Chettinad is a region of the Sivaganga district of southern Tamil Nadu state, India. Karaikudi is known as the capital of Chettinad, which includes Karaikudi and 74 other villages. Chettinad is the homeland of the Nattukottai Chettiars (Nagarathar), a prosperous banking and business community, many of whose members migrated to South and Southeast Asia, particularly Ceylon and Burma, in the 19th and early 20th centuries. The people of Chettinad speak Tamil. Today there is a diaspora of Chettinad people, who live in the USA, Singapore, Malaysia, among other places. Sivaganga is a town in Tamil Nadu state of southern India. ... Tamil Nadu (தமிழ் நாடு, Land of the Tamils) is a state at the southern tip of India. ... , Karaikudi is a city and a municipality in Sivaganga District in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. ... The Nagarathars are a Chettiar Community that originated in Kaveripoompattinam under the Chola kingdom of India. ... Map of South Asia (see note on Kashmir). ... Location of Southeast Asia Southeast Asia is a subregion of Asia. ... The Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka (ශ්රී ලංකා in Sinhala / இலங்கை in Tamil) (known as Ceylon before 1972) is a tropical island nation off the southeast coast of the Indian subcontinent. ... Tamil ( ; IPA ) is a Dravidian language spoken predominantly by Tamils in India and Sri Lanka, with smaller communities of speakers in many other countries. ... For other uses, see Diaspora (disambiguation). ... Motto: (traditional) In God We Trust (official, 1956–present) Anthem: The Star-Spangled Banner Capital Washington, D.C. Largest city New York City Official language(s) None at the federal level; English de facto Government Federal Republic  - President George W. Bush (R)  - Vice President Dick Cheney (R) Independence - Declared - Recognized...

Chettinad is well known for its:

• Culinary delicacies: Chettinad is known for its culinary delicacies. Chettinad food, now is one of the many reasons why people get to know Chettinad. Chettinad food is essentially spicy, with a standard full meal consisting of cooked dhal, eggplant (brinjal) curry, drumstick sambar, ghee for flavouring rice, and sweet meats like payasam and paal paniyaram. The classical "kara kozhambu" is widely regarded as the best tasting south Indian sambar.

• Mansions: Chettinad is rich in cultural heritage, art and architecture, and is well known for its houses, embellished with marble and Burma teak, wide courtyards, spacious rooms, and for its 18th century mansions. Local legend has it that their walls used to be polished with a paste made out of eggwhites to give a smooth texture.

• Temples: Originally built by early Tamil dynasties like the Cholas, the temples of Chettinad stand testimony to the spiritual beliefs of its denizens. Scattered over the whole place, each temple has its own tank called oorani where water lilies are grown, and used for holy rituals. Even today much of Chettinad's daily tidings are centered around the festivities around the temple. Among the many famous temples, a few are Vairavan Kovil temple, Karpaga Vinayakar temple, Kundrakudi Murugan temple, Kottaiyur Sivan temple.

The nearest airport is Tiruchirapalli airport, 100 kilometers away. The largest town in the area is Karaikudi. Trains that run from Chennai to Rameshwaram stop at Karaikudi and Kottaiyur. Aubergine redirects here. ... The South Indian staple breakfast item of Idly, Sambhar and Vada served on a banana leaf. ... Ghee in a jar Ghee (Hindi घी, Urdu Ú¯Ú¾ÛŒ, Punjabi ਘੋ, Kashmiri ग्याव/گیاو - from Sanskrit घृत sprinkled; also known in Arabic as سمن, samn, meaning ghee or fat) is a class of clarified butter that originates in the Indian subcontinent, and continues to be important in Indian cuisine as well as Egyptian cuisine. ... For other uses, see Rice (disambiguation). ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... For other uses, see Marble (disambiguation). ... Species Tectona grandis Tectona hamiltoniana Tectona philippinensis Teak (Tectona), is a genus of tropical hardwood trees in the family Verbenaceae, native to the south and southeast of Asia, and is commonly found as a component of monsoon forest vegetation. ... Temple of Hephaestus, an Doric Greek temple in Athens with the original entrance facing east, 449 BC (western face depicted) For other uses, see Temple (disambiguation). ... Languages Tamil Religions Hinduism, Christianity, Islam, Buddhism, Jainism Related ethnic groups Dravidian people Brahui people Kannadigas Malayalis Tamils Telugus Tuluvas Gonds The Tamil people are a multi-ethnic group from the Indian subcontinent with a recorded history going back more than two millennia. ... The Cholas were the most famous of the three dynasties that ruled ancient Tamil Nadu. ... , Tiruchirappalli (Tamil : திருச்சிராப்பள்ளி)   also spelt Tiruchchirapalli, commonly known as Tiruchi or Trichy (Tamil : திருச்சி) formerly also pronounced as Trichinopoly (under British rule) is the fourth largest city of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu (after Chennai, Coimbatore and Madurai). ... Madras redirects here. ... Rameswaram is a town in the southern part of India in the state of Tamil Nadu. ... Kottaiyur is a panchayat town in Sivaganga district in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. ...

Karaikudi is also known for CECRI, a CSIR laboratory specialising in electro-chemical research. The lab has been operational for more than forty years, and has produced patents and inventions in the areas of battery research, corrosion prevention, and paints among others. For other uses, see Battery. ...

• The Chettinad Sari: This cotton sari is unique in the dramatic and spontaneous use of colour and pattern with bold checks, stripes and contrasting hues. Its vibrance and its weight are its distinguishing factors. The thickness of this sari and changing demands have kept this sari out of production for nearly a hundred years. Records and old photographs show the use of this sari by previous generations, before the advent of blouses and underskirts, worn rather differently from the regular sari.

Well-known people

• Dr Alagappa Chettiar, the founder of the various educational institutions in Karaikudi and its surroundings. Alagappa University, ACCET and Alagappa Government Arts College are a few institutes named in his honor. A friend of Jawaharlal Nehru, he brought CECRI to Karaikudi, by donating large tracts of land.
• M. A. Chidambaram Chettiar. The M.A. Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai is named after him.
• Kaviarasar Kannadasan. Famous Tamil poet.
• P. Chidambaram. current (2007) Union Minister for Finance under Manmohan Singh, Congress M.P., former Minister of State for Commerce under PV Narasimha Rao, former Union Minister for Finance under H D Deve Gowda and I K Gujral.
• Roja Muthiah Chettiar of Kottaiyur - a great Bibliophile and founder of one of the world famous Libraries with more than 100,000 books, journals, drama notices, wedding invitation, and other materials that normally do not find place in a library. The University of Chicago acquired the collection in 1992 after his death and moved the collection to Chennai and is functioning in Taramani, Chennai as Roja Muthiah Research Library.
• Raja Sir Annamalai Chettiar of Chettinad. The famous Annamalai University bears his name.

Alagappa University is located on about 420 acres in the business town of Karaikudi in Sivaganga District in Tamil Nadu, India. ... Madras redirects here. ... Kannadasan is well known for his simple and philosophical poetry. ... Palaniappan Chidambaram (Tamil: ) is an Indian politician. ... This article is about the Prime Minister of India. ... Pamulaparthi Venkata Narasimha Rao (June 28, 1921 - December 23, 2004) was the ninth Prime Minister of the Republic of India. ... Haradanahalli Dodde Deve Gowda (born 18 May 1933) was the eleventh Prime Minister of the Republic of India (1996–1997) and the 14th chief minister of the state of Karnataka (1994–1996). ... Inder Kumar Gujral (born 4 December 1919) was the twelfth Prime Minister of the Republic of India. ...

External links

• karaikudi.com
• Karaikudi — Chettinad House (includes photos)
• Eminent Personalities of the Nagarathar Community
• Alagappa Schools
• Kaviarasar Kannadasan
• Vairavan Kovil Photos
• Chettinad Palace in Kanadikathan Photo Gallery
• Chettinad Restaurant in Abudhabi - U.A.E
• Raja Sir Muthiah Chettiar - RMRL - Article from Frontline Dec 2005
• Raja Sir Muthiah Chettiar - Article from the University of Chicago Library Magazine
• Raja Sir Muthiah chettiar - Article from Frontline - Sep 2000