The Vandiyur Teppakulam in Madurai district, which belongs to the Meenakshi Amman Temple, has once again reached a drought-like state after five years.
In Madurai, in 1645 AD, when King Thirumalai Nayakar was building the Thirumalai Nayakar Mahal, which today stands as a famous tourist attraction, a huge pit was formed when the required soil was excavated from a site two kilometers east of the Meenakshi Amman Temple. Instead of bringing soil from elsewhere to fill the pit, he ordered that it be turned into a beautiful tank. That is how the Madurai Vandiyur Mariamman Teppakulam came into being.
This teppakulam is spread over 16 acres and is located in the central part of the city. The inner perimeter of this tank is built with granite stones, and there are 12 long steps on all four sides.
Although this temple tank belongs to the Madurai Vandiyur Mariamman Temple, it is maintained administratively and spiritually by the management of the Madurai Meenakshi Sundareswarar Temple. In addition, once every year on Thaipusam day, during the Teppam festival, Meenakshi and Sundareswarar appear in the temple tank, which is a well-known event among the public.
In December 2019, under the Madurai Smart City project, the Panaiyur canal was renovated, and Vaigai river water was brought back into the tank through concrete pipes. Following that, from 2020 to 2025, due to the frequent rains and the water received from the Vaigai River, the water did not dry up and reached its full capacity of 14 feet, overflowing. For safety, protective railings were installed on the four steps.
Due to the continuous presence of water, this area had become a tourist destination. Hundreds of food, clothing, decorative, and entertainment shops also sprang up around the tank. It turned into a place visited by thousands every day, including local residents and tourists.
Since this summer, the water in the Teppakulam has gradually begun to recede. Because there are numerous food stalls around this Teppakulam, local residents and tourists, after buying and eating, carelessly threw all kinds of waste into the pond—plastic trash, plastic plates, plastic bottles—and polluted it. It is also noteworthy that local volunteers entered the pond and cleaned a part of it.
Following this, a section of the pond has completely dried up, and the waste inside is causing a foul smell, making it difficult for the public who go for walks in the morning and evening.
After the water pavilion located in the center of this pond was found to be in a dilapidated condition, scaffolding was erected for renovation at the end of last July, but those works have also been left unfinished. Local residents have requested that the work be expedited soon, and that the pond be cleaned before the northeast monsoon begins, while also creating proper awareness among the public to keep the temple tank clean.