Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s maiden visit to Madurai has put one of the city’s most sacred hills back in the spotlight. His visit on March 1, ahead of the Tamil Nadu Assembly election, came amid a heated row over the lighting of a ceremonial lamp at the hilltop.
How did the hill become the centre of a political and legal controversy?
The Thiruparankundram hill is home to the Subramaniya Swamy Temple, believed to be the first of the six sacred abodes of Lord Murugan. A Shiva temple and a shrine dedicated to Sufi saint Sikandar Shah are also located there, making it a place of shared faith. The hill also contains Jain caves and rock beds and is protected under the Archaeological Survey of India Act.
The lamp lighting row
For years, the lamp for Karthigai Deepam, the Hindu Festival of Lights observed by Tamils, was lit at an established spot midway up the hill. However, several petitions in the past sought permission to light the lamp atop the hill at a stone pillar known as the Deepathoon. Courts rejected these requests at the time.
In December 2025, a controversial judgement by a single judge of the Madras High Court’s Madurai bench allowed a petition filed by activist Rama Ravikumar, permitting the lamp to be lit at the Deepathoon. Justice GR Swaminathan ruled that lighting a lamp on one day every year would not infringe upon the rights of any other community. He also noted that the pillar was within temple land.
DMK govt’s opposition
The Tamil Nadu government, police and the state Wakf Board opposed the move, citing law-and-order concerns due to the proximity of places of worship belonging to different communities. The state government also argued that the pillar had historical links to Jain sages and was not meant for the Karthigai Deepam ritual. “This judgment given by the division bench of the Madras High Court is erroneous…This is a case of disputed facts,” DMK spokesperson Saravanan Annadurai said. Residents of Thiruparankundram held protests after police denied permission to light the lamp.
Amid the controversy, a 40-year-old man named Poornachandran died by self-immolation in Madurai. He had expressed distress over the ban on lighting the lamp. Poornachandran’s death further intensified the political debate around the issue.
Single judge order upheld
In January this year, a larger bench of the Madras High Court upheld Justice Swaminathan’s order. The court said the law-and-order concerns raised by the state were an “imaginary ghost.” It directed that the number of participants be limited in consultation with the Archaeological Survey of India. The BJP hailed the ruling as a “huge win”.
The dispute also reached the Parliament during the Winter Session, when over 100 opposition MPs wrote to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla seeking an impeachment motion against Justice Swaminathan of the Madras High Court, alleging ideological bias.
The Tamil Nadu government moved the Supreme Court. However, in February the top court refused to interfere with the High Court’s ruling. The High Court order had also restricted Muslim prayer rights in a nearby burial ground area, except during Bakrid and Ramzan, and disallowed animal sacrifice at the site. The apex court described the High Court’s order as “very balanced”.
Politics ahead of the elections
With weeks to go before the state elections, PM Modi visited the temple at the centre of the controversy and offered prayers for nearly half an hour. He also met the family of Poornachandran and blamed the DMK govt for the devotee’s death. “It is painful that the intensity of the DMK government led up to this. No matter what DMK does, the truth will win,” said PM Modi.
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin, however, defended the state government’s stance, saying that personal faith should not bow to politics.
The Madras High Court has now suggested allowing five people to offer symbolic prayers atop the hill. The temple’s board of trustees has sought time to deliberate on the proposal. The matter has been posted for March 18.
