We’ve just pulled up outside the Chettinad Sweets shop in Kottiayur near the town of Karaikudi in Tamil Nadu, south-east India.
Situated in a sleepy laneway near a number of old Chettinad mansions, its calm faded pink exterior belies the activity taking place inside.
My guide Manikandan (Mani) has directed our driver to bring me here to visit this 30 year old thriving business. Enticing smells of cardamom, jaggery and coconut oil float in the air.
We step inside and walk past glass display cases of sweets and stainless steel tins of savoury snacks out to the back of the shop to the hot smoky open-air kitchen area.

One of the local women roasting lentils at Chettinad Sweets

I’m instantly captivated by the wood-fired chulhas (mud stoves) used in traditional Chettinad households to prepare sweets and snacks and by the women who are busy roasting lentils and frying Athirasam, delicious sweet doughnuts made with ground rice, jaggery, cardamom and ginger.

Panchavarnam frying the delicious Athirasam

I’ve not had lunch and they smell so good. Panchavarnam offers me a puffed golden one straight out of the hot oil. It’s so good I scoff it down and ask if I can have another.
The women laugh. Mani tells me that ten local women work here making a variety of sweets such as Athirisam, Manakolam, Laddu and Maavurundai and that people from from as far away as Singapore and Malaysia order them for weddings and Diwali celebrations.

In the kitchen with Mina Periyakaruppan (to my left) daughter of the owner

It’s a surprising discovery in this small town of about 20,000 people.
The name Kottiayur actually comes from the surrounding Chettinad mansions which look like forts (in Tamil, ‘Kottai‘ means ‘fort’ and ‘Ur‘ means ‘town’) and is one of 76 villages in the Chettinad region, an arid isolated area of Tamil Nadu 400 kilometres south of Chennai and 50 kilometres inland settled  by the Nattukottai Chettiars.
Mani tells me the Chettiars originally fled from a tsunami on the eastern Coromandel coast in the 4th or 5th century C.E. accepting an offer of land and nine temples by the Pandya kings. They became a prosperous business and banking community through trade with south and south-east Asian countries.
It’s market day in the nearby town of Athangudi where Mani takes me to see the local Shiva temple, known for its Chettinad architectural style and intricate design. It features a 7-tier royal tower, over 500 stucco bas relief works and intricately carved stone eaves depicting mythological stories, and a separate shrine for the goddess Meenakshi. The temple is also notable for its artwork, which includes vegetable and herbal dye paintings of the 64 Tiruvilaiyadal (Shiva’s sacred sports). The exact age of the temple isn’t specified, but is thought to have existed since at least the 6th century C.E.

  Shiva Temple (Arulmigu Sundareshvarar Temple), Athangudi

Around the corner from the temple on Athangudi Road is an opulent palace, also known as Sri Letchmi Vilas, a good example of how Chettiar merchants blended local craft with global luxury.
I was impressed by the magnificent Burmese teak doors at the entrance, the decorative Japanese tiles on either side of the doors and the Belgian stained glass windows above.
A series of sprawling courtyards inside guarantee natural ventilaton and light with the main central courtyard being the heart of the home and used for ceremonies.
Building materials such as Italian marble, Spanish ceiling tiles and Belgian glass chandeliers can be found throughout. The floors are famous for handmade local Athangudi tiles (which glow under sunlight), renowned for their durability and colourful  geometric patterns.

Entrance hall to Sri Letchmi villas, Atunghadi

The colourful entrance to Sri Letchmi Vilas – these portals are works of art created by highly skilled local artisans

The well-known Chennai historian S. Muthiah points out in the introduction to Mogappu:The Portals of Chettinad, a lavishly illustrated book by photographer Amar Ramesh that “…the ensemble of entrance and front facade, commonly referred to as as mogappu in the Chettinad dialect, marked their style, sect and status. The compound and building walls ensured continuity, while the entrance portals and gates lent a colourful diversity to the narrow streetscapes.”
In Chettinad homes, these portals are not just entrances – they are storytellers of travel, wealth, artistry and a fragile cultural legacy.

Beautiful high-glazed majolica tiles at the entrance

Note the decorative Yali motif above the column, typically used in Dravidian architecture to signify the strength of a lion, the speed of a horse and wisdom of an elephant

Flower motifs on the majolica tiles

After strolling through the palace, we visit the outdoor factory where the famous Athangudi tiles are made and are shown how the variously coloured oxides, white cement and sand are poured into patterned glass moulds, then layered with cement mortar and cured, not in a kiln, but in the sun.
I’m astonished by the skill and expertise  of the local tile makers.

Proud tile maker at the Athangudi Tile factory: note the use of natural red and yellow colours and the striking geometric pattern

A ten minute drive then takes us to A.R. House, another traditional Chettinad mansion in the Karaikudi area, recently renovated and painted in vivid licorice all-sort colours.
Mani introduces me to Meyyammai Manikandan, daughter of the late owner, who opened it to the public 5 months ago.
“My father died two years ago and I completed the renovations,” she tells me. “Private people have to fund the restorations of ageing Chettinad mansions.”
This one is estimated to be 250 years old.

The recently renovated A.R. House in Kanadukathan – note the temple-like motif at the top which sanctifies the house

With Meyyammai Manikandan, daughter of the owner, who restored A.R. House, a “passion project” for her

Many Chettinad mansions have been falling into disrepair and the skilled craftsmanship which created them is no longer widely practised.

One of the Chettinad mansions falling into disrepair in Karaikudi

A recently restored mansion in Karaikudi: note the temple-like motif at the apex

And then there’s the stylishly restored Lotus Palace in Karaikudi which has been convered into a glamorous hotel by the Park Hotels group.

The glamorous Lotus Palace, Karaikudi

This is the best place in Karaikudi to sample Chettinad cuisine which is famous for dishes such as Chettinad chicken, fish curry, chicken varuval ( dry spiced chicken) and kuzhi paniyaram (savoury dumplings made with fermented batter) and its use of spices such as black pepper, curry leaves, freshly ground spice pastes, tamarind and garlic.

Typical Chettinad cuisine presentation of various dishes on a banana leaf

But don’t do as I did and eat these dishes with a knife and fork!  You need to use your right hand, not western stainless steel implements.  And I’d advise against ordering a glass of wine here as it will cost you a fortune.

My guide around Karaikudi was S. Manikandan (Mani) who was awarded Best Tourist Guide in the Tamil Nadu Tourism Awards for two consecutive years and can be contacted via email <manikandanfrench@gmail.com>

We’ve just pulled up outside the Chettinad Sweets shop in Kottiayur near the town of Karaikudi in Tamil Nadu, south-east India.
Situated in a sleepy laneway near a number of old Chettinad mansions, its calm faded pink exterior belies the activity taking place inside.
My guide Manikandan (Mani) has directed our driver to bring me here to visit this 30 year old thriving business. Enticing smells of cardamom, jaggery and coconut oil float in the air.
We step inside and walk past glass display cases of sweets and stainless steel tins of savoury snacks out to the back of the shop to the hot smoky open-air kitchen area.

One of the local women roasting lentils at Chettinad Sweets

I’m instantly captivated by the wood-fired chulhas (mud stoves) used in traditional Chettinad households to prepare sweets and snacks and by the women who are busy roasting lentils and frying Athirasam, delicious sweet doughnuts made with ground rice, jaggery, cardamom and ginger.

Panchavarnam frying the delicious Athirasam

I’ve not had lunch and they smell so good. Panchavarnam offers me a puffed golden one straight out of the hot oil. It’s so good I scoff it down and ask if I can have another.
The women laugh. Mani tells me that ten local women work here making a variety of sweets such as Athirisam, Manakolam, Laddu and Maavurundai and that people from from as far away as Singapore and Malaysia order them for weddings and Diwali celebrations.

In the kitchen with Mina Periyakaruppan (to my left) daughter of the owner

It’s a surprising discovery in this small town of about 20,000 people.
The name Kottiayur actually comes from the surrounding Chettinad mansions which look like forts (in Tamil, ‘Kottai‘ means ‘fort’ and ‘Ur‘ means ‘town’) and is one of 76 villages in the Chettinad region, an arid isolated area of Tamil Nadu 400 kilometres south of Chennai and 50 kilometres inland settled  by the Nattukottai Chettiars.
Mani tells me the Chettiars originally fled from a tsunami on the eastern Coromandel coast in the 4th or 5th century C.E. accepting an offer of land and nine temples by the Pandya kings. They became a prosperous business and banking community through trade with south and south-east Asian countries.
It’s market day in the nearby town of Athangudi where Mani takes me to see the local Shiva temple, known for its Chettinad architectural style and intricate design. It features a 7-tier royal tower, over 500 stucco bas relief works and intricately carved stone eaves depicting mythological stories, and a separate shrine for the goddess Meenakshi. The temple is also notable for its artwork, which includes vegetable and herbal dye paintings of the 64 Tiruvilaiyadal (Shiva’s sacred sports). The exact age of the temple isn’t specified, but is thought to have existed since at least the 6th century C.E.

  Shiva Temple (Arulmigu Sundareshvarar Temple), Athangudi

Around the corner from the temple on Athangudi Road is an opulent palace, also known as Sri Letchmi Vilas, a good example of how Chettiar merchants blended local craft with global luxury.
I was impressed by the magnificent Burmese teak doors at the entrance, the decorative Japanese tiles on either side of the doors and the Belgian stained glass windows above.
A series of sprawling courtyards inside guarantee natural ventilaton and light with the main central courtyard being the heart of the home and used for ceremonies.
Building materials such as Italian marble, Spanish ceiling tiles and Belgian glass chandeliers can be found throughout. The floors are famous for handmade local Athangudi tiles (which glow under sunlight), renowned for their durability and colourful  geometric patterns.

Entrance hall to Sri Letchmi villas, Atunghadi

The colourful entrance to Sri Letchmi Vilas – these portals are works of art created by highly skilled local artisans

The well-known Chennai historian S. Muthiah points out in the introduction to Mogappu:The Portals of Chettinad, a lavishly illustrated book by photographer Amar Ramesh that “…the ensemble of entrance and front facade, commonly referred to as as mogappu in the Chettinad dialect, marked their style, sect and status. The compound and building walls ensured continuity, while the entrance portals and gates lent a colourful diversity to the narrow streetscapes.”
In Chettinad homes, these portals are not just entrances – they are storytellers of travel, wealth, artistry and a fragile cultural legacy.

Beautiful high-glazed majolica tiles at the entrance

Note the decorative Yali motif above the column, typically used in Dravidian architecture to signify the strength of a lion, the speed of a horse and wisdom of an elephant

Flower motifs on the majolica tiles

After strolling through the palace, we visit the outdoor factory where the famous Athangudi tiles are made and are shown how the variously coloured oxides, white cement and sand are poured into patterned glass moulds, then layered with cement mortar and cured, not in a kiln, but in the sun.
I’m astonished by the skill and expertise  of the local tile makers.

Proud tile maker at the Athangudi Tile factory: note the use of natural red and yellow colours and the striking geometric pattern

A ten minute drive then takes us to A.R. House, another traditional Chettinad mansion in the Karaikudi area, recently renovated and painted in vivid licorice all-sort colours.
Mani introduces me to Meyyammai Manikandan, daughter of the late owner, who opened it to the public 5 months ago.
“My father died two years ago and I completed the renovations,” she tells me. “Private people have to fund the restorations of ageing Chettinad mansions.”
This one is estimated to be 250 years old.

The recently renovated A.R. House in Kanadukathan – note the temple-like motif at the top which sanctifies the house

With Meyyammai Manikandan, daughter of the owner, who restored A.R. House, a “passion project” for her

Many Chettinad mansions have been falling into disrepair and the skilled craftsmanship which created them is no longer widely practised.

One of the Chettinad mansions falling into disrepair in Karaikudi

A recently restored mansion in Karaikudi: note the temple-like motif at the apex

And then there’s the stylishly restored Lotus Palace in Karaikudi which has been convered into a glamorous hotel by the Park Hotels group.

The glamorous Lotus Palace, Karaikudi

This is the best place in Karaikudi to sample Chettinad cuisine which is famous for dishes such as Chettinad chicken, fish curry, chicken varuval ( dry spiced chicken) and kuzhi paniyaram (savoury dumpling made with fermented batter) and its use of spices such as black pepper, curry leaves, freshly ground spices pastes, tamarind and garlic.

Typical Chettinad cuisine presentation of various dishes on a banana leaf

But don’t do as I did and eat these dishes with a knife and fork!  You need to use your right hand, not western stainless steel implements.  And I’d advise against ordering a glass of wine here as it will cost you a fortune.

My guide around Karaikudi was S. Manikandan (Mani) who was awarded Best Tourist Guide in the Tamil Nadu Tourism Awards for two consecutive years and can be contacted via email <manikandanfrench@gmail.com>