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| Aayi Statue Pondicherry |
புதுவையின் அடையாள சின்னமான ஆயி மண்டபத்தின் உட்புறம் அம்மையார் ஆயியின் திருஉருவச்சிலை வடிவமைக்கப்பட்டுள்ளது.
History of Aayi
As the legend goes, the powerful monarch Krishnadevaraya, whose Vijayanagara empire extended over most of south India in the early 16th century, came across a stunning building while visiting Pondicherry. The structure was grand, well-lit, and had beautiful carvings. Overcome by the majesty of what he imagined to be a temple, the king fell on his knees and folded his hands in respect. Some onlookers tittered; one asked the bemused king why he was bowing down before the house of a devadasi, a temple dancer. Humiliated, the king ordered for the house to be demolished. It was then that the devadasi Aayi begged for the king’s mercy, finally offering to tear it down herself and dig a pond in its place. The king relented, and Aayi kept her word—the tank she built supplied fresh water to the townspeople.
In the mid-19th century, when French-ruled Pondicherry faced a water scarcity, the engineer Pierre-Eugène Lamairesse stumbled upon Aayi’s pond in Muthurayarpalayam (the modern municipality of Oulgaret), and dug canals to bring the potable water to the location in the French quarters where Bharathi Park now stands. When French emperor Napoleon III heard of the story, he ordered a memorial to be built to the woman whose generosity had helped settle their kingdom’s fortunes in the seaside town.
The monument was built by Louis Gurre in 1854 and occupied pride of place in the town square, surrounded by the important buildings of the French colonial rule. It had a water fountain, even a pediment with a sculpture of Aayi with a pot.
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| Pondicherry Iconic Building Aayi Mandabam |
Photography Copyrights by Pondicherry Arun
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