Thiruparakundram: A Spark To Light A Lamp

Every year on Kaarthigai Deepam, devotees gather around the Thiruparakundram Hill in Madurai to witness the age-old tradition of lighting a lamp atop the hill. Thiruparankundram, one of Lord Murugan's revered six abodes in Tamil Nadu, is deeply spiritual and culturally significant to Hindus. Since 1996, multiple petitions have been filed in the Madras High Court to light the lamp at the 'Deepathoon', the original structure where, for centuries, the Karthigai Deepam lamp was lit. However, due to the lamp's proximity to a dargah, which is also located on the hill, state officials have long directed temple officials and the Hindu community to light the lamp in a different location in the name of maintaining public order and peace between the communities. Since then, petitions have been filed to reinstate the tradition of lighting the lamp at the Deepathoon. This year, a single-judge bench of the Madras High Court, presided by Justice G.R. Swaminathan, approved the lighting of the lamp at the original Deepathoon. However, the devotees who had gathered with great faith and devotion to witness the restoration of an age-old tradition were disappointed when, despite the ruling, the police denied access to the Deepathoon and redirected the devotees and temple officials to the previous location. This agitated the crowd, escalating frustration and sparking protests.The rock-cut Subramaniya Swamy Temple on Thiruparankundram Hill dates back to the 6th century CE, during the reign of the Pandyas. Its sacred rocks bear Tamil-Brahmi inscriptions from as early as the first century BCE. In contrast, historical records indicate that the Sikandar Badshah Dargah was built in the 13th century CE, revealing how recent the dargah is and thereby diminishing their claim to the hill. The High Court's decision to allow the Deepam to be lit at the original Deepathoon site was, rather than establishing new privileges, simply the restoration of a Hindu tradition that had been practised for centuries. It recognised the hill as an ancient Hindu sacred space and acknowledged the community's right to practise its rituals without interference..For many devotees, the judgment represented a restoration of justice, a rare instance in which institutional authority aligned with their cultural truth and legacy. Thus, the protests and escalation that followed were not an immediate reaction to the events at Thiruparakundram hill, but rather an outburst of the state administration's constant overreach into Hindu practices, the Hindu community's constant struggle to simply practise their rituals peacefully, and a reaction to years of frustration by devotees who felt that their traditions were repeatedly sidelined in the name of secularism. By barring access to the hilltop and relocating the ritual, the authorities appeared to be more concerned with maintaining a narrative of public order and peace, which frequently includes an underlying intention to appease the minority.The devotees, who were already on the verge of anguish and exhaustion from the Hindu community's constant need to prove, testify, and beg for the restoration and reaffirmation of their age-old practices, as well as the constant tussle with the state apparatus for permission to carry those practices out peacefully, were thrown off by the authorities' refusal to light the Kaarthigai Deepam lamp despite an authoritative court order. A devotee who self-immolated himself in protest of the authorities' refusal exemplifies the previously mentioned sorrow and tiredness. His death exemplifies how badly Hindu sensibilities have been harmed, marginalised, and often overlooked in the name of secularism. .When the contempt petition was filed (which is pending in the Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court when this article when to print), the state lawyers argued that there is no proof of the Deepathoon or that the Deepam was ever lit atop the hill, and that there is no need to 'create' a new practice, citing the silence of a 1923 civil court decision on the subject. While the ASI claims ownership of the Deepathoon edifice, the Waqf board asserts that it belongs to the dargah. As late as 22nd December 2025, Hindu groups were restrained from climbing to the top, while the government permitted the ‘Santhanakoodu’ festival at the dargah, where Muslim devotees could go atop the hill and raise the flag at the site. These claims and biased actions call for a robust reply since they ignore living traditions, historical continuity, and the sentiments, beliefs, and traditions of the Hindu community.When a centuries-old rite necessitates legal protection—and even that is ignored—it reveals how readily Hindu rights are denied. The Hindus of Tamil Nadu are awaiting the judgment to come sometime in January 2026, two months after the day of Karthikai Deepam. The fight for the Deepam was neither a rebellion nor a sectarian struggle, but rather a refusal to remain silent or give up Hindu privileges. If peace existed, cops would not disrupt a centuries-old ceremony for the sake of ‘preventing tension’. True harmony is expressed by permitting the Deepam at Deepathoon, rather than suppressing it. After all, reviving a tradition entails protecting a heritage and honouring a culture.

Thiruparakundram: A Spark To Light A Lamp

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