KARAIKUDI, TAMILNADU: What I Did, What I Ate, and Everything else
WHAT I DID
I don’t know if it’s because I’m writing this post seven months after my trip here or because I had so much fun, I have no idea where to even start. The things I did? The food I ate? The place I stayed in? Where do I even begin?? I know I have this “What I did, what I ate, and everything else” segments but even then I don’t know where to start each section. So, you know what, I’m just going to go with the flow of my itinerary.
SO! First stop at Karaikudi that wasn’t the hotel we were staying at was Thirumayam Fort, which was an hour north from where we were staying. Built in the 1600s, this fort still offers lush, staggering views that make you feel like the queen of your fantasies. The wind up here is incredible, clean and bound to make you lose your footing if you’re just not the tad bit careful. A point of interest is also the rock cut temples at the base of this temple, and a huge lingam off the side - you can climb up some of the steepest stairs that were built in the depths of my nightmares to see this lingam.
You can’t be in Karaikudi and not tour the Chettinad homes that are open for visitors. Alas, my family banded against me, limiting our stop to just three houses. Three. The SASRM Heritage House was our first stop and our gateway to understanding the idea of kattu in Chettinad homes, which is their way of having subsections within the home for the different purposes a homeowner would have - hosting guests for a meal, having business conversations, holding a wedding, and the offlimits sections for privacy - there are even halls that are smack in the middle of the entire home but have no sunlight coming in, built for the sole purpose of women to stay during their periods with absolute privacy! The VVR Heritage House is an homage to details and workmanship, and an antithesis to the brand of minimalism that lacks soul and individuality. An old grandma who lives here with her husband as a caretaker of the home acted as our guide, pointing out things in English. When we told her we can understand Tamil perfectly, she rolled her eyes in frustration and exclaimed she had been talking to White tourists for SO long that she had forgotten the Tamil names of the things she was pointing out to us. God, I miss her energy. Sadly, this place was already showing signs of age and ruins. The last one was the CVRM Heritage House which will let you live out your best “lead heroine in a Tamil movie who wears a thavani and is well-loved and pampered by ALL her family members until the day she falls in love with a (slightly less well-to-do) guy and must now leave the comfort of everything she knows for love” fantasies. Oddly specific I know, but I think it’s because it had been used as a filming spot for a couple of Tamil movies, I just can’t remember or recognise which ones.
Athangudi tiles, which are handmade tiles, are a HUGE feature of Chettinad homes (see middle picture above for an example). Now when I say handmade, I mean, handcut, handpainted, handsealed. And to see them still hold their colours and patterns a hundred years on in some houses is simply astounding. There are a few workshops that will show you the entire process, from start to finish and you can even bring one back as a souvenir! But if you’re after something more precious, Karaikkudi Antiques Market has EVERYTHING you can think of - from books to ACTUAL doors of homes with such intricate craftsmenship that it breaks your heart to see them for sale. Even cookery pots and pans that were made in the Netherlands centuries ago, that they’re printed “Made in Holland” are there.
I picked up sarees for my mum and me at Mahalakshmi Handloom Weaving Centre - you can see the actual saree weaving process here alas, they just happened not to have demonstrations on the day we went.
The Chettinad vintage car and camera museum is a testament to how far one’s passion can go. As made clear by the name, the museum features authentic vintage cars, motorbikes, cameras, clocks and paraphernalia such as lighters, all restored to working condition by one person who considers this his hobby. I would say this is a must-see because I’m sure you know of such vintage items but to actually see them right in front of you, and the breadth you can learn from the guide within the short span you’re there is pretty much what life is about if you ask me. Again, the incredibility of details these cameras and vehicles have just makes you wonder “Where and when did it all go so wrong??”
My last day in Karaikudi was a spiritual one visiting the Aathi Karpaga Vinayagar Temple, the Arulmigu Tiruvengadamudaiyan Temple, and Kundrakudi (i.e., Kunnakudi Murugan Temple). I can’t speak much to the architecture and beauty of these temples (I just don’t have the intellectual capacity for it) nor can I speak to the meaning of the main deity (in terms of curing/ fixing/ healing and such). My favourite thing to do in temples in India is to feel the energy, marvel at the prayers recited over the past hundreds or thousands of years by the common man to the king, and being in the moment. However, if you do go to Kundrakudi, do check out the ancient temple that’s just off the left at the base of the actual temple as well! It’s so easy to miss if you’re not looking for it but it’s RIGHT there. These were once caves that were converted to shrines during the Pandya dynasty and are now a protected site maintained by the Archaeological Survey of India. Actual worship is to the bare minimum in these rock-cut shrines, but it can make for an interesting walkabout, as you observe the carvings and presentation of deities from centuries ago. There was a very kind ex-army officer who now voluteers his time for the Archaeological Survey of India when we went, and he gave us a tour, pointing out details that would be lost on aimless eyes that have no real understanding of sense or value of what they’re looking at. I do hope you get to bump into someone like that as well if you are there!
WHAT I ATE
Food in India is a dream for me because I can walk into any shop and easily find something that’s vegetarian and gluten-free. Another thing is, in most places I’ve been to, when the restaurant is serving both vegetarian and meat, the vegetarian option is generally kinda meh. This has almost never been the case for me in India. Whether I’m in a vegetarian dining place or non-vegetarian, food is always good. And so, I’m always excited to eat in India. Now add my excitement of trying authentic Chettinad cuisine for the first time in my life and I was beside myself. Most of the food I ate was within the hotel I stayed in - we arrived rather late on our first day so we ordered dinner with them and once we tried the food, we knew there was really no other option out there. Or rather, I wasn’t interested in the other options out there. Starting with the breakfast spread, aka, the BEST breakfast spread I’ve ever had because I could actually eat EVERYTHING they had laid out! For all 4 days I was there it was a rotation of appams (not aapam), idlis, kuzhipaniyarams, chutneys, and gravies. Everything was vegetarian and eggs were available on requst. They had cornflakes and such too but um, that’s not what I was there for. Besides breakfast, I had three dinners in my hotel and two were idiyappam with kosumalli. I discovered kosumalli (a stew made with eggplants and potatoes) for the first time in my life in Chettinad and as a fan of anything with eggplants or potatoes, it was like unlocking a new level in the game of food. I also had a lunch thali there (see top left picture). Briyani, urundai kozhambu, and cauliflower 65 were the “first course”. This was followed by the traditional South Indian courses of kaarakuzhambu (spicy curry), sambar (lentil stew), rasam (tomato soup), and mor (yoghurt) with desert as kavuni arisi (black rice pudding) - another dish I discovered for the first time in my life and it was love at first bite. I ate at my hotel so much I even had evening snacks there, like vaazhaipoo vadai (see middle picture). You know how you know the food is good? Because I forgot to take photos and attacked everything that came to the table almost immediately as they looked way too appetising. Everything tasted like home cooked food and I still dream about the different things I ate here to date. Even the pictures here are the ones my sister took, not me. I don’t know if they got sick of me because one of the staff there referred us to Chidambara Vilas for lunch one day (see top right picture). While it felt like eating at home in the hotel I stayed in, Chidambara Vilas felt like eating at a wedding buffet. It was good food too, but my hotel has my whole heart. I mean, I had eight meals there during the four days we stayed in Chettinad. While side dishes are generally pretty consistent across Tamilnadu, it’s taste that differes so it was interesting trying the Chettinad take on classics such as poriyal and kootu. A side dish that’s unique would be mandi (a stew with rice water, tamarind and vegetable of choice) and again, it was a great experience to have authentic mandi. Both places also had non-vegetarian options so friends who are fans of the meat, fret not, you will be sufficiently satisfied. The other meals we had were simply stopover meals during transit so there’s nothing much home to write about.
EVERYTHING ELSE
Where I stayed: Chettinad Mansion. I think I have spoken sufficiently about the food which I’m sure would have given you some inkling for my love of this place already. The mansion is actually a home where descendants of the family who built this place STILL live there but there are clear boundaries for guests of the hotel and family members. This means there are only 12 rooms here. Each of the room has unique tiles and features, and the place conveys the message of environmental responsibility in a way your parents would. Super cute! With the approachability of the staff to ask for anything you need at all, the experience was like staying over at your grandparents’ and I miss it so very much. They also have a small museum of the items people who once lived there owned which the staff would be happy to open up and bring you round if you asked. They also offer a tour with the history of the entire mansion (as descendants of the family who built the mansion still live certain spaces will be off limits). If there’s no availability on your planned dates, I would say see if you can move your trip altogether until you can stay here. I’m not sure if I’m kidding when I’m saying that because I have nothing but joy and pleasure when thinking back to my time here. I would go back in a heartbeat just to stay in a room, read books while I sip on coffee, have their food and maybe wander around the roads. It rained on one of the mornings I was there which was my idea of personal heaven.
Psst: if such things interest you, this hotel is also a popular filming spot and you would have seen it in some Tamil or Hindi songs already!
Getting around: Most things were walking distance from the hotel and if not, we took a hired car that came with a driver.
