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In a small village in Khajuraho, an architect watched a small family build a house together. No machines. No cement. Just earth and hands and time, guided by the rituals of ancestors who knew the language of clay. That moment became a seed.
Thannal—which means “shade” in Malayalam—grew from that seed. It is not a company. It is a shelter. A remembering. A place where old knowledge breathes again.
Nearly two decades ago, Biju Bhaskar and Sindhu Bhaskar made a choice that would ripple across India's natural building landscape. They left behind the comfort of urban life to return to the foothills of Arunachala, seeking a way of living that was more rooted, more regenerative, and more meaningful.
At a time when the phrase "zero cement construction" was virtually unknown in contemporary discourse, they began a quiet revolution.
India, before the cement boom that began just prior to independence, had a rich and deeply local tradition of building. Structures across climates and geographies were made using mud, lime, bamboo, and plant-based admixtures passed down through generations. This knowledge was once widespread. However, it began to disappear as industrial construction became the norm. The documentation of these traditional methods slowly faded into obscurity.Biju and Sindhu started learning again. They traveled across India—village to village, elder to elder—listening to the wisdom of master masons, watching ancient techniques in use, and relearning old recipes for building that worked with nature rather than against it.This wasn't just research. They built. They experimented. They made mistakes, learned from them, and tried again. Over time, their home turned into a learning space. Their experiences turned into workshops. Slowly, what they were doing became something much bigger.
"If revival is happening in organic farming, handwoven clothing, and traditional medicine—why not natural homes too?"
And when we begin returning to our roots, the question naturally arises: "How do we achieve self-sufficiency?"
The answer, as Biju Bhaskar puts it, is clear—"Grow more villages with less development and greater self-sufficiency."
Natural building is not nostalgia. It is urgency.In a world grappling with climate change, chemical toxicity, and disconnection from the earth, these ancient practices offer answers:Natural building is not nostalgia. It is urgency.In a world grappling with climate change, chemical toxicity, and disconnection from the earth, these ancient practices offer answers:
This is tradition meeting tomorrow—where clay walls rise beside laptops, where ancient plasters protect digital hearts, where a farmer and a software engineer can both find belonging.
At its heart lies a forgotten link—between agriculture and architecture. Many of the same plants and resources that nourish our bodies can also strengthen our homes.Natural polymers and plant-based admixtures—like kadukkai, neem, tamarind seed, and cow dung—once held an essential place in construction. Their use represented an ecosystem-based intelligence where building and farming were part of a single cycle.This near-forgotten knowledge is now being revived by Biju Bhaskar and Sindhu Bhaskar. Through years of experiments, study of ancient architectural texts, and field application, they are rekindling an understanding of how agriculture and building can grow together.
📖 Read Our Full Story - Learn Natural Building Online with Thannal's "Back Home"
We are travellers. Learners. Documenters. Sharers.
We are not preserving the past—we are living it forward.
Once immersed in commercial architectural practice, Biju left it all behind to rediscover what it means to build with purpose. He traveled India's rural heart, apprenticed with a sculptor at Khajuraho, learned from elders whose hands carried centuries of knowledge.
He witnessed a small family build a home—without machinery, without cement, with only earth and intention. His calling now is not to design more natural homes, but to create more natural builders.
Sindhu walks beside Biju in all things—travel, building, teaching, raising a family rooted in this philosophy. Together they built their own 550 sq ft earthbag home. Together they document techniques across Tamil Nadu, Rajasthan, Himalayas, and beyond.
Her presence in this journey is not auxiliary—it is foundational. She is co-visionary, co-creator, and co-keeper of this living archive.
Dharan helps transform decades of fieldwork into accessible digital knowledge. He works on building Thannal's complete digital library—a living archive of regional techniques, rare documents, and oral traditions preserved for future generations. Now, he leads and heads the Thannal’s new wing—'Earth Projects'—realizing earth-based homes and structures for clients across India, bringing traditional ethos into the lives and landscapes of today.
Started as an intern; now part of the team. He turns site work into clear lessons—illustrating steps, recording voice-overs, and editing Back Home modules.
Our campus in Tiruvannamalai, Tamilnadu is not just where we live—it is where tradition is renewed daily.
Here, workshops unfold under open sky. Walls rise from local clay. Lime is slaked in pits dug by hand. Students from across the world sit beside village masons, learning the weight of wet earth, the patience required for a good plaster, the satisfaction of a roof that needs no concrete.
This is where the digital and the tangible meet—where online learners come to touch real clay, see living examples, witness houses that breathe.What Happens Here
Visits are welcome—with prior arrangement. Come see. Come feel. Come build.
This is not a museum. It is a workshop, a home, a pilgrimage site for those who seek to remember.
🏡 Join a Workshop or Visit: - Explore upcoming workshops and learning opportunities
What Is "Back Home"?Back Home is India's first digital syllabus on natural building—a visual, self-paced learning resource created by Thannal Natural Homes.It is not a textbook. It is a visual journey—because you cannot learn the feel of mud from words alone.Spanning 30 hours of carefully crafted content, it guides learners through the foundational methods of building using mud, lime, bamboo, pozzolanic materials, and natural admixtures—all drawn from the Biju Bhaskar natural building philosophy and over 15 years of fieldwork.
The syllabus is organized into four parts, each a root that branches into practice:
In-depth lessons on mud, bamboo, lime, surkhi, and plant-based admixtures. Learn sourcing, testing, and treating materials—grounded in India's ancient texts and traditional wisdom.
Insight into flat mud roofs, Madras terrace roofs, limecrete, Khiru, adobe, pot tile systems—roofing that's beautiful, breathable, and resilient, achieved without concrete.
From RR masonry and limecrete plinth beams to sculptural niches and air ducts. Understand natural wall systems like cob, adobe, earthbag, and more—including flood-resilient techniques and step-by-step construction.
Learn the art of plasters and floors—cow dung, lime pozzolanic finishes, decorative touches like murals and clay paints. These practices are drawn from over 15 years of experience without cement.
At the heart of natural building lies a simple but profound principle:With just five primary materials—
— one can create an entire home.This principle shows us that abundance doesn't lie in modern materials but in knowing how to use what the earth already gives.
Natural building has served everyone—from humble huts to majestic palaces. These methods vary in complexity, cost, strength, and water resistance:
Each step reflects centuries of refinement—balancing what's available locally with what a structure must withstand.
"Back Home" is not static—it is alive and expanding.We are continuously adding new lessons and techniques to the visual syllabus library:
This is more than scaling up. It's about deepening roots. Whether you're in a village or a city apartment, a student or a senior, there is a way for you to participate in building differently.Stay tuned—there's much more coming.
Everyone.
Villagers and city dwellers. Students and retirees. Architects seeking alternatives. Homemakers wanting to build their own shelter. Farmers reconnecting agriculture and architecture. Artists exploring earth as medium.
All you need is an openness to learn and a desire to build consciously.
Learn at your own pace through thoughtfully designed apps or online platforms—available in English. Tamil and Hindi coming soon.As a learner, you also receive access to two free guidance sessions—personal support to help you bridge the gap between watching and doing.
📚 Explore the Complete 30-Hour Visual Syllabus: Thannal Natural Building Online Course Index
These are not just students—they are co-creators of this living tradition. They come from every walk of life. Potters and chartered accountants. Doctors and architects. Artists and farmers. Each brings new questions, new adaptations, new life to ancient wisdom.
"As a potter, I found kinship in the way mud is honoured here. It's not just material—it's family.".
— Ceramicist, Kerala
"I'm a doctor, drawn to homes that heal not just the body but the land. This course gave me permission to build differently."
— Medical Practitioner, Bangalore
"A chartered accountant searching for more—it's not just numbers anymore. Here, it's breath, it's roots, it's coming home."
— CA, Tamil Nadu
"I thought architecture was about blueprints. Thannal taught me it's about listening—to earth, to elders, to silence."
— Architect, Pune
"Building with my hands changed everything. I didn't just learn techniques—I remembered something I'd forgotten."
— Artist, Auroville
💬 Hear More Journeys, or Share Your Own: Read Reviews and Stories
"We're working on building a complete digital library on natural building—a living archive of regional techniques, rare documents, and oral traditions, preserved for future generations.
"We're also developing interactive learning spaces, where learners can map their building aspirations and receive curated paths through the vast content Thannal has documented—blending hands-on wisdom with digital accessibility.
See our living roadmap: Our Roadmap
If you’re unsure where to begin, start with the free course 1.1 Introduction to Natural Building: Introduction to Natural Building – Free | Start Your Journey Now
Discover our complete Course - Part 1 - 4: Complete Companion of
Natural Building: Complete Companion of Natural Building | Lifetime access
BACK HOME
Knowledge remains unknown,
History became untold,
Treasures were unrevealed,
Truth remained unspoken,
But all that hinders fades away when we unEarth.
Launch your Graphy
