River Vaigai
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2017: a dry river
Arockiaraj Johnbosco, In Madurai, the myth remains, river vanishes, Sep 9, 2017: The Times of India
Rivers are often the source of myths and the re-enact ment of these stories a vital element in rituals. The Chithirai festival in Madurai, which draws up to 10 lakh people to the banks of the Vaigai, is one such pageant.
Pilgrims converge to watch Lord Kallalagar take a dip before leaving for the marriage of his sister Meenakshi (goddess Parvathi). Legend has it that her nuptials with Sokkanathar (Lord Shiva) were over before Kallalagar could arrive. Thus, he returned disappointed, not entering Madurai.
Today , Vaigai is dry round the year; for Kallalagar's idol to take the customary dip, government builds a makeshift tank on the riverbed. Drought conditions have forced the government to stop the practice of releasing water from Vaigai dam.
The Vaigai, lifeline of the Pandya dynasty (600 BCE), was never a perennial river. But its flow was once augmented by tributaries and under the British, which set up a drinking water project in 1898, its waters flowed through the city .
In the last five years, with catchment areas in the Megamalai forests of Theni district receiving scanty rains, Vaigai has dried up. R Sivakumar, author of a book on the river, says, “Unless the forest is rejuvenated we can't revive the river.“
