Thiruneermalai temple tank cries for maintenance; activists, devotees call for remediation measures

A view of the Thiruneermalai temple tank. | Photo Credit: B. VELANKANNI RAJ

The Manikarnika Theertham, the sacred tank of the Sri Rangathaperumal Temple in Thiruneermalai near here, is in a bad shape. Devotees complained that for the past one month the water surface has been covered with something green. The temple is one of the 108 Divya Desams dedicated to Perumal and the tank contains four theerthams - Ksheera pushkarani, karunya pushkarani, Varuna pushkarani and Siddha pushkarani.  

A devotee, who refused to be named said that people bathed in the water. Many also wash clothes here. The gate is not kept closed properly at times. Garbage is strewn around the holy tank. It lacks maintenance. Bad elements also consume alcohol near the tank and leave behind broken glass bottles and cups. The police does not take steps to stop such behaviour, which is why local residents are afraid to come to the temple after dark.”

On Tuesday, members of the Peoples Awareness Association staged a protest urging the local MLA and temple authorities to clean the tank. Social activist V. Santhanam said that boating had been done in the tank several years ago. “It is quite a large tank. We are saddened to see the state of the tank,” he said. 

Official sources in the temple, which is under the purview of the Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments department said that they were aware of the condition of the tank and corrective measures would be taken up soon.  

Ecologist Sultan Ahmed Ismail said that such greenery on top of the water could be any aquatic plant such as duckweeds or algae. Normally when there is water and if there are nutrients in it, such plants will grow in the presence of sunlight. Sometimes water inlets can carry nutrients. Usually in temple tanks people put grains, puffed rice and even jaggery, which can cause eutrophication that will naturally promote vegetation. The water beneath the vegetation may not have enough oxygen, which means any living organisms like fish can die. Periodic clearing of the upper water and aeration mechanisms like a fountain can recycle it and can help retain its sanctity, purity and cleanliness, he explained. 

Published - June 04, 2025 12:45 am IST