May 2012 : Chettinadu Heritage Tour – Kanadukathan

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.

Kanadukhatan is a small town in the Chettinad region mainly famous for chettinad foods and big chettinad bungalows and houses, where most of them are vacant. The Palace of Chettinad Raja is the biggest chettinad mansion here.

The courtyards 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.

Because of the Palace of Chettinad Raja has been closed to the public since 2 years ago, so the only way to see and experience the true chettinad lifestyle is to visit the Visalam Heritage Hotel in Kanadukathan. Not only it serves as a hotel but also as a museum. It still preserves the true heritage of chettinad people and their materials.

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2 Responses to May 2012 : Chettinadu Heritage Tour – Kanadukathan

  1. Hotels in Kanadukathan says:
    August 21, 2013 at 11:52 am

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