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Subject: [agathiyar] Poompuhar monuments in a bad shape
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http://www.indiaserver.com/thehindu/stories/0421223p.htm

By V. Venkatasubramanian

CHENNAI, SEPT. 20. Monuments constructed two decades ago at Poompuhar
village in Nagapattinam district, to recollect the grandeur of
`Kaveripoompattinam', an ancient historic coastal town of the Sangam period,
are in a bad shape.

The sprawling lawn in front of `Ilanji Mandram' has been taken over by
fishermen, who have converted the area into a wharf and the foot path
leading to the `mandram' is being used to dry fishing nets. The two empty
tanks situated on the southern and northern sides of the `mandram' have
almost become garbage dumps and the compound wall is damaged at several
places. Similarly, a park created near the `Nedungal Mandram' has vanished
and the entire area has been covered with dunes.

These monuments, along with `Pavaimandram' and an art gallery, were
constructed by the Tamil Nadu Government in 1973, based on historical and
literary evidence. Enquiries reveal that, earlier, visitors were allowed to
bathe in the tanks - one filled with sea water and the other with ground
water - after paying a nominal fee.

The facility was later withdrawn after the administration found it difficult
to maintain the tanks. The mandram was constructed based on a reference in
`Silapathikaram,' which claimed that handicapped persons and those affected
by leprosy got rid of their physical deformity/disease after a dip in a tank
called `Ilanji Mandram' at `Kaveripoompattinam'.

There was also a mention about the `Nedungal Mandram' in `Silapathikaram'
that people affected by evil spirits became normal after offering prayer at
the `Nedungal Mandram'.

Though the legend states that it took more than 2000 years for the sea to
invade `Kaveripoompattinam', it appears that it may not take more than 10
years from now for the sea to engulf these monuments, in the absence of
effective measures to check sea erosion.Meanwhile, official sources said a
Rs. 35-lakh project to construct bus shelter and rest rooms with toilet faci
lities for tourists had been taken up.

A proposal to develop a landscape near the `Nedungal Mandram' at a cost of
Rs. 16 lakhs had also been sent to the Central Government for approval.
Despite the poor maintenance of these monuments, on an average 1,500
tourists visit Poompuhar every day.