May 2012 : Chettinadu Heritage Tour – Devakottai

Travel Title: Chettinadu Heritage Tour – Kanadukathan, Athangudi, Karaikudi & Devakottai – in Tamil Nadu, India

When: May 2012

About The Trip:

Purpose: Chettinadu Heritage Tour – Kanadukathan, Athangudi, Karaikudi & Devakottai – in Tamil Nadu, India

Days/Nights: 1 Day

Arrangements: Travel Agent / Self-guided Tour

Route: Tiruchirappalli INDIA – Kanadukathan INDIA – Athangudi INDIA – Karaikudi INDIA – Devakottai – Tiruchirappalli INDIA

Traveling Method & Time:

Tiruchirappalli – Kanadukathan = by car (≈ 1 hour 40 minutes)

Kanadukathan – Athangudi = by car (≈ 20 minutes)

Athangudi – Karaikudi = by car (≈ 30 minutes)

Karaikudi – Devakottai = by car (≈ 30 minutes)

Devakottai – Tiruchirappalli = by car (≈ 2 hours 30 minutes)

Details:

Chettinad is a region of the Sivaganga district of southern Tamil Nadu state, India with Karaikudi as its capital. The Chettinad Heritage Tour includes several chettinad locations in Kanadukathan, Athangudi, Karaikudi and Devakottai. Chettinad is the homeland of a prosperous banking and business community known as the Nattukottai Chettiars (Nagarathar). In the 19th and early 20th centuries, many of this community’s members migrated to South and Southeast Asia, particularly Ceylon and Burma. Today, there is a diaspora of Chettinad people who live in the USA, Singapore and Malaysia. The people of Chettinad speak Tamil.

Chettinad is famous for its chettinad cuisine, mansions, and temples. In fact, the very word “Chettinad” also means a social caste that specializes in the preparation of food and they are considered master chefs who prepare excellent South India chettinad food.

The courtyard of chettinad mansions are usually spacious embellished with marble and Burma teak. It is said that the bricks used in making a chettinad house were bound together with a paste of egg whites. The walls were also coated with a plaster made out of egg whites to give a smooth finish. The floors are decorated with athangudi tiles produced by tile factories in Athangudi village. The chettinad kitchens are also unique and a must-see area.

Devakottai is a first grade municipality in Sivaganga district in the state of Tamil Nadu, India and is one of the biggest towns of the Nagarathar (Nattukkottai Chettiar) community. There are so many chettinad mansions to be seen in this town but most of them have long been abandoned.

Image Gallery:

Crossing the railway track at Devakottai, Tamil Nadu, India

Abandoned chettinad mansion @ Devakottai, Tamil Nadu, India

Refurbished and refurnished chettinad mansion @ Devakottai, Tamil Nadu, India