This charming little hotel is famous for its exceptional cuisine and historic, family history. Situated in the heart of the bustling and intriguing town of Karaikudi, The Bangala has a long history and has been prominent as a home and a place of ‘gathering’ and socialising for nigh on 100 years. Originally the rambling home of the prominent MSMM family (in Chettinad all families are known by their initials), they contributed hugely to the development of Karaikudi (building the first girls school, bringing water and electricity supplies to the region) and are much loved and respected today. From being a home for years and dating back to 1917, after World War II times became hard and it became the town club, famous for its tennis court and active rummy table. Remaining such for some time, it was not until the pioneering and visionary Meenakshi Meyyappan (current owner and of the original owning family), realised that the building was falling into decay and needed to be given a new lease of life. She quickly saw that Chettinad had a huge amount to offer the visitor in terms of culture, architecture and exceptional rural tourism and decided, in the 1990’s, to convert Senjai Bangala into The Bangala, a delightful little heritage hotel. With her passion for life, food and tourism, her ambition to ‘put Chettinad on the map’ worked, and today it is a thriving hotel with a huge amount to offer a guest.

The Bangala has 29 simple but charming, comfortable rooms scattered all around a rambling building which is made up of various wings and annexes. The design and decoration of the bedrooms puts much emphasis put on retaining the local flavour and traditions of Chettinad décor - the furnishings have an old world charm which is fast disappearing from many a modern hotel. The rooms centre around a central garden which is lovely for sipping a beer in the evenings. An open sided dining room offers up delicious and world famous Chettinad cuisine, served on a banana leaf and eaten with one’s hands, at lunchtime. Meenakshi Meyyappan herself is a famous chef and has written books on her family’s and the region’s distinctive cuisine. The garden then leads through to a very pretty swimming pool and a further block of pool facing rooms, which, in turn, leads into a lovely, peaceful, leafy vegetable garden which is a treat to stroll through seeing all the produce that one is about to consume growing in gloriously organic surroundings. There are airy verandahs and winding corridors and spacious roof tops and the ‘club atmosphere’ of old still pervades. The building’s history is displayed on the walls and staying here gives one a very strong sense of being a part of the past and of something special and ‘at the centre of ops’.

When not trying out delicious local dishes or relaxing by the pool, there is a huge amount to do immediately on your doorstep as Chettinad has a varied and fascinating history and covers a large area in central Tamil Nadu. Chettiars were once wealthy, ambitious, pioneering, successful merchants, traders and bankers who travelled all over the country but rarely travelled overseas. The Nattukottai Chettiars were one community which once lived in glorious homes in 75 villages scattered around a 600 sq. mile areas east of Madurai, south of Thanjavur (Tanjore). Many of these stunning buildings are now in decay but can still be seen today, and the area is slowly undergoing a renaissance as a result of growing tourism and awareness of the huge cultural diversity and heritage of this little visited area.

The emphasis here is all about bringing the local culture, cuisine, crafts and countryside alive. The owners’ passion to tell the world about the wonders of Chettinadu culture and cuisine pervades the property and, if wanting to get under the skin of the area and to really ‘live’ it there is nowhere better than here. The Bangala is run as a household and a home, rather than as a formal hotel. A guest immediately feels welcome and involved in their ambition to reveal the region’s secrets to you and it is a treat to stay here.

Eco / environmental / responsible tourism policy

They have a strong social awareness and environmental policy with all water being solar heated; all kitchen and garden wasted composted; all paper recycled; purely organic vegetable gardening; and they employ only local staff.