Despite protests relating to the Thiruparankundram deepam row, preparations for the Santhanakoodu festival on the hilltop dargah turned into a display of communal amity between Muslims and Hindus.
A few hours before the representatives from the mosque took the flag and sandalwood paste to the dargah, a team of two Hindu artistes played mridangam and thavil, joining a Muslim musician Nagore, who was performing the nadaswaram.
S Murugan, a Hindu percussionist, told NDTV, "All we need is communal harmony and unity. That's important." Selladurai, another percussionist, echoed it. Responding to demands to light the deepam on the pillar next to the hilltop dargah, Meenakshi Sundaram, who played Thavil in the mosque, said, "In my view it should be a samathuva deepam, an egalitarian one."
Adding another dimension to the custom, the two bulls that pull the decorated chariot carrying the mosque's flag are sent by a Hindu family. The Hindu man, who brought the bulls, said, "I've been doing this for eight years and before this, my family was part of this custom. My forefathers had their own bulls. Later, we always got them from a Hindu family."
As the decorated cart pulled by bulls walked through the streets near the Thiruparankundram temple, a small group of around 25 Muslims were escorted by the police to walk up to the hill to hoist the flag.
The decorated mosque chariot for the Santhanakoodu festival is pulled by bulls traditionally provided by a Hindu family.
Meanwhile, police detained 50 people in Thiruparankundram as they protested, demanding access to the pillar next to the dargah, just before the dargah festivities began.
The mosque management said the discord has been created by "motivated" outfits, including Hindu Munnani and Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS). "Hindus and Muslims live in amity here. We celebrate their festivals and they ours. But groups unrelated to Thiruparankudram are attempting to create a divide and trigger communal clashes. We can't let that happen," said M Arif Khan, Secretary of the Hazrat Sultan Sikandhar Badusha Mosque. Another member Sherif added, "This question doesn't arise and the temple management believes the place where the deepam is lit now over the last more than 100 years is according to Ahama rules and this tradition should not be changed."
Although a single judge Bench permitted the lighting of the deepam on the pillar next to the dargah in addition to the traditional spot, the temple chose not to enforce it and confined the lighting to the pillar near the Uchipillayar temple at a lower level on the hill, just above the temple tower. The temple, HR&CE department, state government and police have appealed against it. A two-judge bench has completed arguments and orders have been reserved.
Meanwhile, the grand finale of the celebration at the Thiruparankudram mosque and dargah would be on January 16, when the festivities would come to a close.
