Chettinad [1] (also known as Chettinadu) is a name that collectively refers to a locality that comprises 56 villages in the Sivaganga district and 20 villages in Pudukottai district, which was historically ruled by the Ramnad kingdom 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 center for the Chettinadu villages. [2]
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 Chettiars". [3]
In the 19th and early 20th centuries, many residents of Chettinad were trading in South and Southeast Asia, particularly Burma, Ceylon, Vietnam and Malaysia. By 2010, only 74 villages remained of the original 96, [4] organised in clusters spread over a territory of 1,550 square kilometres (600 square miles) 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. [5] It is located on the national highway NH536 between Trichy and Karaikudi [6] which is approximately 10kms away from this place.
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. [7]
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, Brinjal curry, drumstick sambar, ghee for flavouring rice, and sweet meals like payasam and paal paniyaram. In general, beef and pork dishes are not served. Some well-known local dishes are Chicken Chettinad (spicy chicken curry), Vegetable Chettinad (a vegetable curry) and dishes featuring seafood.
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. [8] According to locals the mansion walls were polished with a paste made out of egg whites and palm sugar to give them a smooth texture and for their cooling qualities.[ citation needed ]
Originally built by early Tamil dynasties like the Cholas, the temples of Chettinad stand testimony to the spiritual beliefs of local people. Temples are built per Vaastu Shastras and Agamas as the Chettinad wealthy sponsored the buildings and the shilpis after the royal families declined. On the side note, traditional houses were also built per ancient text on an architecture 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. [9] [10]
Vinayagar Chathurthi 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. [9]
The cotton sari, also known as kandaangi , is unique in its dramatic patterns and colours. [11] 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.
Athangudi 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. [12] 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.
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, filled with traditional and ornamental vegetation. [13] CECRI conducts four-year Engineering and Technology courses in chemical and electro-chemical engineering and technology affiliated with the Anna University in Chennai.
The nearest airports are Madurai International 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 daily thrice MEMU Train running from Tiruchirapalli to Virudhunagar connects 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 connects Chettinad to Karaikudi, Ponnamaravathy, Devakottai Pudukkottai and Aranthangi.
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 spawns a total of 450 acres 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 a Undergraduate Course of Bachelor of science Honours in Agriculture.
Karaikudi is the largest city in Sivaganga district in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. Karaikudi Urban Agglomoration is the 21st largest urban area of Tamil Nadu based on 2011 census data. It is part of the area commonly referred to as "Chettinad" and has been declared a City Municipal Corporation by the Government of Tamil Nadu, on account of the palatial houses built with limestone called Kaarai veedu. For this reason, the place is sometimes called Kaarai Nagar locally. The newly formed Karaikudi Municipal Corporation spreads about 94.31 km2 (36.41 sq mi) which undergoes major developments as part of Government Schemes.
Alagappa Chettiar Government College of Engineering and Technology (ACGCET-Karaikudi) is an autonomous college of engineering in Karaikudi, Tamil Nadu, India. Established in 1952, it is under the control of the government of the State. The college is a member institute under the TEQIP – Technical Education Quality Improvement Programme in India.
Devakottai is a first-grade municipality in the state of Tamil Nadu, India. Located in the Sivaganga district, the town is situated close to the Karaikudi, near Rameswaram National Highway Road (NH-210). It is one of the major cities comes under the Chettinad area with rich heritage of houses built with limestone called "Karai Veedu". This Region is one of the towns in Chettinad belt. The town is famous for its ancient temple Sri Meenakshi Sundareswarar temple also known as Nagara Sivan Kovil.
Sir Alagappa Chettiar was an Indian businessman and philanthropist. He received the Padma Bhushan, third highest civilian award of India in 1956.
Chettinadu cuisine (Setti Nadu in tamil) is the cuisine of a community called the Nattukotai Chettiars, or Nagarathars, from the Chettinad region in Sivaganga district of Tamil Nadu state in India. Chettinad cuisine is perhaps the most renowned fare in the Tamil Nadu repertoire. It uses a variety of spices and the dishes are made with fresh ground masalas. Chettiars also use a variety of sun-dried meats and salted vegetables, reflecting the dry environment of the region. Most of the dishes are eaten with rice and rice based accompaniments such as dosas, appams, idiyappams, adais and idlis. The Chettiars, through their mercantile contacts with Burma, learnt to prepare a type of rice pudding made with sticky red rice. The chefs of manapatti village near Singampunari are experts in cooking Chettinad cuisine. They always used to cook in bulk orders for marriage functions, political functions, etc. though manapatti cooking is portrayed as madurai cuisine because it is located near to madurai district, it comes under chettinad cuisine only and it also comes under the chettinad region of sivagangai district. The entire village people is famous in the art of cooking.
Puduvayal is a town in Karaikudi taluk, Sivaganga district in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is a town located in the Chettinad region of the Sivagangai district. On road, it is 12 km away from Karaikudi and 21 km away from Aranthangi. This town is famous for its rice mills. Puduvayal is the 2nd largest rice producer in Tamil Nadu. Puduvayal is an important commercial centre for trade in the Sivaganga district and part of the suburban region of Karaikudi. The town is famous for its Veerasekara Umaiyambigai Temple. Nearby Kandanur is famous for Kandanur Sivan Kovil—which is a replica of the Madurai Meenakshi Temple—built by Nagarthars.
Sivaganga District is one of the 38 districts in Tamil Nadu state, India. This district was formed on 15 March 1985 by trifurcation of Ramanathapuram district into Ramanathapuram, Virudhunagar and Sivaganga districts. Sivaganga is the district headquarters, while Karaikudi is Big City the most populous city in the district, administered by the Karaikudi Municipal Corporation. It is bounded by Pudukkottai district on the Northeast, Tiruchirappalli district on the North, Ramanathapuram district on South East, Virudhunagar district on South West and Madurai district on the West. The area's other larger towns include Sivaganga, Kalayar Kovil, Devakottai, Manamadurai, Ilaiyangudi, Thiruppuvanam, Singampunari and Tiruppattur. As of 2011, the district had a population of 1,339,101 with a sex ratio of 1,003 females for every 1,000 males.
Diwan Bahadur Sir Satappa Ramanatha Muthiah Annamalai Chettiar, Raja of ChettinadKCSI better known as Raja Sir Annamalai Chettiar was an Indian industrialist, banker, educationist and philanthropist from Tamil Nadu. He was the founder of Annamalai University in Chidambaram and one of the founders of Indian Bank, along with his brother S. Rm. M. Ramaswami Chettiar.
Kanadukathan is a Town Panchayat in the Karaikudi taluk of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu.
Kottaiyur is a northern suburb of Karaikudi as well the part of Karaikudi City Municipal Corporation .The town is famous for Kottaiyur Sivan Temple, one of the master pieces of the Chettinad region. The temple and the area's old lime stone heritage buildings give Kottaiyur a unique identity. Kottaiyur is well developed and famous for its reputed educational institutions. Kottaiyur panchayat administration including the villages of Velangudi and Alagapuri is due to be merged with Karaikudi as part of the municipality expansion.
Manamadurai is a Municipality Town in Sivaganga district in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. Manamadurai falls under Manamadurai Legislative assembly. It is a river based settlement town. River Vaigai makes its way through the town bifurcating it into two parts.
Sivaganga Lok Sabha constituency is one of the 39 Lok Sabha (parliamentary) constituencies in Tamil Nadu, a state in southern India. Its Tamil Nadu Parliamentary Constituency number is 31.
Vaidyanatha Ganapati Sthapati was a Sthapati and head of the College of Architecture and Sculpture in the Vastu Shastra tradition ascribed to the sage Mamuni Mayan.
Alampattu is a village in the state of Tamil Nadu, Sivaganga District, India. It is 20 km from the town Karaikudi.
Karaikkudi Junction is an NSG–4 category Indian railway station in Madurai railway division of Southern Railway zone. It serves Karaikudi Municipal Corporation and its Karaikudi Urban Agglomoration areas, located in Sivaganga district of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. Complete list of railway stations comes under Karaikudi city limits with the station codes can be found in Karaikudi Suburban stations.
Attangudi Palaceis a palace situated in Attangudi in Sivaganga District, in Tamil Nadu, India.
Kanadukathan Palace is a palace situated in Kanadukathan in Sivaganga District, in Tamil Nadu, India.
Chettinad Airport, also known as the KaraikudiKanadukathan Airport, is an abandoned airport near Karaikudi. Chettinad Airport is named for its location in the Chettinad region. The land surrounding the airstrip is now barren, but the runway of this airstrip is still in working condition with no damage. It spans Approximately 2000 meter Length and 1500 width. It looks like Latin Cross from top view. It has 2 runways which is left undamaged till date.
The Chettinad mansions are a collection of over 10,000 lavish homes of the Nattukottai Chettiar community in the region of Chettinad in South India. These mansions were built with materials from all across the globe to signify the community's wealth as merchants in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The mansions blended global features with traditional Tamil architecture to form homes for large joint families. Since World War II, conservation efforts have been ongoing to maintain these homes and draw in tourists from across the globe. However, preserving the mansions has been difficult due to legal challenges and cost barriers. The Chettiar community has looked to upkeep their built heritage by leasing the houses to Indian hotel chains and exploring other solutions.
Chettinadu / Chettinad is the land (nadu) of the Chettiars
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