2 Nights in Visalam CGH Earth hotel
Kanadukathan is a cute heritage village nestled in the heart of Chettinad. It is home to many historic Chettiar mansions, which were built in the early 1900s by a group of wealthy merchant families native to this part of Tamil Nadu. The Chettiars successful business ventures as merchants funded these impressive structures.
Visalam CGH Earth hotel – We stayed in this is a beautiful hotel for 2 nights. The staff were friendly and welcoming and the rooms were clean and spacious. The Breakfast and Dinner at this place was a set menu that had traditional South Indian food. Afternoon tea or coffee with biscuits was served by a lady in the back garden in her beautiful cart. There was a well maintained swimming pool with plenty of sitting area and towels. Ayurvedic massages are available at this place and we scheduled for one for later in the evening.
Note: No alcohol is available at this hotel. The pricing per day at this hotel was quite steep but we loved the peaceful ambiance and the excellent food.
Walking around the town – We spent a couple of hours walking around this small town. The streets are all well laid out and peaceful. We first stopped to admire the Ganesha temple which had a huge Kolam (tank) in front.
We stopped in front of a few of the mansions. We were allowed to take a peek inside one of them. These mansions gives you an idea of the grandeur of Chettinad mansions and the opulent lifestyle of the Chettiars.
Handloom sarees – We stopped by a traditional weaving centre. You can see elderly people weaving clothes with age old weaving machines. The saris that were on display to buy seemed a bit costly but worth it.
Karpaka Vinayaka Temple or Pillaiyarpatti Pillaiyar Temple – This temple is on the way from Madurai to Kanadukathan. We stopped at this temple on the way back to Madurai airport.
Located in Pillayarpatti village and dedicated to Lord Ganesha, this temple is a 7th-century-CE rock-cut cave shrine, which has been expanded over time. The temple has several inscriptions within the rock-cut shrines, as well as on the walls and mandapam outside that has helped date the temple. The temple is one of the nine ancestral Hindu temples of the Chettiars and has a large colorful gopuram, with large mandapams elaborately decorated with frescoes, many shrines inside.
