Moat restoration around Big Temple and Thanjavur town on track

Thanjavur: The restoration of the ancient moats around the Big Temple (Brihadeeswarar Temple) and Thanjavur town is progressing swiftly, with the cleaning and restoration work covering about five km are expected to be completed within the next two weeks.The historic waterway, once a vital defensive and aesthetic feature of the Peruvudaiyar temple, an UNESCO world heritage site, had accumulated heavy plant growth over the years both in the channel and on the moat walls.For the past one week, the Thanjavur district administration, in collaboration with the Thanjavur Tourism Promotion Council, has been restoring the waterway using the district collector's discretionary fund, along with contributions from corporate social responsibility (CSR) funds of companies, donors, and the general public. The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) is supervising the entire work.Thanjavur district collector B Priyanka Pankajam inspected the progress of the ongoing work. Speaking to TOI, she said, "We are going to complete the cleaning of the Big Temple's moat in about two days. We are urging ASI to complete the cleaning and renovation of the moat wall at the earliest."The twin moats, estimated to be several hundred years old, was constructed around the temple and the medieval Thanjavur town centuries ago. They lie adjacent to each other and are interconnected.The total length of these moats was around 6km. They were approximately 120 feet wide and 80 feet deep, serving as a water defence, a water source, and an important waterway for the city.In 1925, during British rule, the Grand Anicut Canal was constructed through the southern side of the Big Temple moat to irrigate agricultural lands with Cauvery river water. At present, the Big Temple's moat survives on the western side (back side), eastern side (front side), and half of the northern side, and is maintained by the ASI.Meanwhile, the Thanjavur town moat was closed on its southern side, and the area was later urbanized. Currently, the town moat survives on the northern, western, and eastern sides. Overall, around five km of the twin moats remain today.The Thanjavur district administration, through the water resources department, has deployed seven earthmovers, including five excavators and two backhoe loaders, for the restoration work."The works have been completed for 1.3km out of the total five km so far. While the works on the temple moat are nearing completion, we will finish the works on the town moats within two weeks," said S Muthukumar, coordinator, Thanjavur Tourism Promotion Council.Meanwhile, the ASI has begun cleaning the plant growth on the rampart walls around the Big Temple this past week. "We are waiting for approval from our headquarters in New Delhi to start the renovation of the moat walls, as they are old and structurally fragile," said a senior official.After the Mettur dam is opened on June 12, Cauvery water will fill both moats through the Grand Anicut Canal. Stakeholders are also considering promoting tourist boating in the moats in the future.