The Supreme Court issued notices to the Centre, the Tamil Nadu government, and other authorities on a petition challenging the ASI’s takeover of the Thirupparankundram temple. The plea also seeks daily lighting of the lamp placed on the ‘deepathoon’ (stone pillar).
The Supreme Court issued notices to the Centre, the Tamil Nadu government, and other concerned authorities on a petition challenging the ASI’s takeover of the Thirupparankundram temple and seeking daily lighting of the lamp placed on the ‘deepathoon’ (stone pillar).
Emphasizing that the Thiruparankundram Deepam is a living civilizational practice with centuries of Murugan worship, the Hindu Dharma Parishad has filed a writ petition with the Supreme Court seeking the permanent lighting of the ancient stone lamp atop Thiruparankundram hill in Tamil Nadu.
The petition argues that limiting this ritual to a single day undermines its historical, cultural, and religious continuity.
The case was taken up by a bench of Justices Aravind Kumar and Vipul M. Pancholi, stemming from an ongoing dispute regarding the lighting of a lamp near a dargah situated on the hill, adjacent to the Thiruparankundram Murugan (Subramaniya Swamy) Temple, one of Lord Murugan’s six revered abodes.
The Court issued a notice on the writ petition.
Justice Aravind Kumar noted that the issue is currently under consideration by the Madras High Court.
Counsel for the respondents informed the Bench that they were considering filing a Special Leave Petition against the High Court’s decision.
It was also mentioned that a Division Bench of the High Court had recently upheld a single judge’s order permitting the lighting of the lamp at the stone pillar.
Indicating the Court’s intention to examine the plea despite the parallel proceedings, Justice Kumar stated briefly,
“Notice,”
Filed under Article 32 of the Constitution by AoR Narendra Kumar Verma, the Hindu Dharma Parishad seeks a writ of mandamus or any other appropriate direction for the Central Archaeological Department and other authorities to take over management and control of the Thiruparankundram Lord Murugan Subramaniya Swamy Temple.
Significantly, the petition requests permanent lighting of a lamp at the Deepathoon, the ancient stone lamp post at the hilltop, for 24 hours a day. It also prays for an order mandating that the entire Thiruparankundram Hill be illuminated with lamps each year during the Karthigai Deepam festival in the Tamil month of Karthigai, allowing Murugan devotees unrestricted worship.
The plea asserts that Thiruparankundram Hill holds immense religious, cultural, and historical significance for Hindus, and that the Deepathoon is integral to the temple’s traditions.
The petitioner argues that any denial or restriction on lighting the Deepam infringes upon devotees’ fundamental rights to freely practice and propagate their religion under Article 25 of the Constitution.
While the Madras High Court permitted the lighting of the lamp, broader issues regarding permanent arrangements, administrative control of the site, and annual large-scale illumination of the hill remain unresolved.
Importantly, on January 6, a division bench of the Madras High Court upheld a single judge’s order directing that the Karthigai Deepam ceremonial lamp be lit at the stone pillar known as Deepathoon atop the Thiruparankundram hills in Madurai, rejecting appeals by the State of Tamil Nadu and other parties challenging that direction.
The bench, comprising Justices G. Jayachandran and K.K. Ramakrishnan, concluded that the December 1 single judge order was neither barred by res judicata nor unsustainable in law, and dismissed the appeals arising from it.
The issue stemmed from a writ petition filed by Rama Ravikumar and others seeking enforcement of the lighting of the sacred Deepam at the ancient stone pillar during the annual Karthigai Deepam festival.
Earlier, On December 1, a single judge directed the management of the Arulmigu Subramaniya Swamy Temple to light the Deepam at the Deepathoon, in addition to the traditional site near the Uchi Pillaiyar Mandapam.
The judge noted that the temple authority could not deny the devotees’ plea without a reasonable basis, and that facilitating the ritual did not infringe upon the rights of any other community.
The State, joined by the temple management and the Hazarath Sultan Sikkandar Badhusha Avuliya Dargah at Thiruparankundram, filed appeals contending that there was no evidence to prove the pillar had ever been used as a Deepathoon or that there existed a customary right to light the Deepam there.
The Advocate General argued before the division bench that neither historical evidence nor temple records substantiated the assertion of the pillar’s ritual use, and that the single judge had exceeded judicial authority by effectively establishing a new practice without proper foundation.
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