Hopping through heritage Chettinad houses in Karaikudi

The grandeur of the heritage Chettinad Houses in Karaikudi is really difficult to describe. You have got to witness it yourself. These are the mansions of Chettinad which until sometimes back I didn’t know much about. Then started materialising our 5 days road trip to Madurai, Rameshwaram and Tanjore from Bangalore. And I was looking for somewhere to stop on my way from Rameshwaram to Tanjore. When I stumbled upon the Karaikudi Tourism information. And what I saw really aroused my interest in the area. So, I added a day to my trip, taking one night stay at Karaikudi in the Chettinad Region. And thus, finally I saw the heritage Chettinad Houses in Karaikudi that are so famous in Tamil Nadu.

If you plan to visit Chettinad region, you can travel from Bangalore either via Madurai or via Tanjore. If you go via Madurai, you can stay overnight in Madurai. And visit some of the famous temples of this temple town, including the Meenakshi Amman Temple and the Thirumalai Nayakar Palace. While if you plan to take the Tanjore route, you can again halt at Thanjavur, visiting places in Thanjavur, including the famous the Tanjore Palace and the Brihadeeshwara Temple. We actually took the Madurai route on our way from Bangalore and the Thanjavur route on our way back 🙂

A brief history of Chettinad and Karaikudi

I will cover the details of the Chettinad Tourism and Karaikudi places to see, along with the history of the region, best season to visit, where to stay and all other details in this upcoming guide post on Chettinad. However, I will quickly summarise here the history of Chettinad and Karaikudi. Chettinad is actually a region of Tamil Nadu almost 90km from Madurai and 150 km from Tanjore. It consists of a cluster of some 80 plus villages. And its main town, which can be considered as its “capital” is Karaikudi. The “Natukottai Chettiars” occupied these villages. They were rich merchants who traded all across India and overseas. And then, they poured their wealth in the building of their houses – actually, huge mansions. So luxurious that some of these can be even called palaces.

One can easily say that the Chettinad Heritage homes are equivalent to the havelis of Rajasthan – particularly the ones in Jaisalmer and Bikaner. Later, as the Natukotti Chettinars migrated out of India, their heritage mansions were left behind. Some of these have been lying unoccupied for ages. And are slowly being reclaimed by nature. With trees growing all over them, paints faded and walls crumbling slowly. While there are others which are maintained by guards. And yet others in which people are still living.

Where to find heritage Chettinad houses in Karaikudi

The Chettinad Heritage homes are scattered as gems all over the Chettinad region. Just driving around randomly in Karaikudi, you are sure to stumble upon some of these. But there are a few clusters which you shouldn’t miss. These are

The Chettinad Heritage Town

Almost 14km north of Karaikudi town lies the Chettinad Heritage Town. This was the first cluster of heritage Chettinad Homes in Karaikudi that we visited. The road leading to the Chettinad Heritage town is in excellent condition. As you enter the Chettinad Heritage Town you will realise that once upon a time, it must have been a very well planned colony. Since there are parallel and perpendicular roads like the “crosses” and “mains” of a modern planned residential locality. You can enter through any and leave through any. But some of the lanes are narrow, so, better to park your vehicle somewhere and then tour the whole area on foot.

We first went to Chettinad Maharaja’s Palace and parked in front of it. Although this palace is not open to public to see from inside. Because the royal family lives here and they prefer their privacy. But, to see it from outside is no less of a delight. And many elements of a Chettinad Heritage home are evident in the palace right from outside. Like a beautiful gate, tall boundary walls, beautifully decorated outer varandah, heavy teak wood doors, idols carved in the roof almost in the centre and so on and so forth.

Opposite the palace is another beautiful heritage Chettinad Home. And then the other streets were also full of many such homes.

On your way Karaikudi to Athangudi

Another place where you can see a lot of heritage Chettinad Homes is on your way from Karaikudi to Athangudi, a village almost 13 km from the Karaikudi town. I am not sure if this region has a specific name. But, if you simply put Athangudi palace or Athangudi Tiles Factory – one of the two major places to visit in Athangudi – you will sure be crossing this region. I couldn’t help but hop off the vehicle to click multiple snaps of different heritage homes in this area.

Heritage Hotels of Karaikudi and Chettinad

Another one, and one of the easiest places where you can experience the most polished, lavished feel of a heritage Chettinad house is some of the heritage hotels of Karaikudi and Chettinad. Some of these hotels are located in the heart of Karaikudi and some others are located in neighbouring town of Kanadukathan. These hotels are built on premises of old Chettinad houses. And also provide their guests with authentic Chettinad cuisine. Alas, we couldn’t stay in one this time. Because the good ones were all booked – thanks to the new year rush. But I will definitely return back sometimes in the future for this experience.

Some of the heritage hotels of Chettinad include these

The Bangala

Chettinadu Mansion

Chidambara Vilas

Sarath Vilas

Chola Heritage

 

Athangudi Palace

The one palace in Chettinad which you can easily visit from inside is the Athangudi Palace. Although, it deserves a dedicated post of it’s own. Given it’s grandeur. But it also deserves a mention here. Since it was the most beautiful Chettinad Heritage home that I visited on my trip to Karaikudi. Made from an excellent amalgamation of imported colored Belgian glasses, Italian tiles, Chettinad Tiles, paintings, carved wooden doors and frames and so much more! You can get tired of clicking but I am sure you will not be able to capture all the minute details with which this house is decorated. While leaving the complete description of the Athangudi Palace to another post. Let me show you some glimpses that will help you understand what I am talking about.

Archietcture of a heritage Chettinad house

As you hop through the heritage houses of Chettinad in Karaikudi, you will soon start understanding their architecture. For, most of the heritage Chettinad houses in Karaikudi and around follow the same theme.

Entrance to a heritage Chettinad house

The entrance of these houses is characterised by very high boundary walls. Often as high as 12- 20 ft. And in the centre of the boundary wall lies the main door. Which is mostly not very wide. And is made up of iron gates with elegant design.

In most of the houses, either right above the main entrance or on the roof in the centre, idols of Gods and Goddess are present. These are very similar to the ones we see on the entrance towers (gopuram) of the temples of South India. Only, the idols on the houses are generally just a few and smaller. But they beautifully adorn the front entrance. I witnessed idols of Ganesha, Lakshmi, Vishnu and even Saraswati carved on the outer entrances.

As you enter through the main front door, you find the outer porch or Verandah. Although a verandah is an important and intrinsic part of most old Indian homes. But none that I have seen are as massive and beautifully crafted as the ones in Chettinad houses. The porch often have wooden or cemented pillars with beautiful carvings or paintings, painted roofs, tiled floor consisting of Chettinad Tiles or sometimes even Italian Tiles.

The main Chettinad house interiors

And the front porch lead to the main entrance inside the house. Which is often a very large and heavy wooden door, intricately carved. And having tinted mirrors which were often imported from European countries like Belgium.

As you enter the main door, you get into the main house. Often, a verandah running around a central courtyard. Again, this theme of construction can be found in many old Indian homes, including the heritage homes of Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. I immediately recalled our stay in the Courtyard Chikmagaluru which was built in similar style. Only, the Chettinad homes are much more luxurious. Because these are built using the best available matter at hand. Which was imported from far and wide. And often they have multiple floors, not just one. roofs are often decorated with beautiful paintings, grills and window frames painted in different colors, floors made of vibrant Chettinad Tiles.

Other parts of the heritage Chettinad houses of Karaikudi

Several bedrooms stand on all sides of the main courtyard. Indicating that often very large families lived in each of these heritage Chettinad Houses. Even the kitchen and dining spaces are very huge. Simple, yet huge.Some of the big houses have temples inside the house. And several floors of construction.

Conclusion

Overall it’s a pleasure to walk through these houses and experience their architecture. Some of the houses like the VRR Mansion near Chettinad Maharaja’s Palace can give you a tour of the inside of the house at a minimal entry fee of INR 30-50 per head. Actually, these houses are unoccupied. But there is a guard employed for the upkeep. The guard often is more than happy to give a tour to interested visitors. At a nominal fee. Which directly goes to his pocket  And you can also witness a lot of other heritage Chettinad houses in Karaikudi randomly as you drive around.

Apart from the houses, the Chettinad region is full of temples and ponds. There are beautiful old temples on every nook and corner. In fact, there is one right opposite to the Chettinad Maharaja’s Palace. With a pond in front of it. Actually, all the medium to big temples in Chettinad have a pond in front of the main entrance of the temple. Because of this, the water bodies of this region are very well preserved. Afterall, no one fills up a pond for construction when it is associated with a temple! I guess I will have to dedicate another post to temple hopping in the Chettinad region. And particularly write about the Ayyanar Temples in Chettinad and Tamil Nadu which have interesting legends associated with them. But all that in the next post. For now, hope you enjoyed the mansion hopping in Chettinad with us.

Related read

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Must visit temples of Madurai

 

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