Aayi Mandapam

Aayi Mandapam (Park Monument) is a white monument in Pondicherry, India, built during the reign of French Emperor Napoleon III. It is located in the heart of Bharti Park. The monument commemorates the French city’s water system during his reign. It was named after a female courtesan named Ai. He destroyed his own house to build a reservoir to supply water to the city. Aaya Mandapam Pondicherry is one of the tourist attractions in Pondicherry. Aayi Mandapam also known as Park Monument is a white monument built during the reign of French Emperor Napoleon III. There is a green lawn in front of the monument. It is a 162-year-old monument. The monument is named after a woman named ‘Ai’, who sacrificed her own house for the water line to reach the city. Thus, the white monument celebrates the city’s water supply during French rule.

Attraction

Aayi Mandapam does not attract much attention today. Located in the leafy Bharthi Park, it is frequented by early morning joggers, local drunkards sprawled out on benches in the afternoon, and school students who sit cross-legged on the grass, eating their sambar and packet meals of curd rice. But for the curious, a plaque at the Aayi Mandapam tells the story — in classical Tamil — that the monument was erected by the French government in gratitude to an Indian courtesan.

History

The official symbol of Pondicherry is an elegant white pavilion surmounted by a fleur-de-lis—the official royal coat of arms of France. Not many people know about the Ai Mandapam, the original monument behind the icon. And even fewer are aware of its fascinating story, which includes no less than a courtesan, a king, and some very thirsty French colonists. Raja Krishnadevara visited Pondicherry one day. A beautiful white building near the coast caught the king’s attention. The king thought it was a religious place. He went towards it and bowed with folded hands. The people around looked at the king in surprise. Some young men started laughing at the behavior of the king. An old man came forward and asked why he bowed before the brothel. The king was shocked. He felt embarrassed and demanded an explanation of the old man’s comment. The old man told him it was a brothel run by a woman named Aaya, a prostitute The king immediately got angry and ordered his men to demolish the building. Aayi was brought to the king. He begged the king to save his house. The king refused so he begged him to let him demolish the house. The woman pulled down her beautiful house and instead built a water tank (inoculum) for the people of the place. After many years when the French people faced acute water shortage, a 5 km long tunnel was constructed from Kayamkulam to a park in the French city. King Napoleon III was fascinated by the story behind the water tank. He asked the architect Monsieur Lamaires to build a monument for Aayi in the Greco-Roman style. The monument is known as Aayi Mandapam or Park Monument. It adds a unique attraction to Pondicherry tourism. Aayi Mandapam was built in Greco-Roman style by French architect Monsieur Lamaires. It is a white monument built in memory of Aayi. The memorial bears some resemblance to the arched gateways of European architecture. Aayi Mandapam is a beautiful and peaceful place with green lawns all around. It is a mandatory part of the Pondicherry tour package. As legend has it, the mighty king Krishnadevaraya, whose Vijayanagara empire extended over much of South India in the early 16th century, saw a stunning building while visiting Pondicherry. The structure was huge, well-lit, and beautifully carved. Seeing the majesty of what he imagined to be a temple, the king fell to his knees and folded his hands in reverence. Some viewers teeter; A bemused king asked why he was bowing in front of the temple dancer Devdasi’s house. Humiliated, the king ordered the house to be demolished. It was then that Devdasi Ayi begged for the king’s mercy, eventually offering to demolish it herself and dig a pond in its place. The king returned, and Ai kept his word – the tank he built provided clean water for the people of the city. In the mid-19th century, when French-ruled Pondicherry faced water shortages, engineer Pierre-Eugène Lamairesy stumbled upon the Aye Pond in Muthirayarpalayam (the modern municipality of Oulgaret) and dug canals to bring drinking water to the site. The French Quarter is where Bharathi Park now stands. When French Emperor Napoleon III heard the story, he ordered a monument to the woman whose generosity helped decide the fate of their kingdom in the seaside town. The monument was built in 1854 by Louis Guerre and occupied pride of place in the town square surrounded by important buildings of French colonial rule. It had a water fountain and even a pediment with a sculpture of Ai with a pot. After India’s independence from colonial rule, the Pondicherry government continued to recognize the monument’s significance in the city’s history by adopting the Greco-Roman structure as its official symbol.

Inside/Outside Views

In Pondicherry, Aayi Mandapam stands among the swaying tall palms surrounded by blooming flowers and the grassy expanse of Bharathi Park, a few minutes from the popular Promenade in the parts known as White Town of Pondicherry. The stoic monument resembles a memorial arched gateway of European architecture at first glance. Regarded as Puducherry’s official emblem, the elegant ivory white pavilion adorned by the fleur-de-lis, the formal royal arms of France was built during the reign of Napoleon, in honor of ‘Aayi’ for her selfless service to people, by Louis Gurre in 1854.

How to Reach

By Air: Chennai International Airport is the nearest airport. It is 135 km away. Chennai is well connected to many cities in India some of them are Delhi, Mumbai, Kochi, Thiruvananthapuram, Pune, Hyderabad, etc. One can hire a taxi from the airport to reach Aayi Mandapam.

By Rail: Villupuram, Central Railway It, 35 km. Villupuram is with Tiruchirappalli, Madurai, and Chennai by State Railway. The hospital is available from Villupuram to Puducherry. One can hire a taxi from the airport to reach Aayi Mandapam.

By Road: Pondicherry is best accessible by road, bus, or taxi. Private tourist buses from Chennai, Madurai, and Bangalore ply to Pondicherry. Buses connect Pondicherry with Thanjavur, Trichy, Chidambaram, and Coimbatore. There are frequent buses from Koyambedu in Chennai about every 15 minutes. One can hire taxis from the bus stand to reach his desired place.