Chettinad Mansions - Reviving a glorious Past !
Mention chettinad comes to mind the most sought spicy cuisine of south India.Not many know about the chettiar community staying here even today.Their palatial bungalows are testimony of their vision as business entrepreneurs and as traders. The big bungalows? one may ask. The thing is, these are more than just bungalows, each house is a piece of art and a museum of art, each house is a trade story, and so much more. Stepping foot in this region feels like entering a bygone era that had the charm and grandiose of Royals. If you are on a south India tour to Madurai Trichy, and Thanjavur. Don't forget to include Karaikudi in your list !
Vishwanath Radhakrishna
A community in Southern India, which once was a symbol of the power and wealth of the Nattukottai Chettiar community, today thousands of gigantic and palatial houses in Tamil Nadu now lie dilapidated !
After a bit of haggling and finally as my tuk tuk made its way through the eerie streets into the sleepy surrounding hamlets, I noticed hundreds of huge crumbling villas flanking the narrow village lanes. Silhouetted against the dark grey sky, the Chettinad mansions, as they are known, looked exquisitely colourful but desolately empty.
Even today more than 10,000 palatial mansions remain as landmarks in Chettinad region, many of them spanning a vast area. These gigantic, glamorous looking houses were built by the rich merchant families of the Nattukottai Chettiar community, who amassed great wealth by trading precious stones in Southeast Asia. Their business rose to the pinnacle and were at the apex of their economic power in the late 19th and early 20th Centuries, when most mansions were constructed. As a symbol of royalty !
A bit of history
When World War II began in 1939, however, overseas trading instantly slowed down and the wealth of the Chettiars quickly declined. It turned out to be the darkest period in their history, forcing the Chettiars to seek employment outside Chettinad, with many migrating out of India and abandoning their abodes.
Today, Chettinad is famous for its much sought delectable spicy dishes and the much sought-after antiques from Karaikudi, but most travellers remain unaware of these luxurious mansions spread over the remaining 73 villages in the region. Although most of them lie in ruins, a handful have been converted into heritage hotels and museums by enthusiastic owners who are working to keep the Chettiar legacy alive.
After a scenic drive in the countryside, I arrived in the village of Kanadukathan, 15km from Karaikudi, and checked into Chettinadu Mansion , a 100-year-old mansion-turned-hotel that was to be my home for the next two days. A warm welcome and Nannari sarbath a traditional south Indian drink made from roots of nannari plant also known as Indian Sarsaparilla.
It's a sweet and tangy beverage that's often consumed during the summer to beat the heat. made me relieve stress and soon i checked into one of the heritage room called Valli, located in the mansion.
The teak wood was procured from then Rangoon, now popularly known as Burma teak, mirrors and chandeliers were brought from Belgium and the marble for the floor was procured from Japan, Italy. Granite used for circular pillars in the foyer from Spain and finally cast iron pillars in the courtyard what you see today was imported from England.
Only the best of all was used in construction, without any compromise in quality !
As I toured the spacious rooms and multiple courtyards of the heritage bungalow. I was taken aback by the sheer opulence of each and every component. The mansion had an expansive blue door and olive green facade adorned with beautiful stained-glass windows, while its grand foyer featured an embellished gold ceiling, crystal chandeliers, heirloom furniture and cane furniture in the portico . My gaze was soon drawn to the magnificent courtyard flanked by lofty pillars in cerulean blue. I was told that bungalow consisted of 75 rooms, out of 8 namely Valli , Nachal , Solai , Sivagami , Umayal, Meenal .... are been offered for guests for overnight stay. A narrow, wooden staircase either side corners of portico led me to a breezy corridor where fancy guestrooms had white, iron lace balustrades for balconies.
For every individual, building a dream home is a challenge. Similarly for building a best gigantic home for entire family building was serious business for the Chettiars, who invested all their savings, mind body soul and heart into constructing their dream homes.
“A house is made of bricks and beams. A home is made of hopes and dreams.”
They were inspired by European architecture and hired local architects to work with raw materials imported from all over the globe. Consequently, Gothic facades, marble floors, stained glass windows and tiles from the Far East became a regular liking in every house. But distinct components of vernacular Tamil architecture, such as wide, open courtyards, high side doors 10 feet high and raised verandas, richly carved wooden frames and filigree work, colorful windows and stucco reliefs depicting Hindu deities, stories from epics were also highlighted.
The foyer leads to hall with high ceiling, with granite pillars.The ceiling has paitings and motifs.The main doors decorated with carings from epics and puranas.The floor shimmering with Italian and hand made Athangudi tiles. The antique furniture, made from finest burma teak.The colourful chandeliers lit in the night enhances the beauty of mansion ! 
Chettinad is known for delectable south Indian cuisine.Chettinad cuisine is much more than its array of recipes. It’s a story told through spices, with an impetus on the Chettiars’ impressive history and undying passion for food.
On a count, say about more than 15 different varieties of dishes including flavour Pulav, papad, rasam, papad, Raita, vegetable curries Idiyappam, paniyaram, vellai paniyaram, karuppatti paniyaram, paal paniyaram, kuzhi paniyaram, kozhukatta, masala paniyaram, aadikoozh, kandharappam, seeyam, masala seeyam, kavuni arisi, maavurundai, Vengaya and athirasam were served on a plantain leaf.
Having food served by host is a ritual and celebration here !
In the night one can experience a candle light dinner in the courtyard moonlight and gazing at
star studded sky.
Alagappan Chettiar House
The owners of the bungalow charge Rs 50/- to Rs 100/- a s entry fees for visiting the bungalow.
One of the Bungalow during the visit to Kandukathan 
S.ST.MR HERITAGE HOUSE ; Kanadukathan. The palatial bungalow is now converted in a luxurious hotel and still retains its old world charm of chettiars !.We took a break here for lunch.
The one thing to note about Karaikudi is that the town is spread across several small hamlets. Hence, irrespective of where you stay, you will need a vehicle at your disposal. There is plenty of heritage stays available in the town. I personally recommend picking one of these over the contemporary hotels Not only are they comfortable but give you a good taste of the Chettinad culture and home. During my trip, I stayed at the 111 year old Chettinad Mansion which is literally a heritage home but has been built as one. The place has a sprawling kitchen that offers you tasty Chettinad breakfast and dinner.The location was decent and the rooms quite comfortable. What to see beyond mansions ? I I hired a tuk tuk for a day and planned to visit places as below Athangudi Periya Veedu – This house, aptly referred to as a palace and is very well maintained and has an amazing hall with high ceiling. The pillars are made out of Burma teak and the flooring is made from the famous glass tiles of Athangudi and Belgium tinted glass for windows . The darbar hall and courtyard is really worth visiting the palace. Most of the rooms are locked up and visitors are not permitted. located at a distance 8km from Chettinad Mansion. / Entry Fee Per Person : Rs 50/-
Athangudi Tile Factory - The hand made tiles of Chettinad are a unique and sophisticated expression of culture and trade.The chettiars used build luxurious bungalows using Burma Teak, Italian tiles and Belgium stained glass for constructing houses.Over the years they realised that repairs of these tiles was a cumbersome job and maintainence was a costly affair and replacing it time to time. Forseeing it, the visionaries set up micro cottage industry units for manufacturing units to cater to the needs.These tiles were named after Athangudi Village.Today tile making has been a bread earner for many and local art too.Interestingly these tile tend to get beautiful with ageing and have their own charm !. Located at distance 15 km from Kadakunathan Village. In the post afternoon we visited
Chidambara Vinayaka Temple ; Kanadukathan , Karpaka Vinayaka Temple at Pillaiyarpatti, Nagara Sivan Kovil ; Athangudi and Ayyanar temples in Kanadukathan.
Finally for thoes interested in antiques collection can visit shops at Karaikudi, the way we did during our return journey.
