Tiruvanaikoil temple’s ‘Aaditheertha Teppakulam’ filled with Cauvery water after several decades

Tiruchi Corporation fills Aadi Theertha Teppakulam with Cauvery water after 50 years, enhancing the temple's beauty.

The sprawling ‘Aadi Theertha Teppakulam’ (temple tank) situated inside the Sri Jambukeswarar Akilandeswari temple at Tiruvanaikoil in Tiruchi is now filled with Cauvery water after several decades thanks to the efforts of the Tiruchi City Corporation.

Located opposite the Thousand Pillar mandapam, the Teppakulam filled with Cauvery water is a sight to behold. The temple tank has attained its full capacity ever since water started flowing into it through the new pipelines laid by the Tiruchi Corporation from the Malattaru. This irrigation channel flows through Tiruvanaikoil. 

Water from the Cauvery River enters the Naatu Vaikkal at Melur village and flows through Tiruvanaikoil up to Kilikoodu to finally enter the Kollidam River. After surveying the area on ways of executing the project, the Tiruchi Corporation took up the task of laying a new High-Density Polyethylene pipeline from the Malattaru, situated a few distance away from the temple tank.

The earlier system of water draining into the temple tank from the Malattaru had worn out over the years, prompting the civic body’s engineering department to lay the HDPE pipeline. The project was executed under the ‘Namakku Naame’ scheme for ₹48 lakh. Two-thirds of the funds were provided by the Corporation and one-third by a private donor. A tender was floated and the work was awarded to an agency. 

A corporation official said the HDPE pipeline was laid to a distance of around 500 metres from the Malattaru to the Theppakulam. The pipeline was laid underground to a depth of about 15 feet. As part of the project, the construction of a collection well with welded mesh, control valve and inspection chambers was carried out. A borewell has been sunk close to the water body.

Water flows into the temple tank by gradient through the new pipeline from the channel, the official said adding that the project taken up a few months ago was completed last month and trials conducted. The temple tank is now filled with Cauvery water after a gap of over 50 years, say corporation and temple officials. Intimation was given to the Water Resources Department during work execution.

The Tiruvanaikoil ‘temple has the ‘Aadi Theertha Teppakulam’ situated inside and the ‘Ramathirtha Teppakulam’ which is located outside the temple. The total area of the ‘Aadi Theertha Teppakulam’ is 20,800 square feet with its depth being 15 feet. The annual Theppam festival at the ‘Aadi Theertha Teppakulam is held in the Tamil month ‘Aadi’, while the Theppam festival at the ‘Raamatheertha Teppakulam’ is held during the Tamil month Thai.