Aayi
Kulam, Muthirapalayam,
Puducherry
Aayi Kulam is a historical pond located in Muthirapalayam, an outskirt of Puducherry Town in Union Territory of
Puducherry.
History
King Krishandevaraya, the ruler
of the prosperous Vijayanagara empire, ruled over the Deccan. His empire
stretched from Karnataka to Kanyakumari. One day, the king set out from his
capital at Hampi and went on a tour of his kingdom. While traveling through
Pondicherry, a trading city and a sea port on the eastern coast of his empire,
was travelling through Ozhukarai (presently the Oulgaret municipality) to meet
a nobleman, Uyyakonda Mudaliar. a beautiful building caught the king’s eye. The
king looked with amazement at the building’s architecture and it carvings. The
religious king thought it was a temple. He knelt on the street and bowed down
before it with folded hands.
The people around looked at the
king with surprise. There was a stunned silence. The young men and women were
hiding behind their elders and giggling. A wise old man walked up to the king
and asked him, “Your Majesty, why are you bowing down in front of a brothel?” The
king looked up in horror. He caught the old man by his throat and demanded an
explanation. The old man croaked, “Sire, this is a brothel. It is run by a
prostitute called Aayi”. The king loosened his grip. The old man collapsed on
the street.
The embarrassed king roared with
anger. He ordered his soldiers to bring the prostitute to him and tear the
building down from its roots. The soldiers got hammers and axes and started
demolishing the brothel. The prostitute, Aayi, was brought to the king in
chains. She fell on the kings feet and asked for mercy. She begged the king to
spare the house, but the king’s ego was deeply bruised. He did not listen to
her. Aayi, in a desperate plea, asked the king, the permission to break down
the house herself. The king agreed.
The prostitute broke down her
beautiful house and, in its place, dug a water tank for the people around. The
place was known as Aayi Kulam in her memory. Years later, the French made
Pondicherry their capital in India. The French town on the sea shore faced an
acute water shortage. All the wells they dug had only salty water. The French
King, Napoleon III, sent an architect, Monsieur Lamairesse to sort out the
problem. The architect built a 5 km long tunnel from Aayi Kulam to a park in
the French part of the town.
The French king heard about the
story behind the water tank, was deeply impressed. The Governor of Pondicherry
sent a letter to the French king thanking him for sending the architect, Mon.
Lamairesse. The King told him to thank Aayi and wrote that she deserved a
monument. He ordered the architect to build a monument for Aayi. The monument
was built in French architectural style at the center of the park. This
Monument is still can be seen in the center of Bharathi park located near the
Rock Beach.
Aayi is not Puducherry’s lone philanthropist. Devadasis Bangari, Oosi and
Singari were also instrumental in taking up welfare projects. Aayi’s sister
Oosi is supposed to have renovated the massive Ousteri Lake, spread across Tamil
Nadu and Puducherry while Bangari was responsible for the construction of the
Bangaru Vaikkal which channels water from the Pennaiyar river into the Bahour cascading tank system. Stone inscriptions and, researches proved it is not
merely figments of one’s imagination. Ousteri, Bahour Lake and the Bangaru
Vaickal are robust and still functional.
Aayi Kulam
It was once a big pond of fresh
water and associated with the perennial drinking water project of Puducherry
during the French regime. It is now in a very pathetic state. Aayi Kulam was
used as the local Mariamman temple’s Theppa Kulam or pond for ceremonial use in
recent past. During festivities, temple deities were brought out to the pond
and people gathered around to celebrate. It looks like a normal pond without
any water.
Connectivity
Aayi Kulam is located at about at about 100 meters from Muthirayarpalayam Bus Stop, 4
Kms from Osudu Lake, 6 Kms from Puducherry Main Bus Stand, 6.5 Kms from
Puducherry Railway Station, 6 Kms from Puducherry Airport and 149 Kms from
Chennai Airport. Aayi
Kulam is situated on Pondicherry Bus Stand to Vazhudavur /
Pathukannu Bus Route. Tourists can get down at Muthirayarpalayam Bus Stop. Aayi Kulam is located at a walkable distance from this Bus Stop.
PRTC Bus 12 A is plying between Pondicherry Bus Stand to
Pathukannu will stop at Muthirayarpalayam Bus Stop. All the other private buses
running in this route also stops here. Tempos from Muruga Theatre Signal also
takes you to this Bus Stop. Taxis and Autos are also available to reach this pond
from any part of Puducherry. Nearest Railway Station is located at Puducherry.
Nearest Airport is located at Puducherry and Chennai.
Location
