Chola era pond restored, memorable day for residents

According to sources, Azhagi Kulam in Thanjavur got its name from a shepherdess who supplied drinking water, curd and butter milk as refreshments to those workers involved in building the famous Big temple near the pond commissioned by king Raja Raja Cholan. Impressed by her devotion to Shiva, the temple deity, and the means by which she helped in the construction of the Big temple, the king gave away the pond to the woman to claim as her own property without collecting any tax. He also created a water channel to the pond from the Kallanai canal and Rani vaikkal, and the water stored in the pond was utilised by people in and around the area for irrigation, sources said.

However, over time, the pond spread over three acres of land was abandoned, with a part being encroached upon and another part used for dumping garbage by the locals. Thus, Azhagi Kulam which once had brimming water, lost its sheen and people over time had forgotten the pond.

However, the youth from Pampattitheru, Kavaskara Theru and streets nearby Azhagi Kulam, upon recently learning the historical importance of the temple from elders as well as material available in the Saraswati Mahal library, charted plans to revive the pond. Raising funds for the revival of the waterbody through crowdfunding, they then desilted a portion of the pond and even made efforts to utilise it for the Aadi perukku celebrations. As a subsequent measure, the pond was filled with water brought by lorries and even encouraged locals to celebrate the festival in the pond itself. This saw people converging at the area and celebrating the festival in the pond.

The elderly in the area remarked that Azhagi Kulam has now been restored to life after a period of around 50 years.