2-tägige Chettinad-Tour von Chennai zu palastartigen Herrenhäusern mit Guide by Flight

Outstanding experience. These rich merchants built outrageous mansions in their time in the Chettinad area northeast of Madurai in Tamil Madu in southern India. Most are now abandoned and in bad shape but some can be visited and some have been converted into luxury hotels, such as the one we stayed in. It was an unforgettable experience. 5 Senses Tours, with which we arranged a tour, suggested this experience for us and it was one of our greatest travel experiences.

Hello, We visited Chettinad in May 2023. Chettinad is a place where the Chettiyar community stays. This place is quaint and cosy. It is hard to believe that in middle of nowhere, you can find such huge and opulent mansions.The mansions are beautiful and still owned by Chettiyar community. These are large palatial houses with Italian marbles from Italy, mirrors and chandeliers from Belgium and wall tiles from Japan. Their architecture is inspired by the European culture.Some of these mansions are leased out as hotels to tourists and is therefore maintained and some of them are taken care by the home caretakers which are architecturally beautiful but not fully maintained. The Chettiyar community were big merchants and traders during those times. Infact these intellectuals used to lend money to Royal families and most of the private banks in India were started by them. One such mansion was Chidambara palace and the other Visalam by CGH Earth. They have these big traditional style heritage rooms with bathrooms. The hotels have activities like village tours, pottery, culinary etc. It is a different experience. The South Indian meal at Chidambara palace was good. In Visalam CGH Earth, one has to place food order 2-3 hours prior as they cook food from the fresh produce but if you are a vegetarian and like less spicy food. Pls do mention to them during your stay. Chettinad is famous for their spicy and non- vegetarian food.We also visited Athangudi Palace and Athangudi Tile factory. It was quite a learning experience. Our guide - Mr. Kannan also made us visit Thirumayyam Temple at Fort. This Temple was beautiful and was carved out of mountains. We thank 5 Senses and their team for a lovely tour at Chettinad. Regards, Pooja & Kush Bajaj

Unexplored Indian History. The legend of Kudimiyanmalai was woven into a brilliant play by Girish Karnad (Flowers). Sittanavassal is a marvel of Jain culture. The real wonder is that it is not one of the wonders of the world.