Unable to pay the promised wages to the mason, the two Devadasis jumped into the lake and bade farewell to the world.
Coimbatore: “A person, who stores water on land, cherishes human life in the world, as water is the only element that produces food, without which, human survival is impossible,” says Sangam poet Kudapulaviyanar in one of his verses.
People of the modern age, who have little time to think about the possibilities of restoring the highly polluted lakes around Coimbatore, may be surprised that even women took the responsibility of digging lakes and constructing dams and canals in several parts of Kongunadu.
In Ezhur Nadu, the present northeastern part of Namakkal, there lived two siblings Karpooraayi and Shenbagaayi. Dedicated to the temple as Devadasis, the duo earned great wealth and possessed plenty of agricultural lands presented by the rich. As the women had no children, they wanted to spend their wealth for the common good of Ezhur Nadu and had a large lake dug by a mason to harness the river water. However, when the work was complete, they could not provide the promised wages to the mason.
As he forced the duo to pay the sum, the two women became helpless and committed suicide by jumping into the lake. Vexed over the demise of Karpooraayi and Shenbagaayi, the guilty mason too jumped into the lake with his pet dog and killed himself. Honouring their selfless service, the people of Ezhur Nadu later constructed a temple on the bunds of the lake and sanctified them as the deities of Ezhur Nadu. Their statues are still found on the lake bund with people worshipping them.
Another woman by the name Amirthavalli, who hailed from a wealthy family in Paruthipalli Nadu of present-day Salem, worried a lot that agricultural lands in her village were parched due to scarcity of water. She took the responsibility of constructing a check dam across the river Manimutharu and set up a canal there to channel the water to a large lake in Paruthipalli Nadu. In memory of Amirthavalli’s service, both the canal and the lake are still called “Amirthavalli Vaikal'' and “Amirthasagaram” respectively.
Paruthipalli Nadu once witnessed a great famine and drought due to a breach at Lake Amirthasagaram. Despite great efforts, the people could not set it right. However, an elderly man advised them that they could get a remedy for this if they built a wall at the breach covering a girl alive inside. When a wealthy man from the Vettuvar community discussed the matter with his family members, his eldest daughter volunteered herself for the sacrifice. The girl who dedicated herself to the common good of Paruthipalli Nadu is still in anonymity.