Some of the interesting tourist attractions in Chettinad are its museums. The Kamban Mani Mandapam, where the renowned Tamil poet and Writer, Kavi Chakravarty Kamban spent a major part of his life. The Kamban Mani Mandapam built in his honour, holds literary programmes on a regular basis. Then, there is the Kaviarsar Kannadhasan Mani Mandapam, built in honour of late poet-laureate, which has an Art Gallery and a library. Chettinad Museum is a must-visit place. Once a Chettinad house, it is now open to the public and gives one the rare chance of walking into the rooms of a Chettinad house with an amazing collection of artifacts - traditional jewellery, clothing, huge copper vats and grain bins.
If you wish to see how the famous Athangudi tiles are made, you should make a trip to Athangudi. A visit to a tile factory of this place will help you learn the art of making and drying these handmade patterned terracotta tiles.
Excursions from Chettinad can be made to the small, beautiful town of Devakottai, located close to Karaikudi, near Rameswaram National Highway Road in the Chettinad region. The streets of Devakottai afford one the pleasure of walking through a typical Chettiar lane lined with old Chettinad mansions; the most famous being Periya Minor's Veedu complete with Spanish tiled roof, Italian floor tiles and carved teak pillars. The Sri Meenakshi Sundareswarar Temple constructed in 1872 is an attraction here and is famous for the 108 statues of Vinayak.
Places to See in Chettinad
Athmanathaswamy Temple
This temple of Lord Shiva was built in the 10th century and is dedicated to Lord Shiva. The temple is popular for its interiors as well as outdoor inscriptions. The roof of the temple is made of granite, which adds a uniqueness to it. There are murals on the walls and its ceilings are based on the life of the great devotee of Lord Shiva, Saint Manickavasagar.
Chettiar Clan Temple
There are a total of nine temples of the Chettiar clan spread over nine villages in the Chettinad region. The places where these temples are situated include Velankudi, Soorakudi, Nemam and others. The Pandya kings granted all these temples to the local Chettiar community.
Karpagavinayagar Temple
This is a temple of Lord Ganesha. It is situated in Pillayarpatti. This is an early example of a rock cut temple architecture and ranks among one of the oldest cave temples of the state of Tamil Nadu.
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