Siva Sekaran By Express News Service CHENNAI: Rainwater is the best one to immerse the idol of Sri Aththi Varadhar in the tank attached to Sri Varadaraja Perumal Temple in Kancheepuram, the Madras High Court has opined. Justice P D Audikesavalu, who made the opinion, also hoped that once the idol is placed in the 'Anantha Saras', copious rain would follow. All this happened when the writ petition from K Asokan of West Mambalam, praying for a direction to the authorities concerned to consider his representation dated July 25 to clean the temple tank, came up for hearing on Wednesday. According to petitioner, owing to climate change and various other anthropocentric reasons, the temple tanks in various other places had become unusable. The district administrations and the officials of the Pollution Control Board had found the tanks are uninhabitable. Based on research, the authorities had zeroed in on bio-remediation to clean the tanks. The same treatment is required for the tank in Varadaraja Perumal temple in Kancheepuram. The 'Anantha Saras', where the idol of Aththi Varadhar is going to be immersed for the next 40 years on August 17, is also uninhabitable, petitioner claimed. During the course of hearing, the counsel for Archaeology department submitted that the tank has been desilted. But the debris is yet to be removed. The counsel for Pollution Control Board told the judge that the testing of the water to be filled in the tank is under progress. It will take three more days to file a report on this in the court, he added and sought time till August 19. What is the use in filing the report on August 19, when the idol is scheduled to be immersed on August 17, the judge asked and told the counsel to file it by August 16 afternoon. A representative from Anna University submitted that Cauvery water can be used for filling the tank, after cleansing it. Borwell water or the water in Golden Tamarai tank, can also be used, the HR&CE submitted. When the government counsel wondered what to do if it rains after the lake is filled with water from other sources, the judge said, "Is there anything more pure than rainwater? If it rained, that will be the best and most suitable water to fill the tank. Legend says copious rain would follow once the idol is immersed." Whatever it may be, but the water to be used for filling the tank should be subjected to tests by the pollution control board, the judge said and posted the matter for further hearing in the afternoon on August 16.

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