The Chettiar Mansions of the Chettinad region

Starting off from Mantra Koodam, The village resort near Kumbakonam, lets travel further down south for another 140 kms to the little known village of Kadiapatti in the Pudukottai district of Chettinad region. What's there? you may ask. Well all you young moms out there, or people looking for a remote but stunningly beautiful place to work from, Here is yet another option for you.

The Chettinad region gets its name from the community the majority population of this region belongs to, The Chettiars. Primarily traders and business people, they were rich for generations together and the houses and mansions you see in this region are centuries old. A lot of these families have moved to the bigger cities of India or abroad and quite a few of these houses have been turned into hotels, B&bs, heritage stay options etc, making this region a much saught after tourist destination in Tamil Nadu these days.

The Mansion we stayed in was called the Chidambara villas, the present descendants of the family who owns this are mostly abroad with a few of them available locally to oversee the running of this property. Constructed on a piece of land gifted by the then king of Pudukottai region, this mansion too 7 years to get built from 1900 to 1907 which was the golden age for the chettinad mansions as most of them around the region were built back then.

A famous business group, known as the Sangam group have restored the property and added some mordern amenities to it and now are running this property as a hotel successfully. Do you know the price at which this mansion was constructed back then was Rs 7 Lakhs? back then an insurmountable amount of money for the common man.

This mansion is made up of properties coming from different parts of the world, like the teak wood from burma(Do ask them how they transport it), The tiles from Italy, the Window glasses from Belgium and chandliers from Daman and Diu. The unique doors and the endless number of pillars are sure to make your jaw drop. When there, do go with them for a detailed tour of the property which has some interesting and juicy history of the family and is also sure to again stun you with the sheer expertise and skill with which every nook and corner of this villa was designed.

Again we visited this place back in 2021, fresh after the pandemic so all we could do was stay in the property and experience their amazing hospitaliy but on a good day there are a host of things you can do in this region and give a taste of the traditional chettinad culture to yourself and your kids too.

Things to do:

1.The heritage property tour: Can be included in your stay cost

2. A heritage village walk - Can be included in your stay cost

3. Visit to the Heritage Thirumaiyam Vishnu temple

4. Visit the famous Pillayar patti temple

5. Shop for Souvenirs from the Antique market at the Karaikudi town

6. Shop for famous Chettinad cotton sarees from here

7. Visit the village of Athangudi to learn the intricacies of the Athangudi tiles, also visit the Athangudi palace.

A Glimpse of the Kadiapatti Village!! Those doors!

The Antique Market is a photographers paradise

How to get there:

This place is well connected by Road Railways and Airways, While the town is less than 100 kms from Tanjore, Trichy and Madurai, its nearly 400 kms from Chennai. The nearest railway station and airport would be that of Trichy which is about 75 kms from here.

Its an absolutely ideal destination for anyone interested in knowing about our culture and heritage and also about our skill and expertise so long ago.

As a new mom I also felt totally at home and comfortable, not having to worry about my babies food or other needs and also a safe, clean and hygenic environment for her. Also if you intend to have some photo shoot as a family with your little one dont forget your tripod as you can not get a better place.