The Madurai bench of Madras High Court has refused to stay namaz and other Islamic activities in Thiruparankundram hill where Sri Subramanya Swamy temple is located. Islamists make relentless attempts to rename the hill as ‘Sikkandar hill’ claiming that a saint with that name died on the hill. Saying that “no harm in offering namaz for 30 minutes” HC refused to stay Islamic activities on the hill citing Bakrid.

Thiruparankundram is one of the six abodes of Bhagwan Muruga and a most revered holy site of Saivites in Madurai. Apart from the Subramanya Swamy temple, Pandya-era rock-cut temples and historically important inscriptions and rock paintings are also located on the hill. During the barbaric rule of the Madurai Sultanate, most of the prominent temples in and around Madurai were deprived of even trikala pujas until Kumara Kampanna defeated them. It appears that during the Sultanate rule Muslims built a dargah on the Thiruparankundram hill.

Muslims claim that one Sikandar Zulqarnain mentioned in the Quran came to Madurai to preach and aid Muslim invaders and rule the country. They believe that he built a mosque on the Thiruparankundram hill and died there when he was surrounded by enemies. So they claim the hill as their own and call it ‘Sikkandar hill’.

Hindu outfits allege that they have gradually encroached on other parts of the hill under the pretext of celebrating festivals. Hindu outfits have been opposing it for longtime and demanding the government to remove the encroachment. As the Subramanya Swamy temple is under the control of HRCE, a government body, it gave away the rights of the temple to play appeasement politics. 

A Vijaya Bharatham article recounts the account of a Hindu activist involved in recovering Hindu rights. It says,

“In the past, the Karthigai deepam was lit at the stupa in Kashi Vishwanath temple atop the hill(Shaivite temples located on hilltops across the state light Karthigai deepam atop the hill every year). During World War II the British banned this custom in Thiruparankundram. It was not resumed even after independence.

In the meanwhile Muslims started encroaching parts of the hill. They buried the corpse of one Sikkandar and built a dargah. They also started calling the hill ‘Sikkandar hill’ and planted the Islamic green crescent flags atop it. Chinna Karuppa Thevar, the Congress MLA at that time gathered the public, removed those flags and hoisted the tricolour. He also led a hunger strike as a result of which 700 protestors were arrested.

T Prakasam, the then CM of the Madras presidency met Chinna Karuppa Thevar and forced him to withdraw the strike as he feared that it would create law and order issues. Muslims claimed the part of the hill where the dargah is located as their own and went to the court to claim ownership. It was heard by the London Privy Council which ruled that the whole hill belongs to Subramanya Swamy and that the dargah should not be expanded by any means.

Later Madurai Rajagopal, ex-President of Hindu Munnani took measures to resume the custom of lighting Karthigai Deepam in the stupa near Kashi Vishwanath temple and went on padayatra to emphasize it. He also led the Vinayagar Chathurthi visarjan in Keezhaarai, Ramanathapuram when Muslims opposed it. Enraged by this Muslims murdered Rajagopal on his doorstep.

Petitions were filed in the Supreme Court to allow Hindus to light Karthigai deepam on the hilltop and resume the custom. The court ruled that the temple can light deepa anywhere at a distance of 15 meters from the dargah. The stupa where the deepam is usually lit is located 100 meters away from the dargah.

If the TN government and HRCE wanted they could have lit the deepam at the same stupa. But to appease Muslims they lit the deepam at 150 metres high spot near the Uchi Pillayar temple. This spot is usually used to light moksha deepam for the dead. Even today Hindus light moksha deepam at that spot. It is against Agama rules to light Karthigai deepam at the place which is reserved for lighting moksha deepam”.

Hindu Munnani has been making efforts to resume the custom every year. However, the government refuses to allow them citing law and order. As per a Times of India Tamil report, in 2020 a group of Hindu Munnani activists lit the Karthigai deepam in the traditional spot defying the government’s ban. Two men were arrested for this act. Even this TOI report confirms that deepam was lit near Kashi Vishwanath temple till 1967 and that police refuse permission citing one reason after another.

It is alleged that Muslims have taken advantage of this and expanded their sphere of influence by performing namaz on the path that leads to the Kashi Vishwanath temple. As it has become an obstruction to devotees, especially during the month of Ramzan, Ramalingam, a resident of Thiruparankundram filed a petition in the Madurai bench of Madras High Court seeking to issue a stay. 

The petition said, “The Jamath members usually offered their prayers at the Pallivasal (Mosque) and that this type of incident has never happened before. The Sikkandar Badhusha Dharga is also situated at the Thirupparakundram mountain and there were other vacant lands available for offering prayers nearby. By offering Namaz at the Nellithopu, the Jamath members were causing nuisance and hindrance to the public and after offering Namaz, the members polluted the pathway with food waste and plastic waste etc.”

However, the bench consisting of Justices R Subramanian and L Victoria Gauri that heard the petition refused to issue a stay order saying that “namaz conducted for half an hour in the dargah would not disturb anyone”. Citing that the next day was Bakrid, they further noted that “In a secular country, the court cannot ban the offering of prayer” and dismissed the petition. Adjourning the hearing for 4 weeks they directed the HRCE department to file a detailed report on the matter. More than the rights of Hindus which were denied for half a century, half an hour of offering namaz seems to matter more to the judiciary.