Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Friday, 27 June 2026 inaugurated the restored Muzhiyan Kulam, a historic water body estimated to be nearly 400 years old, located at the Government Middle School, Pooranankuppam, Puducherry. Lieutenant Governor K. Kailashnathan and Chief Minister N. Rangaswamy were also present at the ceremony.

Context

The Muzhiyan Kulam has served the Pooranankuppam community for centuries — functioning as a source of drinking water, supporting local agriculture, and supplying water for the sacred rituals of the Sri Angala Parameswari Amman Temple. Over decades, the water body fell into disuse due to silt accumulation, encroachments, and general neglect, rendering it unfit for its traditional purposes.

The restoration project has revived the kulam to functional status, returning it to community use. As Sitharaman's post noted, 'For nearly 400 years, this historic water body was a vital source of drinking water, supported agriculture and provided water for the sacred rituals of the Sri Angala Parameswari Amman Temple.'

Policy Backdrop

The revival of traditional water bodies — known variously as kulams, temple tanks, and eries across southern India — sits at the intersection of heritage conservation and practical water management. Puducherry and neighbouring Tamil Nadu share a long history of such structures, which were once the backbone of local water security for both domestic and agricultural use.

Projects of this kind typically require coordination between the central government, the Union Territory administration, and local civic bodies. The involvement of the Finance Minister, the Lieutenant Governor, and the Chief Minister at a single inauguration underscores the political and administrative significance attached to the initiative.

Stakeholders and Impact

The restored Muzhiyan Kulam is expected to benefit multiple groups: local residents who depend on the water body, farmers in the surrounding area, devotees of the Sri Angala Parameswari Amman Temple, and students at the Government Middle School on whose campus the kulam is situated.

Such restorations address both ecological and cultural needs — replenishing groundwater, easing irrigation demands, and preserving a living piece of community heritage that has been part of the local landscape for four centuries.

What's Next

Attention will now turn to how effectively the restored kulam is maintained and utilised — particularly whether water quality meets standards for drinking and ritual use, and whether agricultural access is restored for local farmers. The inauguration may also prompt assessments of other neglected heritage water bodies across Puducherry, with similar restoration drives potentially on the horizon.