The magnificent palaces of South India’s old merchant and banking class rise from the hot and dusty plains to stand as strong as fortress and as gaudy as a packet of French Fancies. As the merchants, bankers and moneylenders of the British Empire, the Nattukottai Chettiars raked in enormous riches, on their postings to places such as Burma, Sri Lanka, Indochina and South Africa, wealth they ploughed into these glorious architectural pastiches that explode in a profusion of colour in the arid desertscape. The Nattukottai Chettiars saw their riches contract with World War Two and the wanton palaces they built turned into tombstones and the series of South Indian villages they stand now left empty as ghost towns. Karaikkudi is in the heart of Chettinad, and has several typical mansions, as well as antique and textile shops. You can visit the local market, see craftsmen working in wood and metal, and gold and silversmiths in their workshops. The place Athangudi, has factories making the town’s famous eponymous hand-made terracotta tiles.
Experience India Holidays is an experiential South India travel company offering cultural, wildlife, soft adventure, wellness and special interest tours, with our main strength in tailor-made holidays to South India.
