Dargah vs Temple dispute: Madras High Court orders burning of Karthigai Deepam

The order of Madras High Court has come amidst the controversy regarding lighting of Karthigai Deepam on the lamp pillar located on Thiruparankundram hill. The High Court has maintained its earlier order. Let us tell you that Hindu Tamil Party leader Ram Ravikumar had filed a petition in this matter. He had demanded to light Karthigai Deepam on the lamp pillar. Even before this, the court had ordered to light Karthigai Deepam on the festival day. However, at that time the order could not be implemented due to the fear of deteriorating law and order.

Order to light lamps remains intact

Madurai Bench of Madras High Court has given a big blow to the DMK led Tamil Nadu government. The court upheld a single judge’s order directing lighting of lamps on a stone pillar called ‘Deepathoon’ located on the Tiruparakundram hills near a dargah. The division bench of Justices G Jayachandran and KK Ramakrishnan, while delivering the judgement, clarified that the place where the stone pillar (Deepthoon) is situated belongs to the Lord Subramaniam Swamy temple.

ASI’s consultation is necessary

The court said that the district administration should have seen the issue as an opportunity to resolve differences between communities. The court also said that since the hill is a protected site, any activity carried out there must be carried out in strict compliance with the provisions of the Act. The court clarified that the lamp can be lit only after consultation with the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) and the number of persons attending can be determined.

The petitioner welcomed the decision

The petitioner, Ram Ravikumar, welcomed the High Court’s decision, calling it a victory for the devotees of Lord Muruga. The petitioner said, “The court has delivered a remarkable judgment. The government’s appeal petition has been dismissed. The lamp at Deepthoon should be lit and the temple administration should make necessary arrangements for the same. The court rejected the arguments presented today by the government citing the possibility of law and order breakdown, saying these reflect inaction on the part of the government. This judgment is a victory for Hindus and Murugan devotees of Tamil Nadu.”

History of Thiruparankundram controversy

There is an ancient rock-cut temple on Tiruparankundram hill, one of the six sacred abodes of Lord Murugan and is a major pilgrimage site. There is also a Dargah on this hill. Tension between the temple and the dargah has been going on since the 1920s, when ownership of the hill was first disputed. A civil court judgment, which was also upheld by the Privy Council, confirmed that the hill belonged to the Subramaniam Swamy temple, except for some areas attached to the dargah. However, the judgment did not mention the rituals or the Deepam tradition.

DIPAM controversy

The subject of the Deepam lighting controversy came to the fore in 1994 when a devotee requested the High Court to shift the ritual from the traditional site near the Uchipillaiyar Kovil Mandapam near the temple to the Deepadun site near the Dargah on the hill top. In 1996, the High Court ruled that the Deepam should generally be lit at the traditional place near the Mandapam, this directive being the only judicial order that defines the recognized site for this ritual.

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