PHOTO TOURS - Kanadukathan - The Opulence Of Chettinad Mansions

Being a native of Chennai aka erstwhile Madras, it was quite often that I came across Chettinad food, sarees and also chettiar neighbours and last but not the least Chettinad Cements. If you have ever lived in Chennai or been there, you cannot miss the presence of this name and community.

Everything about it was about grandeur, wealth and an innate warmth and hospitality of the people from that region. And this always piqued my curiosity about the mystery land.  Add to it the narration  of some of my friends who visited the place who went on and on about the sheer magnificence of  the place and the well known antique market and of course the lip smacking spicy food.

Now, this was not something to be missed isnt it? So a few of us like minded friends decided to visit and experience it ourselves. It was January and a peak season. Other than conveyance and advanced reservation of rooms, we didn't plan much as we all wanted to go with the flow. There were only a few things in our agenda - See and experience the life of this beautiful region and its magnificient mansions + shop for authentic Chettinad Kandangi sarees and antiques as much as we could fit into our car + gorge upon the delicious chettinad cuisine.

That being the prelude, here goes a photo tour of Kanadukathan - very wrongly called the ghost town of Chettinad. Why? You will know at the end of this series.

The day began slightly cloudy and a namesake drizzle which lasted for a few minutes, just as if the heavens opened up to clean our paths before we walked. The soothing gentle morning breeze was definitely a blessing.

 After a good night's rest and hot yummy breakfast lovingly cooked at our guest house kitchen, we set out for the walk in this quaint little village - of palaces and mansions.

 One of the first houses we came across. It was almost a moment of deja vu..especially for Tamil movie buffs like me.

 The periya veedu or big house. This is probably one the most well maintained mansions in the whole of Kanadukathan. Does it rake some memories in you my dear readers? Kandukondein Kandukondein anyone?

 A big temple pond and these stone benches alongside the banks. It was such a beautiful feeling to be sitting on them enjoying the morning breeze.

Streets and crossroads. Each one had a row of small and big houses and stories of their own.

Photo Tour - Padmanabhapuram Palace (Part 2)

 Amazing Architecture

View of the Devi temple from above

The majestic Indravilasom

Devi Temple 

The main palace and the connected buildings put together takes atleast half a day for a quick exploration. Many parts of the palace are not accessible to visitors. For eg, the guide mentioned that the topmost part of the main building has a sacred room where a lamp is burning continuously from the Maharaja's time till date.

Another part of the palace has been converted to a museum where a lot of stone sculptures and other antiques are displayed along with the arms and ammunitions used by the royal army, vessels and urns used in the palace.

How to reach

Thiruvananthapuram is the nearest airport. From there, you could take a bus or hire a taxi to travel towards the palace. Its about 50 kms from the city. Nagercoil is the nearest town.

Photo Tour - Padmanabhapuram Palace (Part 1)

A post that has been in my drafts forever...

Here it is - A photo tour of the famous Padmanabhapuram Palace.

Located in the Padmanabhapuram Fort in the scenic Thuckalai town of Kanyakumari District, Tamilnadu.  The palace is supposed to have been constructed around 1601 by by Iravi Varma Kulasekhara Perumal, the then ruler of Travancore. The palace has undergone many additions and renovations later during different periods as part of  adding to the space as well as repairs.

Having been built in an era when modern technology was unheard of, the palace complex as a whole is full of wonderful and awe inspiring innovations and inventions - both aesthetically and technologically. More than all these things, the whole campus seems to have a rich and vibrant presence of all those who have lived there. Each and every room, nook and corner has a story to tell.

I cordially invite all my readers to a memorable tour of this Royal abode.

Entrance to the main palace building.

Loved the picturesque background. Truly a dream view isn't it?

Royal entrance

The clock tower at the entrance

Ornate floral ceiling work in the entrance verandah. The speciality of the ceiling is that each and every flower carving is a unique design and none of them is same as the other.

A flight of stairs lead us to this place called Mantrasala. Description of the mantrasala is given in the picture above. This used to be the area where important decisions regarding the kingdom and administration were discussed and decided.

The seating arrangement inside the Mantrasala. Just behind the wooden chair on the left, you can see a small opening. This is a kind of storage space that runs all around the room. The whole thing is made of wood and has many slits and openings in between. When the palace was occupied, clay urns filled with herbal water and placed inside the storage place. This had small openings on the outside as well. So, when the wind blew in through the openings, it cooled the urns. Thereby spreading a coolness along with the aroma of the herbs inside the hall. Brilliant air purifier!!

The exit from Mantrasala towards other side of the palace.

View from the Mantrasala entrance.

 

"Oottupura" or The community Dining Hall. The description says that the generous Travancore Maharajas insisted on feeding almost 2000 people in this dining hall daily.

As we exit the Oottupura(Dining hall), we enter the more private realms of the palace. These areas were occupied by female members and others of the royal family along with their personal staff etc.

(To Be Continued)

Love, Life, Work.....

are the things that sometimes need a pause button...Not to stop forever.

But to begin something new...afresh all over again.

Here is to a Shubhaarambh!!

Antiques-All the way from Chettinad

After a much enthusiastic discussion in the Bangalore Craft Lovers group on FB, I had to post this...

For all the craft/art/antique/decor enthusiasts out there. These vessels and many more such authentic antiques(furnitures, mirrors,tables etc) are sold by a lady called Saradha. She hails from Chettinad and goes around collecting these things from various places in Tamilnadu. She doesn't have a store anywhere and the sale is only through such melas and fairs.

My clicks are from the Kalamadhyam Mela, held at ChitraKala Parishat-Bangalore.

Antique Ceramic ware

Flower Basket..love the miniature

Idli cooker

Worth their weight in...well Brass!!

Spice Dibbis

Look at those name inscriptions

If you look at the utensils and dabbas from our mom's and grandmom's collection, you will find names inscribed on them...very discreet, yet obvious. There were mainly 2 reasons for it-one is that this would help in dividing their stuff equally among their children. Yes...the inscription was done exactly when it was bought from the store or from the vendor who came home every month.

Secondly, when they sent the vessel/dibbi to their neighbour/friend with goodies in it, the inscription helps in discriminating their vessels from the others..thereby gently reminding the friend/neighbour to return it. Intelligent eh?

There were a lot more stuff at the stall..but I just managed to click the utensils and vessels. More captures next time.

Hotel De L'Orient - An Indo French boutique hotel

Whenever we are in Pondicherry, we love to stay at one of those cute, homely hotels or homestays that line the French streets.

During one of the recent trips, we discovered this little gem in the quaint white town area of Pondicherry town.

Hotel De L'Orient by Neemrana

Simple entrance

Wooden caretaker @the reception gave us a warm welcome!

Love love love this...Wooden box used for the mini kettle and other stuff.

Viewing the moon from the cute li'l balcony.

Room Decor. So cozy and warm.

The Neemrana Store

Lovely paper coasters

The romantic bath...I so loved the gradient effect on the walls.

Umbrellas!!!!

Neemrana refers to their properties as Non Hotel Hotels...which is true to the core.

This beautiful hotel was an 18th century colonial mansion in the French Town area of Pondicherry. 

Each room is named after former French colonies in British India - Calicut, Karaikal, Surate,Balassore, Kasim Bazaar, Mahe,Cannanore(The one featured here) etc.

Check out their other properties here - Neemrana

Each and every one looks so beautiful and tempting. I am eyeing these to name a few - The Bungalow on The Beach @ Tranquebar, The Pataudi Palace, Glass House on the Ganges and The Gate House.

Disclaimer  - The views expressed in the post are purely personal and is not sponsored or requested by the company/brand.