Thursday, January 23, 2025
HomeNews ReportsCommunal tension at Thiruparankundram hill in Madurai: Islamists claim ownership while authorities allow non-veg...

Communal tension at Thiruparankundram hill in Madurai: Islamists claim ownership while authorities allow non-veg food near Murugan Temple, ‘miscreants’ paint Jain caves green

While cooked non-veg food allowed at Dargah near Murugan Templ on Thiruparankundram hill in Madurai and only slaughter of animals has been banned, restrictions have been imposed on Annadhanam offered at Dhandayuthapani Swamy temple in Palani

On Wednesday, 22nd January, the Tamil Nadu police in the Madurai district issued orders barring the Muslim community members from transporting livestock for sacrifice to the claimed Sikandar Badusha Dargah located atop the Thiruparankundram hill. The police said that the community was allowed to transport cooked meat and consume and pray on the hill, but the ban was only imposed on the transportation of livestock like chicken, goat, etc for sacrifice.

The said order created religious tension in the district as the hill also houses the old Murugan Temple, close to the Dargah. Indian Union Muslim League MP Nawaz Kani took cognizance of the event and talked to the police. However, the authorities firmly stated that the restriction would remain in place for the transportation of animals for sacrifice atop the hill.

“For several decades, devotees used to take goats and hens atop the hill for sacrifice, cooking, and consumption. This has been in place for several decades. From now on, those who are climbing the hill will be allowed to take meat, but there is a temporary ban on taking live animals. I met the Madurai Police, and we are discussing this matter. The practice that was in place till now should be restored” Kani was quoted as saying as he added that the property on the hill was a Waqf property.

He also highlighted the instance of the Gyanvapi structure and the Kashi Vishwanath temple in Varanasi and said that the duo have been co-existing for years now, similarly, he said the Murugan Temple and the Sikandar Badusha Dargah would co-exist atop the Thiruparankundram hill. He said that the restrictions were temporary and that these would be lifted soon allowing Muslims to pray without any restriction at the Dargah.

Kani’s visit to Dargah (India Today)

Following this, Tamil Nadu BJP chief K Annamalai commented on the issue and stated that Kani was trying to make a difference between the two religious communities. “In the spiritual land of Tamil Nadu, all religions have their own rules of worship at their places of religious worship. Their sanctity must be preserved. But the events taking place at Thiruparankundram Subramanya Swamy Temple (Murugan Temple) are unpleasant,” he said.

He further added that Kani’s action would hurt the religious sentiments of the people worshipping the Murugan temple and would also pose a threat to the sanctity of the temple. “To foment division, the MP consumed non-vegetarian food at Thiruparankundram Subramanya Swamy Hill. This is not only completely wrong but also a religious riot. For all these years, the people of Tamil Nadu have been living in social harmony and respecting the rituals of all religions. A Member of Parliament acting to spoil it is foolish. Totally unacceptable,” he added.

Restrictions imposed on Annadhanam offered at Palani Dhandayuthapani Swamy temple

While Muslims are allowed to bring non-vegetarian food to the Thiruparankundram hill, food safety officials in Dindigul have issued stringent orders requiring prior permission for devotees offering Annadhanam (food-offering) at the Dhandayuthapani Swamy temple in Palani. Thaipoosam festival is starting on 11 February in the temple, for which preparations are underway. Amid this, the Food Safety Department in Dindigul has mandated that anyone wishing to distribute Annadhanam to the devotees on Padayatra must first obtain official permission.

Failure to comply with this order will result in a fine of ₹1,000. The department also ordered that plastic bags should not be used and areas where food is served must be cleaned after meals.

Palani Murugan Temple is considered the third abode of Lord Muruga, and devotees have started to arrive ahead of the Thaipoosam festival. The devotees offer food to other pilgrims, but now the authorities are restricting this practice, requiring prior permission.

Jain caves painted green

In the midst of this controversy, another issue emerged in which a few ‘unidentified’ miscreants painted ancient ‘Jain caves’ green on the hill causing outrage from the Hindu community. The vandalism was brought to the notice by Shankar, Assistant Conservation Officer of the ASI who filed a complaint under the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Sites and Remains Act, 1958 (AMASR Act), and the Prevention of Damage to Public Property Act, 1984 (PDPPA).

Jain caves painted green (The commune)

How did the communal issue escalate?

The entire issue is believed to have begun last year on 27th December after a Muslim family led by Syed Abu Dahir, a 53-year-old from Malaiyadipatti attempted to take animals on the hill for sacrifice. The police detained the family which further irked 20 Islamists to protest against the police. Recently on 5th January, a massive protest by Muslims was organized at the bottom of the hills where the protestors demanded free access to pray at Dargah atop the hill. Given this, the police made several detentions after the Muslims engaged in a major scuffle with the authorities. The Muslims claimed that Sultan Sikandar built the Sikandar Badushah Thozhugai Pallivasal approximately 400 years ago.

On 18th January then, the Muslims led by the SDPI organized Sammanboj on the hill in which they had planned to sacrifice goats and chickens for meals. The police were informed about the plans backed by several social media posts that affirmed the Muslim community’s intentions. Hindu Munnani members meanwhile resisted Muslims’ effort to sacrifice animals on the hill, one of Lord Murugan’s six sacred abodes. They said that Muslims were attempting to convert the hill into an Islamic place of worship.

The police then posed barricades on the site informing the Muslims that sacrificing the animals was prohibited atop the hill, however, they could carry the cooked meat and consume it there. Following this, clashes erupted between Jamath members and the police, further intensifying the situation.

On 21st January, DMK Manapparai MLA Abdul Samad conducted and unofficially survey of the hill and claimed control of the premise. Indian Union Muslim League MP Nawaz Kani also claimed that the entire property was Waqf property and every Muslim had the right to pray at Dargah the way he wanted. He reiterated that the sacrifice of animals atop the hill was an old tradition and that it should continue.

It is crucial to note that Thiruparanundram Hill is a religious site and is of crucial significance to Hindus due to the presence of ancient Jain caves and Lord Murugan Temple atop. Several Hindus have worshiped the temple for centuries. The Jain caves on the hill also date back to the 2nd century BCE and these have Tamil Brahmi inscriptions on them, as surveyed by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI).

However, the Muslims who are creating chaos around the hill have begun claiming the hills as ‘Sikandar Hills’ behind the Sikandar Badusha Dargah.

Muslims claiming ownership of the hills, calling it ‘Sikander Hills’

One may think that these claims by Muslims are recent after the police orders, however, the Muslims have been trying to claim the hills from the 19th and 20th centuries. The hill which is of most significance to Jains and Hindus is being claimed as ‘Sikandar Hills’ by the Muslims, posing a threat to the sanctity of the temple and Jain caves. Notably, in the past also the legal authorities affirmed that the Hills housed the Lord Murugan temple primarily and that Lord Muruga was the primary deity of the region.

In the year 1931, the Islamists made similar claims saying that the hill was a Muslim property and that its name was ‘Sikandar Hills’. The Privy Council on 12 May 1931 took cognizance of the matter and said that Thiruparankundram Temple had proven its historical possession of the unoccupied portions of the hill, treating it as its property for generations.

The council was hearing the matter over the confiscation of endowed villages and the presumption regarding the temple’s ownership of the wasteland around the temple. “the question at hand is whether any presumption should be drawn from the confiscation of the endowed villages concerning the property rights in the wasteland situated within the Ghiri Veedhi, which forms part of the Malaiprakaram. It is admitted that the village of Thiruparankundram, where the temple is located, was part of this endowment,” the Privy Council judgment read.

The Thiruparankundram Temple is one of the most revered temples in the southern part of India dedicated to Subramanya, the son of Lord Shiva. The shrine of the deity has also been carved from within the hill indicating the elongated and original presence of the temple for centuries. Around the hill is the two-mile pilgrim’s path where the devotees offer circumambulation (pradakshina) to the deity. The said path, Ghiri Veedhi is considered as the temple’s property. In 1144, the same was called the Malaiprakaram of the temple.

Historical records show no interference by Mahomedan invaders

During the council judgment in 1931, the Subordinate Judge clarified that ‘prakaram’ is the outer area of the temple and ‘Malai’ means hill. “The Thiruparankundram Temple had proven its historical possession of the unoccupied portions of the hill, treating it as its property for generations,” the subordinate judge said. Notably, historical records also show no interference by Mahomedan invaders on the hills.

Some of the Muslims, reportedly, might have built residences on the hilltop in the past, forcing the Hindus there to accept such development. However, the rights of the temple remained with the Hindus as granted by the East India Company, which recognized the temple’s ownership over the land. The then government also considered the entire hill to be temple property, as affirmed by the Subordinate judge.

“During some interval of Mahomedan domination that mosque and some Mahomedan houses were built, but this was an infliction which Hindu occupants of the hill could have been forced to put up with. Thus, rights which temple could assert against Respondent were rights which East India Company granted to them,” the original documents regarding the case read.

Local Hindus have alleged that under the guise of religious festivals, parts of the hill have been systematically encroached upon over time by the local Muslims. Meanwhile, the Tamil Nadu government’s HR&CE Department has also been accused of Muslim appeasement politics contributing to the further escalation of communal tensions.

Join OpIndia's official WhatsApp channel

  Support Us  

Whether NDTV or 'The Wire', they never have to worry about funds. In name of saving democracy, they get money from various sources. We need your support to fight them. Please contribute whatever you can afford

OpIndia Staff
OpIndia Staffhttps://www.opindia.com
Staff reporter at OpIndia

Related Articles

Trending now

Punjab and Haryana HC slams AAP govt, asks how can they have no money for forensic labs but lavish spending on advertising and cars

The court rebuked the AAP government for taking a position that there shortage of funds for allocating the budget for buying modern technology tools for Forensic Science Laboratories while huge amounts are otherwise being spent.

Uttarakhand government notifies Uniform Civil Code, becomes the first state in India to do so

This Act does not apply to the Scheduled Tribes (ST) notified under Article 342 and Article 366 (25) of the Constitution and protected authority-empowered persons and communities under Part XXI have also been excluded from its purview.
- Advertisement -