In the semi-arid southeastern hinterlands of Tamil Nadu, where palmyra palms grow in abundance, lies Chettinad, a region spanning nearly 1500 square kilometres across the Sivaganga and Pudukottai districts. Reportedly, the region acquired its name during the Pandya period, when a kind ruler permitted Nattukottai Chettiars to construct 96 villages across this inland landscape. Chettinad is now famous for its thousands of palatial mansions, built between the 1850sand the 1940s. These homes, spread across 73 villages, stand as physical testaments to the wealth and ambition of the Chettiar community during the colonial period.
