Nemathanpatti

Day Four (1) - 7th February 2019

Nemathanpatti, in Chettinad

Nemathanpatti is a small community in Kanadukathan, most famous for its Chettinad cuisine and for the architecture of its houses, whose main entrances are shaped to resemble those of temples. Not being 'foodies', it was the buildings that brought us to this area of Tamil Nadu.

On arrival at the near deserted Karaikudi bus station at about 5:30am, we collected our thoughts over a cup of chai and a bite to eat.  We found the taxi rank without too much difficulty and negotiated a drive to our hotel. Our haggling powers were not as good as they could have been at this time in the morning, so we probably overpaid. There was some confusion as we drove around  Karaikudi before we made it clear that the Chettinad Heritage Hotel was in Nemathanpatti, and then toured another set of heritage mansions before finding where we were to stay.

Chettinad Heritage Hotel

Interior

   

Checking in to a hotel at 7am that was empty, and not expecting us til 4pm proved no problem - other than the room we thought that we had booked was still being finished.  Indeed, there was a pile of mattresses in the lobby waiting for their beds to be made. The staff struggled to wakefulness, and made us breakfast - and very good it was, too.

Although all the rooms had not been completed, we had not been the first guests, but this very recently refurbished former merchants house proved to be a wonderful place to stay, and base for touring the area.

Once we had settled into our room, we ventured out into the village. It became clear that the villagers had seen few Europeans as we were greeted with a great deal of interest, especially by the children.  We felt guilty that we had not brought pencils with us, as clearly there is a need.

This mansion was just across
the road from our hotel

By arriving on the night bus, we had gained a day, and were determined to make the most of it.  I suppose, if the Chettinad Heritage Hotel had a swimming pool, we might have lingered there, but the hotel staff recommended two temples a short walk away. Details of this excursion are on the next page.

That was hot and dusty, so after a clean-up in a well appointed shower room and siesta (it was already a long day), we we set out to investigate 'our' village.  We had already seen the 'palace' outside our hotel (above), but there were to be many more large, mostly crumbling mansions in this very small place. Most of the large mansions were in a poor state of repair, but the decaying magnificence reflects a prosperous past. The wealth that must have been here 100 years ago is incredible, and yet there were women drawing water from the pond just yards from our hotel.

The village has a warm, mellow feel about it, enlivened by children returning from school. Everyone we met was warm and welcoming, with the children keen to practice their English. The streets were relatively clean, and had a very safe feel to them. If you don't hanker after a noisy bight life, then this is the place to be.

Collecting water from the pond next to our hotel

A pediment on a mansion entrance

Later, after our evening meal and in need of cash, we searched for an ATM (cash machine). Expecting to find a 'hole in the wall' ATM, I failed to realise that they were mainly located inside small rooms set off the street.  We decided to go to Kanadukathan, and hired a tuk tuk. We took the opportunity to call into the  swish Visalem Hotel to see if it was possible to use their pool. It would have been if the hotel had not been full, and we offered its use on Sunday.  But we would be on the next stage of our adventure before then..

We found the ATM, and once I had mastered the cash limit (Rs10,000), helped by a kind local, dozens of notes of many different denominations came tumbling out.  We took a tuk tuk back to our hotel, and retired for the night.

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