dining hall with raised seating platforms, a central platform for food and a shrine of Annapurna Maata.Conceptual illustration
Annapurna Mandapam — the dining heart of Vidyaranyam · Concept by Anagha Architects
Illustration of students serving and sharing a meal on banana leaves in an open-sided dining space.Conceptual illustration
Food served as prasadam · Concept by Anagha Architects
11Planned

Annapurna Mandapam

Dining and community

The dining hall of Vidyaranyam, where students, Gurus and visitors come together to share food with mindfulness and reverence — a sacred space to honour food as prasad, community as family and dining as sadhana.

  • Raised platforms for traditional seating and mindful eating
  • A central platform for food, presided over by Annapurna Maata
  • A semi-open kitchen for ventilation, hygiene and connection with nature
  • Fresh produce from the kitchen garden

Supports: Gratitude · Shared community life

Illustration of children feeding and caring for cows and calves in an open goushala beneath the hill.Conceptual illustration
Kamadhenu — the Goushala · Concept by Anagha Architects
9Planned

Kamadhenu

Goushala

A home of compassion, care and co-existence, where cows are revered, nature is nurtured and students learn kindness in everyday life. The Goushala is more than a cowshed — it is a living classroom.

  • Spacious, clean and well-ventilated shelters
  • Organic fodder cultivation and natural manure for the gardens and farms
  • Students involved in daily Goushala seva

Supports: Respect for all living beings · Seva and responsibility

Illustration of students tending raised vegetable beds in the kitchen garden with the hill in the background.Conceptual illustration
Students in the kitchen garden · Concept by Anagha Architects
10Planned

Farm land and kitchen garden

Learning from the earth

Students learn from the earth — sowing, watering, harvesting, composting and reflecting. Fresh, organic and seasonal produce nourishes the community and teaches the value of living in harmony with nature.

  • Leafy greens, root vegetables, herbs and medicinal plants, pulses, flowers and fruits
  • Hands-on learning about nature, food and sustainability
  • Understanding the cycle of life from soil to plate

Supports: Living in harmony with nature · Simplicity and self-reliance

Illustration of the Utsava Pranganam at dusk: a large gathering seated around a sacred fire between the lotus pond and a great banyan tree, with the hill beyond.Conceptual illustration
Utsava Pranganam — the sacred celebration ground · Concept by Anagha Architects
8Planned

Utsava Pranganalu

Gathering and celebration spaces

The heart of Vidyaranyam's collective celebrations — an open, vast ground between Sri Padma Theertham and the Kalpataru, bringing together students, teachers, residents and visitors for rituals, festivals, discourses and cultural performances.

  • Open-to-sky space connected with the five elements
  • Shaktigiri as a sacred backdrop
  • Designed for harmony and inclusivity

Supports: Shared spiritual experience · Community

Illustration of the interior of Vidya Nilayam: raised bed platforms with niches and curtains under a high pitched timber roof.Conceptual illustration
Vidya Nilayam — envisioned student accommodation · Concept by Anagha Architects
15Future phase

Vidya Nilayam

Student accommodation

A simple, serene space to live, learn and grow — beds on raised platforms, a personal niche for each student's belongings, and a high pitched roof with cross-ventilation to keep the space cool and airy.

  • Raised bed platforms with storage beneath
  • Curtains for privacy while keeping the space open
  • Earthy materials for a healthy and sustainable space

Supports: Discipline and simplicity · Rest, study and sadhana

Design to be detailed in a later stage of the architectural concept.

17Future phase

Athidhi Bhavanam

Guest accommodation

Envisioned guest accommodation for visitors to Vidyaranyam, identified in the plan for a future phase. Its design has not yet been detailed.

Supports: Welcoming visitors and well-wishers

How the spaces work together

Learning along the way of life

Education is not confined to classrooms. It flows along the way of life — through Seva, Satsang, Sadhana, Nature and daily responsibilities.

  • Seva

    Service to all

  • Sadhana

    Daily spiritual practices

  • Shraddha

    Respect, discipline and devotion

  • Saha Jeevanam

    Living and learning together in harmony

Rooted in regional architecture

Built from the earth it stands on

The architects studied the region's traditional houses — linear plans, verandahs, timber roofs and earthen walls — and propose natural, local materials for a calm and grounded environment.
  • Rammed earth and mud brickEarthen walls that keep interiors cool
  • Country clay tilesHigh pitched roofs for thermal comfort
  • Lime plasterBreathable, natural finishes
  • TimberPillars, verandahs and roof structures
  • StonePlinths, platforms, paths and walls
Architects' study drawing of a typical regional house: a linear plan with rooms one behind another, with front elevation and section.Reference photograph
Study of a typical regional house
The interior of a regional house: dark earthen walls and floor, a built-in platform, and shafts of light falling from under a timber roof.Reference photograph
Regional architecture — interior
A wall of sun-dried mud bricks with a thatched roof edge, under coconut palms and blue sky.Reference photograph
Materials — mud brick and thatch

Help the vision take shape

Connect with the organising team to learn how you can support or participate in Vidyaranyam.

Support the visionJeeva Naadi program