A pre pandemic wedding of a friend took us to the quaint lands of O Siruvayal, on the outskirts of Karaikudi in Chettinad district. The wedding and feast is always a grand one in the Chettiar community. The wedding is mostly performed in their ancestral mansions which is large enough to house three generations. The athangudi tiles laid in these homes are another artifacts unique to this region.
Apart from these the clan and community culture of the Chettiars is worth mentioning which not many are aware.
Chettinad falls within the Sivagangai and Pudukottai districts in the south of Tamilnadu. This is the abode of the Nagarathar (also known as Chettiars) community who are ardent Vishnu worshipers. They built many temples including 9 major clan temples around this region. More than 90 plus settlement are associated with these temples. Every temple has its own set of rules and as religious activities play a big role, the town planning and the community living has its own unique culture too. One interesting fact is, that people belonging to the same temple are looked upon as siblings; hence marriage is only among people belonging to different temple clans.
It is also stressed that marrying from other castes are forbidden. Moreover the clans outcasts the family if done so. It's also surprising to note that the younger generation too do not oppose this and whole-heartedly accept and follow the traditions and customs of the Chettiar community.
Will surprise many ... Believe it or not!! ...
Getting to Chettinad is easy as the main city of Karaikudi is well-connected by good roads and railways. The nearest airport is just around 60km away in neighboring Trichy.
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