Chennai: Chettinad has had a grand makeover in the past three years. Long known for its spicy cuisine and mercantile culture, it has now successfully widened and deepened its image. The heritage festival has not only arrested the neglect of historical structures, fueled interest in its stories, but also revived several intangible traditions, a study has found.
The study, conducted six months ago by the Chettinad Heritage and Cultural Trust, the organisers of the festival, revealed an eight per cent increase in domestic tourism in the region with the local handloom, tiles and craft units reporting a rise in their turnover. In the past three years, 23 films—Tamil, Malayalam and Telugu—were shot in the region and the number of qualified guides went up to 12 from four.
As the third edition of the Chettinad Heritage and Cultural Festival kicks off on Friday this week, a fashion show by Delhi-based designer Anavila Misra, an exhibition on door paintings from the 1980s, walking tours through the opulent Chettinad mansions, Carnatic music and local cuisine are set to build on this momentum.
Chettinad, spread across over 70 villages in Sivaganga and Pudukkottai districts of southern Tamil Nadu, is home to hundreds of mansions built by the business community—Nattukottai Chettiars. Known for their grandeur, these 19th-century houses are rich with vibrant colours and imported materials such as Burmese teak, Italian marble, and Belgian glass.
“The entire heritage was crumbling down and it was depleting the town. We wanted to revive and arrest this degradation. So the only way was to increase the tourist footfall and make Chettinad a tourism destination ” Yacob Thomas George Coordinator of The Festival, told The Print. He said the festival is attracting more people every year.
The team was inspired by how Muziris Biennale put Kerala’s Kochi on the international map. The Kochi-Muziris Biennale is an international exhibition of contemporary art that happens every two years. It is touted to be the largest art exhibition in the country and the biggest contemporary art festival in Asia attracting lakhs of visitors from around the world.
Their efforts bore fruit.
Ashwin Meyyappan (31), the managing director of the Karaikudi-based Chettinad Handlooms said the festival brings traction and money to the entire region. His friends from other parts of the state and even those settled abroad are showing interest in participating in the event.
“The event is everything about Chettinad. Its architecture, huge mansion, handlooms, diamond merchants, wooden pillars, and food,” he said.
Also read: One woman’s mission to revive Chettinad culture. ‘Things were disappearing in front of me’
Doors to the past
Four large doors in bright colours—sky blue, dark blue, purple and magenta. Artist KR Santhana Krishnan’s 3-D paintings on wood bring these double doors alive. They all feature house numbers and are fixed on wooden frames painted in the same bright colours. They’re adorned with paintings of flowers, peacocks and mythological figures. One door is ajar in each painting, giving the viewer a peek into a Chettinad household—one shows a veranda, another a thinnai (porch), and yet another a bicycle.
“It’s like recollecting a forgotten memory,” said Krishnan, the Tamil Nadu-based artist. He said these unique, half-open doors inspired by 1980s Tamil Nadu households highlight the living histories of the region. The paintings will be showcased in the art section, a new addition to the festival this year.
The artist, popularly known as Door Santhana, started painting doors as a student in Kumbakonam. He was inspired to use bright colours in his work after visiting the colourful Chettinad mansions.
The art exhibition also features the work of 58-year-old Nagarajan, who has been making Tanjore paintings for the past 35 years in Sivaganga’s Karaikudi. Depicting Hindu gods, the paintings are popular for the use of gold leaf, stones and rich colours.
“I am hoping that my work will reach many more people,” Nagarajan told ThePrint. The artist said his 3D artworks in ‘Chettinad style’ use wooden bases and extensive stones, unlike the other Tanjore art.
Besides the art exhibition, the event set to be held this weekend will feature performances by Carnatic musician TM Krishna, Bharatanatyam dancer Aniruddha Knight, talks on the early Tamil Merchants community by historian Anirudh Kanisetti, and guided heritage mansion tours.
(Edited by Theres Sudeep)