The Chettinad Affair

Sarmaya's Art of Travel Heads South

/ read / December 19, 2018 / Spotlight

In the second edition of Sarmaya’s Art of Travel, we assembled once more as a band of travellers ready for our next adventure, amid the 75-odd villages that form the region of Chettinad in Tamil Nadu. Join us as we revisit this journey and recapture the memories of a lifetime.

WATCH: The Chettinad Affair

In the home of the flamboyant Chettiars

Temple Towns

In Chettinad, we stopped at many temples and shrines and listened to tales both fantastical and illuminating

Southern Spice

A Chettinad feast is a culinary adventure in intense, full-bodied flavours

An evening with Leela Samson, a Sarmaya Travel exclusive

We were granted a rare and intimate audience with the dancer, icon, goddess

Palace of Illusions

The magnificent mansions of Chettinad hold the great riches of the world, and tell the story of extravagance, grandeur and inevitable decline

Kandangi Weaves – A History of the Famous Chettinad Sari

What can a textile tradition tell us about a now-forgotten way of life? We pick the instantly recognisable Chettinad sari and investigate its glorious past and fragile present