As the site reveals itself gradually, guests move through meandering paths and open-air spaces woven through layered vegetation and tall tree canopies that draw the forest edge deep into the site. A perennial lake emerges as a key orienting element within a setting that invites visitors to slow down and immerse themselves in the surrounding environment. Public spaces gather gently around it - verandahs, dining terraces, the pool - each framing shifting views of water, light, and the forest.

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Arrival is marked by a winding forest drive leading to the porch framed by reflective pools, creating both a formal threshold and a pause point for guests preparing for forest excursions. The carefully choreographed approach culminates in a lodge-like primary building—its deep verandahs, pitched clay-tiled roof, and timber-and-stone palette echoing the region’s homes. The architectural layering draws from local building traditions: rubble masonry, brick composite walls, and warm natural finishes that create a tactile, familiar language.

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Scattered across the site, nineteen luxury tents sit lightly within their own private gardens. Each is built on a modest plinth, wrapped in outdoor-grade parachute fabric and lined internally with block-printed cotton. Sliding doors lead into walk-in wardrobes and vanity spaces, while the elevated decks allow guests to inhabit the landscape with a sense of privacy and expansive sky.

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<rt-red>Narratives drawn from local tribal art forms—particularly Gond and Baiga traditions—are embedded within the architectural and interior language as integral layers.<rt-red> Expressed at the threshold through a striking hand-chiselled entrance door bearing tribal motifs as a gesture of welcome and protection, in the foyer through a plaster-relief mural depicting a Baiga procession, and in artworks interpreting local motifs, these elements lend the spaces cultural rootedness while retaining the refinement and timelessness associated with the Oberoi aesthetic.

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The lakefront unfolds as a sequence of outdoor experiences, each set within a crafted clearing and integrated seamlessly into the landscape. A pool and fitness centre sit within a newly planted Kadam forest, while fire pits, sunrise breakfast areas, and a bush-dining deck—conceived as an intimate, lamp-lit floating platform for small gatherings—animate the water’s edge.

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A Tree Court, designed as a small orchard, provides a setting for performances by local artists, while the Spa occupies the quieter end of the site as a meditative refuge shaped by water, gardens, and a muted material palette. <rt-red>Oberoi Vindhyavilas ultimately frames the wilderness not as a backdrop, but as the protagonist - an immersive retreat where architecture, craft, and nature coexist in quiet harmony.<rt-red>

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