Archive · 27 Oct 2025
Pettagam Museum Showcases Chettinad Jewellery Heritage
Imagine a special box called Pettagam, like a treasure chest, that holds beautiful old jewelry.
This box is now a museum in India, filled with amazing jewelry from a group of people called the Nagarathar.
The museum shows how this jewelry is not just pretty, but also tells stories about their history, trade, and beliefs.
The jewelry has special techniques and unique designs, with symbols like crabs and peacocks.
The museum also displays how these designs evolved over time by connecting with different cultures.
It's a place to learn about the past and see how traditions are kept alive.
Pettagam is a museum in Karaikudi dedicated to Chettinad jewellery.
Meenu Subbiah, a jewellery designer, founded the museum to showcase the Nagarathar community's heritage.
The museum features traditional jewellery and the stories behind them, including techniques like close setting.
Exhibits highlight key motifs such as the conch, peacock, and temple tower, which reflect Chettinad culture.
The museum also includes Meenu's contemporary jewellery designs, inspired by Chettinad heritage.
- Who
- Meenu Subbiah, a jewellery designer and scion of the Nagarathar community.
- What
- A museum called Pettagam dedicated to the jewellery traditions of Chettinad.
- When
- Research began in the early 1990s, the museum opened recently.
- Where
- Karaikudi, Tamil Nadu, India.
- Why
- To preserve and showcase the cultural significance of Chettinad jewellery.
- Museum Name
- Pettagam
- Location
- Karaikudi, Tamil Nadu, India
- Founder
- Meenu Subbiah
- Focus
- Chettinad Jewellery
- Key Technique
- Close setting
- Primary Exhibit
- Jewellery Motifs: Conch, Peacock, Annapakshi, Crab, Temple Tower