Inspired by instinct.
Designed for experience.

This is coffee country — quiet mornings, late light and mountains that disappear into mist. Across the property are nine architectural stays, each inspired by the way a creature solves shelter.

Bindiga Estate RdBindiga Estate RdBindiga Estate RdBindiga Estate Rd57575757BindigaMalenahalliNingenahalliLokah
Open in Google Maps →Illustrative map, not to scale

Our Story

Why we built Lokah.

Pranitha & Darshak

The founders

Lokah started with a feeling.

After running Birds Eye Estate, we knew we wanted to build something bigger. We loved creating places that felt different, places people could connect with, but we didn't want to build just another resort.

We wanted to create something we hadn't seen before.

The idea really came together when we found this piece of land at the foothills of Mullayanagiri. Surrounded by nature, it felt like the right place to experiment.

Then came the idea that shaped everything — what if our spaces were inspired by the way animals build? A nest, a burrow, a beehive, an anthill. Structures that felt like they belonged in the forest rather than sitting on top of it.

That became Lokah.

A lot changed along the way. Ideas evolved, plans fell apart, and we had to constantly figure things out. But that was also the most exciting part.

For us, Lokah is simply the result of two people who love hosting, love creating, and wanted to build something they hadn't experienced themselves.

We hope you feel that when you're here.

Lokah · Bindiga, Chikmagalur · Karnataka, India

—The Philosophy

Every creature has its own way of finding shelter.

At Lokah, those instincts become places you can stay inside.

  • A butterfly's cocoon.
  • An anthill.
  • A bird's nest.
  • A honeycomb.

Each takes a different idea from nature and turns it into architecture, built around its own material and relationship with the landscape.

Air
Light, suspended and breathing.
The CocoonThe HiveThe Amber Chamber
Water
Submerged, fluid and still.
The AquaThe Shore
Soil
Earthen, banked and cool below ground.
The ColonyThe Burrow
Forest
Woven, grown and alive.
The NestThe Weave

Getting here

Lokah is set in Bindiga, off Hakki Pikki Road, near the Mullayanagiri foothills outside Chikmagalur.

Bengaluru≈ 4.5 hr by road
270km
Chikmagalur townlocal amenities
18km
Nearest railway station — KadurChikmagalur railway 18 km
30km
Nearest airport — Mangaluru≈ 4 hr by road
160km

Nearby

Mullayanagiri, Karnataka’s highest peak, is a little over 10 km away.

  • Mullayanagiri — Karnataka's highest peak15 km
  • Hirekolale Lake10 km
  • Jhari (Buttermilk) Falls20 km
  • Baba Budangiri25 km
  • Belur & Halebidu temples35 km

When to come

Chikmagalur is an all-year-round destination. Every season changes the landscape slightly.

October–March
Clear skies and crisp mountain views.
April–May
The coffee blossom brings another rhythm to the region.
June–September
Monsoon arrives with mist, rain and mountains that seem to disappear and reappear through the clouds.