Chettinad Mansions Tour
The Chettinad region is very interesting. The Chettiars are believed to have had a pivotal role in the Chola Empire. They dominated the coastal business as salt merchants, chandliers and gem dealers.
The whole community shifted to Pandya Kingdom in 13th century when the king abducted a Chettiar girl for his wife. They settled 4 villages about 25 km to the west of Karaikudi, which later on expanded to 96.
The community earned good profit by trading with the South-east Asian countries. They built huge mansions with the money they made, but the number of villages reduced as the countries with which they were into trade gained independence and many Chettiars had to move away. The leftovers were some lavish huge mansions, which you can see in the villages even today. Chettinadu Palace is one of them where quality and opulence of workmanship can be clearly seen. It has brightly coloured floor tiles, Burma teak pillars and walls plastered with jaggery and egg shell.