In the Sivaganga district of southern state of
Tamil Nadu there is a region called Chettinad which is a widely known place allover India because of its culinary delicacies, architecture and temples.
In the ancient times Chettinad was an ancient kingdom situated on the southeastern region of Tamil Nadu on the coastal line of Bay of Bengal. At that time Karaikudi was the Capital of Chettinad. Chettinad is inhabited by the Nagarathar community (Nattukottai Chettiars), a prosperous banking and business community. In the eighteenth and the nineteenth century huge bungalow type houses were constructed with lime and sand some of which still exist in Chettinad. The Chettinad people are famous for their peacock dance and dances are organized in all temple functions in Chettinad. Chettinad cuisine is a specialty cuisine of Tamil Nadu.The people of Chettinad speaks Tamil.
Chettinad was ruled by the Chola dynasties and the temples of Chettinad bear ample testimony to these fact. Scattered in the town of Chettinad, each temple has its own tank called oorani where water lilies are grown and used for holy rituals. The famous temples of Chettinad are Vairavan Kovil temple, Karpaga Vinayakar temple, Kundrakudi Murugan temple, Kottaiyur Sivan temple.
The largest town of the area is Karaikudi and trains that connect Chennai to Rameshwaram stop at Karaikudi and Kottaiyar.
