Krishnappa Naicken Tank (Waterbodies of Chennai - 8)

In the middle of the congested George Town locality of Chennai, this large tank covering about 1.5 acres is in a small lane. It is named Krishnappa Naicken Tank. Interestingly, the name is not associated with the temple on its banks, Kasi Vishwanatha Temple. The street itself is named after this tank, Krishnappa Naicken Tank Street.

The old timers recollect that this tank was a dumping yard in the 1970s and 1980s. Thanks to the restoration work and the construction of compound walls around the tank, this is no longer used as the dumping yard. However, the tank remains dry always.

As per a few records, the adjoining temple was constructed in 1806 CE. Hence, this tank must be as old as that temple. This tank would have been a water source and a significant attraction in those days. What has led to this sorry state of the tank is not known.

Who is this Krishnappa Naicken? Did he belong to Kannada Naicken or Telugu Naicken? Was he a Dubashi? Was he a landlord? Why are this street and tank named after him? Did he construct this temple as well as the tank? We have no record. In fact, another street nearby is again named after him, Krishnappa Naicken Agraharam Street.

If this waterbody is restored and maintained properly, it would be a boon for the people of this locality.

Happy travelling.

Note: As per a report, there were about 650+ waterbodies in the Chennai region till the 1980s. Today, only a fraction of them exist. And most of those surviving waterbodies hardly have water, and even some of them that have water have been poorly shrunk. In Chennai, there are tank roads without tanks nearby and lake-view roads without lakes. There is a high possibility that even the few waterbodies we have today might vanish soon. I decided to visit the currently surviving waterbodies of Chennai and its suburbs and write about them in my blog as a series.

Visit my site, krishnakumartk.com, to know more about the travel guides and other books that I have written.