An elderly man stands outside an old mansion in Chettinad. Once home to the Chettiars, some of India's wealthiest merchants, much of Chettinad now
An elderly man stands outside an old mansion in Chettinad. Once home to the Chettiars, some of India's wealthiest merchants, much of Chettinad now lies as a ghost town, its plethora of mansions slowly crumbling to the ground. Teak and marble merchants once known as the "Money Lenders of the Empire", the Chettiars fell into financial hardship after the British Government requisitioned all foreign companies home during World War 2. Unable to eek out a living in the dusty hot plains of Tamil Nadu, they left, leaving behind their magnificent houses, most spanning whole town blocks and filled to the brim with exotic antiques. Containing around 300 tonnes of black Burmese teak per house, Chettinad is now up for grabs, as families start to dismantle their estates to antique shops, no longer able to pay for the repairs. The Tamil Nadu government is hoping to play the tourist card, locking the area up for tourism. Hotel groups are flocking, eager for a piece of the action. But in the middle of the desert and without the families' consents, skeptics wonder if the mansions are enough to keep the tourist dollar alive.
Size: 3507px × 5429px
Photo credit: © Leisa Tyler / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: adult, aged, asian, asians, chettiar, chettiars, elderly, exteriors, facial, grey, greyhair, greyhaired, hair, haired, indian, indians, male, man, mansion, moustache, mustache, outdoor, outdoors, people
