After Court Order, Tamil Nadu Temple May Light Lamp Amid Row Over Location

The traditional lighting of a temple lamp in Tamil Nadu's Thirupparankundram is rapidly turning into a political row that could cost the ruling DMK in the assembly election due early next year.

At the centre of the dispute is the Thirupparankundram Subramaniaswamy temple - regarded as one of six dedicated to the deity Murugan - and the lighting a lamp on the eve of Karthigai Deepam, a festival celebrated on the first full moon day of the Tamil month of Karthigai.

For more than a century the lamp has been lit near the Ucchi Pillayar temple, which is halfway up the hill on which the Subramaniaswamy temple was built, sometime in the sixth century.

The pillar on which the lamp is lit stands well clear of a 14th century dargah complex that includes the grave of Sultan Sikandhar Badushah, a Sufi saint who is believed to have died fighting the city of Madurai against Vijayanagara ruler Kumara Kampana.

The Madurai bench of the Madras High Court has allowed the lighting of the lamp on the ancient stone pillar. It is expected to happen this evening, unless the DMK government takes a last-minute internal call.

Priests have certified the lighting of the lamp at Ucchi Pillayar temple as the established custom, and the temple administration has consistently told devotees that this alone was the traditional site for lighting the festival lamp. Even during earlier disputes, courts had allowed the deepam (lamp) to continue at this location, making it the uninterrupted practice for over 100 years.

Court's View

In a detailed 49-page ruling, Justice GR Swaminathan emphasised that the deepathoon - the ancient stone lamp pillar located on the lower of the two peaks - belongs to the temple and lies in the "unoccupied portion" of the hill that has been judicially held as temple property for over a century.

Quoting a 1923 decree upheld by the Privy Council, the judge recalled, "The unoccupied portion of the hill has been in the possession of the temple from time immemorial and has been treated by the temple authorities as their property." He held that this finding remains final.

The court further underlined the need to light the lamp on the pillar as a periodic assertion of ownership. "Failure to maintain vigilance will lead to eventual loss of the right itself. At least for the sake of protecting its property, the temple management is obliged to light the festival lamp at the deepathoon," the court said.

The judge noted that the deepathoon stands nearly 50 metres away from the dargah, outside the restricted areas which comprises the mosque site in Nellithope, and a flight of steps.

Opposing Force

The Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments, the temple's executive officer, the dargah management and the Waqf Board opposed the petitioners' demand on several grounds including the customary practice for over 100 years that lit the lamp only near the Uchipillaiyar temple on the lower level.

They said lighting at the pillar could disturb communal harmony near the mosque, and also raised issues linked to jurisdiction and rights. They said the temple management, and not the court, should decide the location where the lamp would be lit.

The court rejected all the objections.

Politically Charged Backdrop

The matter has gained political colour after past tensions - amid allegations that DMK ally and IUML MP Nawaz Kani  consumed non-vegetarian food on the temple steps, and debates over animal sacrifice. Kani has denied the allegations.

BJP state president K Annamalai slammed the government for appealing against the order, calling it "shameful" and accusing the DMK of "misusing HR and CE [department] against Hindu interests."

With the 2026 assembly polls ahead, the DMK is treading cautiously - unwilling to antagonise either its minority voter base or Hindu devotees - even as the BJP seeks to project the ruling party as "anti-Hindu" to widen its limited footprint in Tamil Nadu.