Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay on Thursday, 22 October 2026, handed over the government order sanctioning 45 kg of sandalwood free of cost to the Nagore Dargah for its annual Kanduri festival, as reported in OneIndia Tamil.
Vijay presented the order to Nagore Dargah Chief Trustee H. Haja Najumudeen Sahib and other trustees at the Secretariat in Chennai.
மாண்புமிகு தமிழ்நாடு முதலமைச்சர் திரு.ச.ஜோசப் விஜய் அவர்கள் இன்று (22.10.2026) தலைமைச் செயலகத்தில், இந்த ஆண்டிற்கான நாகூர் தர்கா பெரிய ஆண்டவர் கந்தூரி சந்தனக்கூடு திருவிழாவிற்கு தமிழ்நாடு அரசு 45 கிலோ சந்தனக்கட்டைகளைக் கட்டணமின்றி வழங்குவதற்கான அரசாணையினை நாகூர் தர்கா தலைமை அறங்காவலர் திரு.எச்.ஹாஜா நஜுமுதீன் சாஹிப் மற்றும் அறங்காவலர்களிடம் வழங்கினார்.
The Hon’ble Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, Thiru.C.Joseph Vijay, today (22.10.2026) handed over the Government Order sanctioning the supply of 45 kg of sandalwood at no cost by the Government of Tamil Nadu for this year’s Nagore Dargah Periya Andavar Kanduri Sandanakoodu Festival to Thiru.H.Haja Najumudeen Sahib, Chief Trustee of Nagore Dargah, and other trustees, at the Secretariat.
#CMJosephVijay
— CMOTamilNadu (@CMOTamilnadu) October 22, 2026
The Nagore Dargah, located in Nagapattinam district, is a prominent religious site visited by both Muslims and Hindus. The annual Kanduri festival is held in memory of Saint Shahul Hameed, who is buried at the dargah.
The 470th Kanduri festival is scheduled to begin on November 10 with the ceremonial flag-hoisting. One of the main events is the Sandanakoodu procession, in which sandalwood is carried in a procession before being applied to the saint’s tomb. The event draws large numbers of devotees.
The Tamil Nadu government has traditionally provided sandalwood free of cost for the annual festival, with dargah administrators receiving the sanction order from the Chief Minister.
Controversy Over The Order
This year’s handover came amid a controversy over the proposed distribution of the order. Dargah administrators had alleged that an attempt was being made to include a representative of the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML), alongside the customary dargah administrators, during the handover.
Following reports circulating on social media about the government’s sandalwood allocation, Minority Welfare Minister Shahjahan addressed the media at the Secretariat. He denied reports that the dargah administration had refused to accept the sandalwood supplied by the government.
The Chief Minister subsequently handed over the order to the dargah’s chief trustee and other trustees on Thursday.
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