Chettinad -- ചെട്ടിനാട്‌

Chettinad palatial house

 Chettinad house courtyard

Chettinad Cuisine

Court yard

Long View of Palece

Chettinad is a city which reflects the rich art and cultural heritage of Tamil Nadu. Located in the Sivaganga district, the city of Chettinad exudes a traditional South Indian flavor. A Tour to Chettinad will be a wonderful experience for you as the place brims over with exotic food, a rich cultural heritage and remarkable specimens of Dravidian architecture.

Chettinad is an interesting place to travel to whether you are an antiquarian or a tourist. Chettinad is famous as the land of Chettiars, the wealthiest merchant families in Tamil Nadu.
The Chettinad houses with lavish furnishings - woodwork and collection of ceramic collections from across the globe still reflect the opulence of the bygone era.

Chettinad is a region of the Sivaganga district of southern Tamil Nadu state, India. Karaikudi is known as the capital of Chettinad, which includes Karaikudi and 74 other villages. Chettinad is the homeland of the Nattukottai Chettiars (Nagarathar), a prosperous banking and business community, many of whose members migrated to South and Southeast Asia, particularly Ceylon and Burma, in the 19th and early 20th centuries. The people of Chettinad speak Tamil. Today there is a diaspora of Chettinad people, who live in the USA, Singapore, Malaysia, among other places.
Chettinad is well known for its Chettinad cuisine, Mansions, and Temples
Chettinad is known for its Culinary delicacies. Chettinad food, now is one of the many reasons why people get to know Chettinad. Chettinad food is essentially spicy, with a standard full meal consisting of cooked dhal, eggplant (brinjal) curry, drumstick sambar, ghee for flavouring rice, and sweet meats like payasam and paal paniyaram. "Kara kolambu" is a highly regarded south Indian sambar.
Chettinad is rich in cultural heritage, art and architecture, and is well known for its houses, embellished with marble and Burma teak, wide courtyards, spacious rooms, and for its 18th century mansions. Local legend has it that their walls used to be polished with a paste made out of eggwhites to give a smooth texture.
Originally built by early Tamil dynasties like the Cholas, the temples of Chettinad stand testimony to the spiritual beliefs of its denizens. Scattered over the whole place, each temple has its own tank called oorani where water lilies are grown, and used for holy rituals. Even today much of Chettinad's daily tidings are centered around the festivities around the temple. Among the many famous temples, a few are Vairavan Kovil temple, Karpaga Vinayakar temple, Kundrakudi Murugan temple, Kottaiyur Sivan temple, Kandanur Sivan Temple.

The nearest airport is Madurai airport, 85 kilometers away. The largest town in the area is Karaikudi. Trains that run from Chennai to Rameshwaram stop at Karaikudi and Kottaiyur.

ചിദംബരവും ചെട്ടിനാടും
പഴയ നാട്ടുരാജ്യമായിരുന്നു ചെട്ടിനാട്.
രാജാ അണ്ണമല ചെട്ടിയാര്‍ അവിടത്തെ രാജാവും.
അണ്ണമലസര്‍വ്വകലാശാലയുടെ സ്ഥാപകന്‍.
മരുമകന്‍ പഴനിയപ്പചെട്ടിയാരുടേയും
മകള്‍ ലക്ഷ്മിയുടേയും പുത്രനാണു ചിദംബരം.
നാലുമക്കളില്‍ ഇളയവന്‍.

കാരക്കുടിയിലെ കനതുകാത്താന്‍ ഗ്രാമത്തിലെ
ചെട്ടിനാടുകൊട്ടാരം ടൂറിസ്റ്റുകളെ
ആകര്‍ഷിക്കുന്നു.ചിക്കന്‍ ചെട്ടിനാട്
ചിദംബരത്തിന്‍റെ നാടിന്‍റെ സംഭാവന