A celebratory Telugu Ugadi lunch seeped in a private forest

Travel experiences are no longer about aspiring to visit luxury hotels with plunge pools. Nor is it about visiting restaurants that dish out international cuisine. What’s slowly redefining travel and luxury experience is hyper local food served with stories and music. And if that experience is designed in a century-old bungalow of an erstwhile zamindar of Hyderabad, would it not pique your interest?

Around the world, high-networth travellers are seeking smaller, intimate gatherings where food, art, history and conversation create a more meaningful connection to local culture. This Ugadi, Telugu Routes by Culinary Lounge will host a cultural immersion that reflects this emerging movement.

Ugadi Edition 2026, conceptualised by The Culinary Lounge, a private cultural retreat will take diners and experience seekers to the original pace, philosophy and sensory richness of the Telugu New Year. The venue — a private forest estate near Shankarpalli, where only 50 guests will be a part of an intimate gathering to witness an event that blends culinary heritage, literature, performing arts and thoughtful conversation. The experience is priced at ₹15,000 per guest.

The traditional Telugu home at Shankarpalli
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Special Arrangement

Says Gopi Byluppala, founder, The Culinary Lounge, “The initiative will bring together a collective of organisations united by a shared purpose, to position the Telugu States within the emerging global narrative of culinary and cultural tourism. My effort has always been to show the richness of the Telugu States that have a lot to offer to travellers seeking to sample rustic cuisine.”

Gopi also points out that there are several partners supporting him in this effort, including Telangana Ttourism, the Netherlands-based National Institute of Culinary and Cultural Traditions (NICCT), along with heritage-focused organisations such as Zishta and YK Antiques.

Halwa Polelu 
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Special Arrangement

Giving a lowdown of the day Gopi said, “The retreat unfolds like a carefully planned Ugadi day in a traditional Telugu home. Guests arrive early morning through quiet forest roads to the sound of nadaswaram and a festive breakfast. The courtyard will become the stage for Perini Tandavam, the Kakatiya warrior dance of Telangana. One of the highlights of the day will be a conversation with actor, playwright Tanikella Bharani, who will share reflections on the origins of Telugu culinary traditions and their connections to mythology, literature and history. The experience continues through a display of antique kitchen tools. A traditional ganuga oil press will demonstrate the process of oil extraction; the oil will be served with warm rice. A Telangana feast, curated by Sandhya Linga of The Rasam Room, will be served on lotus leaves. In the afternoon, guests can gather for a literary session inspired by the iconic Telugu film Sankarabharanam, exploring how language, music and storytelling have shaped Telugu identity across generations and geographies.”

Gopi Byluppala and Sandhya Linga
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Special Arrangement

Clearly food will play an important role throughout the experience, presented not merely as cuisine but as living cultural memory. The Telugu High Tea will draw inspiration from Coastal Andhra and North Andhra kitchens, where artisans prepare traditional sweets and savouries such as ariselu, bobbatlu, gavvalu and punugulu in the courtyard over open flame. Guests can observe the preparation or participate in the process.

Sharing details of the lunch, Sandhya Linga said the spread will feature festive dishes. “Traditional dishes such as pulihora soured with different ingredients will be served. There will be a selection of rasam, lentil preparations, fries, curries and a dessert called Amrutha phalam, halwa polelu and Thalikala payasam.

Telugu Routes Ugadi lunch is on March 15, reservations can be made on +91 9000010770