UN
Mr. Ujjwal Nageshkar
Founder
Our story
Five Friends. One Lake. A Farmhouse.
How a group of five childhood friends built a laterite stone lake-view farmhouse at the Andur Dam backwater in 2023 — so guests could switch off their phones and discover the quiet side of Maharashtra.
The beginning
Post-COVID, a Dream Took Shape
When the world slowed down in 2020, five friends — Ujjwal Nageshkar, Jaywant Purekar, Sachin Shanbhag, Mahesh Shanbhag and Rajendra Ponde — found themselves asking a simple question: what if there was a place we could go to escape the noise of city life, and just be with nature?
By 2023, that question became a two-acre farmhouse on the edge of the Andur Dam backwater, near Gaganbawada in Kolhapur district. Built in the traditional laterite stone (chira) style of the Konkan region, Viva Andur was never meant to be a hotel. It was meant to be a feeling.
The place
Andur Dam Backwater, Near Gaganbawada
The farmhouse sits on the still backwaters of the Andur Dam — water on one side, the Sahyadri hills on the other. The lake is visible from every room, from the lawn, and even from the washrooms. This wasn't a coincidence — it was the whole point.
The founders
Meet the Five Friends
Viva Andur was built by five friends who share a love for the Konkan landscape, Maharashtrian food and slow, quiet days.
JP
Mr. Jaywant Purekar
Founder
SS
Mr. Sachin Shanbhag
Founder
MS
Mr. Mahesh Shanbhag
Founder
RP
Mr. Rajendra Ponde
Founder
Why we built it
What Viva Andur Is Really About
Not a hotel. Not a resort. A quiet place to slow down, switch off and reconnect.
Peace from City Life
A real escape from daily traffic, deadlines and endless notifications.
Switch Off Your Mobile
Put the phone down. Listen to the water. Watch the birds. Do nothing at all.
Local Maharashtrian Food
Home-style vegetarian and non-vegetarian meals, cooked the way our grandmothers did.
Explore Nature
Lake views, hills, birds, bonfires, stars — the Konkan landscape at its quietest.
The farmhouse
Built in Laterite Stone, Facing the Lake
We built Viva Andur the way farmhouses in the Konkan have always been built — with chira, the local laterite stone. Cool in summer, warm in winter, and beautiful in every light.
The rooms, the washrooms and the open lawn all face the water. On a clear morning, the lake reflects the hills so perfectly you can't tell where the land ends and the sky begins.
A glimpse
Life at Viva Andur
Our philosophy
Why We Say "Switch Off"
The best thing about Viva Andur isn't what we've added — it's what we've left out.
Water on one side. Hills on the other. Quiet all around.— The five friends of Viva Andur
We believe a good holiday doesn't need loud music or big screens. It needs good food, a warm bonfire, a clear sky, and the sound of water. That's what we've tried to create here — and that's what we hope you'll take home with you.
The journey
From Idea to Farmhouse
2020 — The Question
Five friends stuck at home during COVID ask each other: what if we built a place to escape to?
2021 — Finding the Land
A stretch of land on the Andur Dam backwater, near Gaganbawada, feels right immediately. The view decides it.
2022 — Building in Chira Stone
Local laterite stone, local craftsmen, and a plan built around the lake — not against it.
2023 — Viva Andur Opens
Three lake-view rooms, twenty beds, a two-acre lawn and a porch facing the water. The first guests arrive.
Today — A Quiet Escape
Families, friends and groups come to switch off, eat well and wake up beside the water.
Come Experience It Yourself
Book your stay at Viva Andur — a quiet lake-view farmhouse near Gaganbawada, Kolhapur.