Deep in the heart of Southern India is a secluded land of gracious mansions, dating back a half century and more. And a culture of vigour and trade, rooted in the soil, yet open to the four winds of the world. Welcome to a rare encounter...

Southern India’s ancient tapestry hides many threads quite unknown to the casual visitor. Deep in the interior, away from the beaten track, are unimagined cultural treasure-troves - ways of life you’d never discover on a regular itinerary, yet all the more rewarding, because they are so removed from the commonplace.

And today, it illuminates for the discerning visitor, not just a land, but also a community and a way of life. The Chettiars were -and are - prosperous traders with a far-flung diaspora, stretching away even to Vietnam, Singapore and Malaysia. But their roots are here, in this ancient dust of Chettinad, deep in the Tamil Nadu interior. As good trading communities do, the Chettiars prospered. And Visalam is typical of the fine mid-century mansions they built in celebration.

K.V.A.L.M. Ramanathan Chettiar, a respected pillar of the pre-independence Chettiar community, built Visalam for his eldest daughter. Fate decreed that the house was never used, except for occasional family weddings. Yet the family saw to its preservation with loving care.

Thus, when we set about the task of restoring Visalam, we were fortunate to inherit a fine canvas. The challenge was to paint in the details to perfection.