Kanadukathan lies around a one and a half hour drive along rural highways from the nearest airport. It has many features travellers would expect from a remote South Indian village: cows grazing freely along dusty, weed-fringed lanes, temple pools where the faithful bathe before prayers, and cubby-hole artisan workshops for weaving and woodcarving.
What comes as a surprise, even for those who have done their research, is that instead of humble abodes, the village streets are lined by mile after mile of colossal historic mansions.
