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Back Home · Thannal
Indian Natural Building. A practice of returning to the earth with 0% cement.
Learn with mud, lime, bamboo and herbal mixes. For us, making an earthen home is also a practice of how we live.
18+
years of service
7,000
learners
75+
hands-on workshops
START HERE · FREE INTRODUCTORY COURSE
A Kickstart to Natural Building
Your first step into natural building. Begin with this free introduction, meet the materials, and find your way towards a home made with care.
What we offer
Five ways to begin
with Thannal.
Learn at your pace. Make with your hands. Build a home, choose with care, or grow into a natural builder.
Swipe the tabs to explore all five options →
01 / Online Course
A library to learn. A practice to grow.
Let learning find its place in your day. Follow Back Home Parts 1–4 at your own pace, or stay with one subject and explore it deeply.
02 / Workshop
Let your hands begin to understand.
Some things become clear through making. Work with mud, lime and bamboo at our Tiruvannamalai campus, learning alongside others. Explore current dates and workshop formats.
03 / Projects
A home that belongs to its place.
Before you enquire: Every home begins from a different place. Explore the services and their eligibility; some require prior workshop or course participation. Then speak with our team.
From the first drawing to the finishing touch: Design, Consultation & On-site Training, Turnkey Project Management, Minimal One homes, and Natural Plaster execution.
04 / Products
Papachi — A Grandma’s Touch
Care, carried into the everyday. Discover small-batch bath and body products, handcrafted soaps and cloth bags from Papachi, the independent brand of Sindhu Bhaskar and Adhya Vriksha.
05 / Career Program
Learn the craft. Grow into a natural builder.
Build the skills for a life in natural building. Learn on building sites, test materials and document the craft, growing into a capable, thoughtful builder. Explore program duration and eligibility.
OUR COMPLETE ONLINE LEARNING COMPANION
Back Home
Four parts. One unfolding practice.
From the first handful of soil to the final coat of lime, follow materials, tools and methods through Parts 1–4. Return as your practice grows.
Learn at your own pace. Check each course page for language, access and included lessons. Practical building calls for testing and judgement suited to your place.
Browse single courses ↗ABOUT THANNAL · LEARNING TOGETHER
A small patch of earth.
Many beginnings.
On our 75-cent campus in Tiruvannamalai, learning gathers around real materials. Schoolchildren, architecture students, architects and engineers each bring their curiosity to the earth beneath their feet.
INSTITUTIONS WHOSE LEARNERS HAVE JOINED US
Natural building belongs to everyone, across generations and backgrounds. From school years 1–12 to professional practice, learning takes a form suited to each age and experience.
KEEP IN TOUCH
Community
Stay connected with people learning and practising natural building through Thannal.
Open the Thannal community ↗
RESEARCH & DEVELOPMENT
Listen to what was known.
Learn through making.
We learn from artisans, document indigenous methods and test them through making. What one generation knows can become the next generation’s living practice.
Listen → Make → Observe → Document → Share
Stories beyond our campus
Thannal in the Media
The work travels through stories, films and conversations.
OWNER-BUILT HOMES
Their hands. Their hopes.
Homes of their own.
A home holds more than walls. Meet people building with local materials and artisans, finding a deeper understanding of their place through the work.
VOICES FROM THE CAMPUS
What stays with
those who come.
A visit, a lesson, a moment of understanding. Read what people remember from their time at Thannal, in their own words on Google Maps.
BEGIN WITH A CONVERSATION
Every beginning has a question.
A course, a workshop, a career in natural building, a home of your own. Tell us what you are imagining, and where you would like to begin.
Enquire about a call ↗
Contact our team to arrange a suitable time.
Launch your Graphy