Karaikudi travel guide

District

Sivaganga

Best time

October to February

Nearest airport

Madurai

Nearest railway station

Karaikudi

Ideal time needed

2 days

What to see

Chettinad Palace at Kanadukathan, completed in 1912, shows how lavishly the Chettiar families built, with Burma teak, imported tiles and huge courtyards. The Aayiram Jannal Veedu, or house of a thousand windows, built in 1941, has 25 large rooms and rows of windows. The Chettinad Museum, a former family home, displays jewellery, pottery, grain measures and kitchen utensils that tell the story of daily life.

At Vairavanpatti a nineteenth-century temple carries bright wall paintings from the Ramayana and Mahabharata, with a spring behind it believed to heal. Ilayathangudi is one of the old clan temples of the Chettiar community, and the Pillaiyarpatti Karpaga Vinayagar temple is a short drive away.

• Chettinad Palace, Kanadukathan
• Aayiram Jannal Veedu
• Chettinad Museum
• Vairavanpatti temple
• Pillaiyarpatti temple
• Athangudi tile workshops

Crafts and shopping

Athangudi is known for handmade cement tiles in bright patterns, and you can often watch them being made. Karaikudi's antique market sells old furniture, brassware and household items from dismantled mansions. Chettinad cotton saris are another good buy. Note that many mansions are still private homes and can only be seen from outside.

Best time to visit

October to February is the most pleasant period for walking around the villages. Pongal, in mid-January, is celebrated warmly here and makes a good time to visit.

How to reach

Madurai International Airport is the closest airport, with Tiruchirappalli another option. Karaikudi railway station has trains to Chennai and other cities, and government buses and taxis link the town with the rest of Tamil Nadu. Being in Tamil Nadu, Karaikudi is an easy road trip from Virudhachalam, and we can arrange a Chettinad heritage stay with a car and driver.

Also nearby