The planned and customised four-day trip to the Chettinad region of Tamil Nadu for 24 members of the Ladies Study Group (LSG) was an out-of-the-box experience for all. The trip could either be a failure or a hit and I kept my fingers crossed all along as I was considering the destination, and then planning and executing the trip. Thankfully, it turned out to be a memorable experience for everyone who went on it.
For most, the word ‘Chettinad’ meant lip-smacking cuisine on a banana leaf. In fact, when I spoke to a learned friend from Mumbai and mentioned that I am taking LSG’s members to Chettinad, she promptly replied, “Have a good meal.” That sealed the destination in my head.
India has fascinating places that most of us have not seen. I wanted this trip to be an unforgettable experience with offbeat attractions and local cuisine. The research took a while. We reached Madurai to a warm welcome by Siddhartha Jain, the general manager of The Gateway Hotel, Pasumalai. This Taj property was atop Pasumalai Hill and had old-world charm combined with personalised attention, as well as peacocks dancing around the grounds. It was a great start.
The statue of Nandi the bull at the Brihadisvara Temple in Thanjavur
Our first Chettinad meal was exciting and spicy for some. All of us were trying to understand what was in the spread. Filter coffee was a major draw.
Our visit to the wondrous Meenakshi Amman temple was next on the agenda. At the behest of LSG executive committee member Rupali Basu, all of us wore white and red and looked stunning and typically from Bengal. This temple surely is one of the wonders of India. All the corridors around the sanctum sanctorum are richly decorated with stone carvings and beautiful gold relief work.
It was fascinating to know that the deity in the garba grahame is carved from a single large emerald! Our guide told us that emerald is worn for protection. We noticed baby cots with dolls in them tied to a holy tree. That’s how childless couples make a wish for a child to the Goddess there.
A shop in the antique market in Karaikudi
We next drove to Visalam, a palatial 70-year-old Chettinad mansion. We had a sumptuous meal with rasam being my favourite item. After a hearty meal, we walked around the resort for a while preparing to leave for Karaikudi.
At Karaikudi, we checked into Chidambara Vilas. This property was the winner of the Heritage Architecture Design of the Year award from NDTV in 2014. This sprawling heritage Chettiar home had many stories to tell about the famous Krishnappa Chettiar dynasty that had built it. Our rooms were modified with modern amenities while keeping the authentic heritage feel alive.
We went to the mansion least expecting the architectural grandeur even after so many years. We also visited other grand Chettinad mansions in the area such as VVR Heritage house, Chettinadu Mansion and Saratha Vilas. They were built by wealthy Chettiar merchants in the early 1900s. French architects bought them and restored them as heritage hotels. There is a surprisingly big French connection here.
An intricately carved wooden doorway of a Chettinad mansion
The Chettiars were rich moneylenders and also traded in gold and precious stones. They built many temples. Every mansion has a Gajalakshmi carved in wood or stone atop the main door. Mirrors reflect the entrances and Gods are placed at the main door to ward off the evil eye.
We enjoyed a cultural evening at the Durbar Hall and learnt about the history and eventual decline of the Chettiars. The Great Depression of the 1930s was a big blow to their moneylending business. They thus left the Chettinad heritage town mainly to settle abroad and are doing very well for themselves.
Carved wood ceilings over a passageway in a Chettinad mansion
Our trip to the cotton weaving centre was hilarious. Like a swarm of bees we buzzed into the weaver’s modest shop and everyone was on a binge-shopping spree. The end wearer will I think be decided next summer.
The antique market hidden in a single lane was exciting to those with an artist’s eye. I bought dabras as a farewell gift for all. The dabra is a brass glass and katori set in which filter coffee is served. Our sit-down lunch at the family-run Hotel Bangala combined traditional Chettiar hospitality with absolutely lip-smacking Chettinad cuisine. We surely all needed to burp after that treat.
At Athangudi, we saw tiles being made by hand and the stencilling was a treat to watch. These handmade tiles do not fade and we greatly admired them. India is a treasure trove of exquisite crafts and we should try to help the craft communities thrive, I felt.
The LSG group at the Meenakshi Amman Temple in Madurai
We drove to Thanjavur next. A big draw there were the Tanjore paintings and Raja Ravi Varma prints. We saw how bronze statues are made. It was a sheer treat to watch the sculptor shape the hot metal deftly in an organic mould.
The trip rounded off with our visit to Thanjavur’s famous Brihadisvara Temple. This is a revered temple for Hindus dedicated to Lord Shiva. It also has a brilliant deity of Parvati and a large, 16-foot-long Nandi bull carved out of a single rock.
An image of Gajalakshmi over the entrance of a palatial building. This image is ubiquitous in most such buildings
Sucheta Merh, Rupali Basu, Ambika Beri and Abhilasha Sethia sit down for a traditional Chettinad meal
We took day tours and would come back to our nest in Chidambara Vilas, where a gala night was organised by the poolside. Everyone was all dressed and enjoyed the evening. After an exchange of ‘thank yous’, a special note scribbled on a pad for each one made everyone quite emotional and we all exuded bonhomie and good humour.
Laughter and non-stop chatter and selfies were also not to be missedFond memories of friends whom you knew and some that you did not know so well will remain alive in our WhatsApp group Explore Chettinad.
The author is the president of the Ladies Study Group