Chettinad 
/ref> which was historically ruled by the Ramnad estate of Pandya Nadu. It has a small portion extending into the Pudukottai District in Tamil Nadu; Karaikudi is the major town of this area and is considered the urban centre for the Chettinadu villages.
Etymology
The name
chettinad(u) comes from 2 Tamil words
Chettiar and
Nadu.
Chettiar refers to a specific community of people and
Nadu means land. Collectively called as
"land of the ".
Demography
In the 19th and early 20th centuries, many residents of Chettinad were trading in
South Asia and
Southeast Asia, particularly
Burma,
Ceylon,
Vietnam and
Malaysia. By 2010, only 74 villages remained of the original 96,
organised in clusters spread over a territory of in the Districts of Sivagangai and Pudukottai in the State of Tamil Nadu. It finds itself in the UNESCO nomination for palatial house sites of historic and cultural value.
It is located on the national highway NH536 between
Trichy and
Karaikudi which is approximately 10kms away from this place.
Community
Chettinad is the home of the Nattukottai Chettiars (
Nagarathar), a prosperous banking and business community and for high hierarchy, non-Brahmin Vallambar feudal community with an aristocrat title Nattar - Ambalam. It is also known for its local cuisine, architecture, and religious temples.
Chettinad cuisine
Chettinad Cuisine.jpg|Chettinad cuisine
ChickenChettinad.JPG|Chicken Chettinad, a popular dish from the region
The word "Chettiar" refers to the social caste of mercantile bankers. The
Chettiars are known to be traders in salt and spices and this is reflected in the Chettinad cuisine. Meals also consist of cooked lentils,
eggplant curry, drumstick sambar,
ghee for flavouring rice, and sweet meals like
payasam and
paal paniyaram. Some well-known local dishes are Chicken Chettinad (spicy chicken curry), Vegetable Chettinad (a vegetable curry) and dishes featuring seafood.
Architecture
Chettinad palatial house.jpg|A palatial house in Chettinad
Kanadukathan Chettinadu Palace entrance - chettinadu architecture.jpg|Kanadukathan Chettinadu Palace entrance
Inside of a typical chettinadu house - chettinadu architecture.jpg|Inside of a typical Chettinadu house
Rooftop of a typical chettinadu house - chettinadu architecture.jpg|Rooftop of a typical Chettinadu house
Dining hall inside a chettinadu house - chettinadu architecture.jpg|Dining hall inside a Chettinadu house
The Chettinad region is well known for its 19th-century mansions, whose wide courtyards and spacious rooms are embellished with
marble and
teak. Construction materials, decorative items, and furnishings were mostly imported from East Asian countries and Europe. The marble was brought from Italy,
chandeliers and teak from
Burma, crockery from
Indonesia, crystals from Europe and wall-to-wall mirrors from
Belgium.
Many of these mansions were built using a type of limestone known as karai.
Temples
Originally built by early
Tamil people dynasties like the
, the temples of Chettinad stand testimony to the spiritual beliefs of local people. Temples are built according to Vaastu Shastras and Agamas as the Chettinad wealthy sponsored the buildings and the
shilpis after the royal families declined. On a side note, traditional houses were also built according to ancient text in an architectural style called Vaastu Shastras.
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 activities are centered around the festivities of the temple. Among the many famous temples are: Vairavan Kovil, Iraniyur, Karpaga Vinayakar, Kundrakudi Murugan, Kottaiyur Sivan, and Kandanur Sivan temples, with each having its own unique deity.
Ganesh Chaturthi is celebrated every year, on the day when the two stars Shasti and Sadhayam mingle together. This day typically falls as the 22nd day after Periya Karthigai. Pillaiyar Nonmbu, its name, is usually in the month of December. On this day, they sing songs of the deity Lord Vinayagar and then take a sweet called Ellai.
Local crafts
Sari
The cotton
sari, also known as
Kandangi, is unique in its dramatic patterns and colours.
Its vibrance and weight are its distinguishing factors. Records and old photographs show the use of sari by previous generations, before the advent of blouses and underskirts, and thus worn rather differently from the typical contemporary sari. At present, it is available in Kundi.
Aathangudi tiles
Attangudi tiles, named after the place of the manufacture in Chettinad, come in a myriad of colours and patterns, and are made by a unique process using local soil and glass plates.
These tiles are a testament to the rich cultural heritage of the Chettiar community, who effectively adapted many influences to their own brand of local craftsmanship. The designs and colours used in Athangudi tiles are still those of a bygone era. However, of late, new designs and patterns are being incorporated.
The Athangudi tiles are hand-made. However, with a short shelf life and relatively slow manufacturing process, these tiles are not much in demand. The situation has led to the decline in the market.
Industry
Chettinad's principal town, Karaikudi is also the location of a branch of the Central Electro Chemical Research Institute (CECRI), one of the forty national laboratories under the aegis of the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) in New Delhi. The CSIR lab specialises in electro-chemical research and has been operational for more than fifty years. The campus is on over 300 scenic acres (120 ha), filled with traditional and ornamental vegetation.
CECRI conducts four-year Engineering and Technology courses in chemical and electro-chemical engineering and technology affiliated with the
Anna University in
Chennai.
Travel
The nearest airports are
Madurai Airport and Tiruchirappalli International Airport while the largest towns in the area are
Karaikudi and
Devakottai.
Chettinad has its own railway station, but expresses don't stop here. The only halting train is the thrice daily MEMU train running from Tiruchirapalli to Virudhunagar connecting Pudukottai, Karaikudi, Devakottai, Sivaganga, Manamadurai and Aruppukottai with Chettinad station. All the trains running in the Chennai-Tiruchirapalli-Manamadurai Section stop at Karaikudi. Karaikudi Junction railway station is the nearest major station.There are also frequent town buses connecting Chettinad to Karaikudi, Ponnamaravathy, Devakottai Pudukkottai and Aranthangi.
Agriculture college
The Tamil Nadu Agriculture University established a
Dryland Agriculture Research Station (DARS) in Chettinad which was later upgraded to Agriculture College and Research Institute. It has a total of 450 acres (182 ha) of Farmland adopted for Research and Education. It houses a Centre of Excellence in Dryland Farming (CEDF) and a Food Processing Research and Training Centre (FPRTC). The college currently offers an Undergraduate Course of Bachelor of science Honours in Agriculture.
Notable people
-
Alagappa Chettiar - founder of the various educational institutions in Karaikudi and its surroundings. Alagappa University, Alagappa Chettiar College of Engineering and Technology, and Alagappa Government Arts College are a few institutes named in his honour.
-
Annamalai Chettiar - founder of Indian Bank and the Annamalai University bears his name.
-
Muthiah Chettiar
-
S. Rm. Muthiah Chettiar
-
M. A. M. Muthiah
-
M. A. M. Ramaswamy
-
M. A. Chidambaram
-
P. Chidambaram - former Finance Minister of India.
-
Kaviarasar Kannadasan - Tamil people poet.
-
Justice A. R. Lakshmanan (b. 1942) - former judge of the Supreme Court of India and current chairman of the Law Commission of India.
-
Lena Chettiar
-
A. V. Meiyappan - founder of AVM Productions, the oldest and largest film production studio in Kollywood, the Tamil language film industry of India.
-
Hari Sevugan
-
Rama Narayanan, film director and producer
-
Sp Muthuraman, film director and producer
-
Vasanth, director
-
Soma Valliappan
External links
