Thiruvananthapuram: A Rs.60 million 'ayurveda village', boasting of the largest ayurveda spa in the country, is to open Nov 1 near the famed Kovalam beach in Kerala.

The village, consisting of 16 cottages, is coming up inside the Poovar Island Resort.

"The highlight of the village is that the 16 cottages will be made of mud and have insulated roofs and walls to keep the heat away and no air-conditioning will be required," M.R. Narayanan, the managing director of Poovar Island Resort, told.

Poovar Island Resorts shot into fame almost seven years back when the country's first floating cottages were launched in the backwaters. At present, it has 16 floating cottages overlooking the Arabian Sea.

Narayanan, who came up with the concept of 'a resort within a resort', said the ayurveda resort is built on a 12 acre campus inside the Poovar Island Resort. Dubai-based Kerala businessman Kabeer Khader is chairman of the resort.

The ayurveda spa will be around 20,000 sq ft.

"There is a very big lounge and 10 treatment rooms. The basic tenets of ayurveda are not diluted. Each room has water bodies, a private garden and enough light and air coming in, which are a must for those undergoing ayurveda treatment," he said.

The village has a state-of-the-art kitchen, where cooking would be done according to the principles of ancient Indian medical texts.