Faded opulence of India’s crumbling Chettinad mansions offers a glimpse of past glories
- Built by spice and gem tycoons in the years leading up to WWII, the grand old mansions of Chettinad are now mostly abandoned, rundown and dilapidated
- Some have been used as film sets while others have become hotels. But selling up isn’t really an option for most owners since there’s so little demand
For about a century, rich bankers and traders poured their money into erecting the biggest, most beautiful mansions they could create. But after World War II, much of the region’s wealth dried up due to people moving away and new laws imposed by the Indian government.
The mansions are still standing though. The average mansion spans up to 50,000 sq ft (4,650 square metres) and has more than 50 rooms. They’re so big that many current owners can barely afford to maintain them.
About 400km (250 miles) south of Chennai, in the south Indian state of Tamil Nadu, there is an isolated, dry region called Chettinad, which covers about 600 square miles.
On your way to Chettinad, you will pass through a typical rural Indian scene – fields, small villages, and little concrete buildings.
But when you arrive you will see something unusual lining the sleepy streets of 74 towns – mansions, more than 15,000 of them, all in differing conditions.
Some of them still have residents living there, but many are now decaying, if not in ruins.