Chettinad

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On the way to the village of Kannadukathan we stopped at a quiet countryside spot to visit two rock cut small Jain temples. The first one was a climbup a hill. This one was difficult to decipher. The second one was nearby. There was a guide in this temple who pointed out the details of the frescos. Lotus flowers featured and one sequence showed nine stages of the development of the bud and flower. There were also drawings of ladies painted in a very different style to the Hindu temples. On the roof there were frescos of. These various animals. These paintings are C8.

We also made a stop at a home manufacturing centre of floor tiles. The process of making the tiles is quite simple with colours, sand and cement. When we arrived in the village we went to the Chettinadu mansion, which is now a hotel, for lunch. This was an opportunity to see the mansion as well as sample the Chettinad food. The mansion dates from around 1900. The food is served on banana leaves and is similar to a thali. After lunch I strolled around the village. Some of the houses have been restored as hotels. I found one of these hotels which is a 1930s style mansion. The remainder of the Chettinar houses seem to be crumbling into dust. I described them as Miss Haversham houses. The photo is an example. In the centre of the village I bumped into our driver and we had a proper brewed coffee.

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