On a spur of rock above Mussoorie, overlooking the valley identical to an eagle would, is the household house of the Sikands. This is Eagles Nest 1880, a property that has handed by the fingers of an English architect, a begum, and 4 generations of a household.
Built in 1880 by English architect Sir James Southern on a rocky outcrop that overlooks the valley like a watchpost, the property handed by many fingers—from its unique proprietor to the Begum of Rampur, and finally, in 1956, to the Sikand household.
It was Maj Kirpal Singh, grandfather of Vijit Sikand, present custodian, who introduced the home into the household. Working intently with the Kapurthala royal household, he would spend his summers in Mussoorie, accompanying Maharaja Paramjit Singh, usually away from his family for months at a time. Tired of these lengthy stretches away from house, he determined to discover a place the place his household might spend the summer time collectively. Eagles Nest grew to become that place. It was one in all the first few homes in Mussoorie, constructed completely in stone, carrying each a sense of permanence and retreat from the very starting.
The Sikands continued that way of life. For a long time, this remained a household house in the truest sense—summers spent on verandahs, winters drawn shut to fireplaces, weekends stretching into lengthy meals and longer conversations. Nothing about the home was designed for visitors, and but it was at all times prepared to obtain them.
So, when it did open its doorways as a homestay, it felt much less like a shift and extra like a continuation. “It never really felt like a decision,” says Vijit. “It was just an extension of how we’ve always lived—with friends and family sharing this space and the way of life that comes with it.” Today, Vijit runs the homestay alongside his spouse, Ritu, and daughters Ameira and Pavni—a household nonetheless intently tied to the home, retaining it as private and lived-in because it has at all times been.