Chaos at Thiruparankundram during Islamic event; public protest for Deepam lighting

Chaos unfolded at the Thiruparankundram hill in Tamil Nadu's Madurai district late Sunday (Dec 21st) night, when followers of Islam went to hoist a flag at their shrine (Dargah) at the hilltop, which is in close proximity to an ancient Hindu temple. The Thiruparankundram hilltop is home to the Subramaniya Swamy temple, which dates back to the 6th century, and the Sikkander Badusha dargah, an Islamic shrine that came up in the 17th century.

Protests by locals began late on Sunday, when members of the Islamic community proceeded to hoist a flag at the Islamic shrine on the hill. The flag hoisting at the Islamic Shrine is done as part of an annual commemorative event known as the Santhanakoodu festival that goes on from late-December to early-January. Tensions are high in the region due to an ongoing court battle over the conduct of Hindu religious rituals at the hill, and disagreements between the DMK government ruling Tamil Nadu and the Hindu religious outfits.

Amid a heavy police presence, the flag hoisting was done to mark the commencement of the local Santhanakoodu festival of the Islamic community. Meanwhile, locals protested and made attempts to light a Hindu lamp at the hilltop temple. However, they were blocked by the police. The lamp lighting at the hilltop is a matter pending before the Court, owing to differing views over the ritual's conduct.

The DMK government in Tamil Nadu maintains that the lamp must be lit at the same spot where it has been lit for over a century. Tamil Nadu government authorities say that the lamp must be lit at what is known as the Deepa Mandapam, a different location in the vicinity of the hilltop temple. They cite that lighting the lamp at the Deepa Mandapam has been in practice for the last 100 years or so. They also believe that lighting the lamp at the hilltop Hindu temple, very close to a mosque, could potentially cause communal tensions and lead to law and order issues. The DMK government has accused the BJP and BJP-backed outfits of attempting to create communal unrest.

Whereas, Hindu outfits maintain that the lamp must be lit at a stone lamp pillar at the hilltop temple, as per ancient custom. They believe that the ancient customs and faith must be upheld. They believe that the lamp must be lit at a spot that is in proximity to the mosque. The BJP and related outfits accuse the DMK government of being anti-Hindu and indulging in minority appeasement politics.

This dispute over the lamp lighting ritual has been in court since the start of the month, and final orders are awaited. Despite the Court permitting the lamp lighting at the hilltop stone lamp pillar earlier this month, the Tamil Nadu Government had cited law and order issues and previous legal proceedings to challenge the Court order. On two occasions, the Tamil Nadu government did not permit the lighting of a lamp at the stone lamp pillar. Instead, the authorities went ahead with the century-old ritual of lighting the lamp at the Deepa Mandapam.

The matter remains a sensitive one, as Tamil Nadu is barely four months away from the state assembly polls. The DMK Government in Tamil Nadu, which is seeking re-election, has taken a firm stance on this matter and is against the temple lamp lighting near the Islamic shrine.

Meanwhile, the BJP, which is part of the opposition NDA alliance in Tamil Nadu, is equally firm in ensuring the lamp lighting at the hilltop stone lamp pillar.