Several petitions continue to be submitted demanding that the Karthigai Deepam be lit at the Deepathoon (lamp pillar) located on the summit of the Thirupparankundram hill, citing that despite an order from the Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court permitting the lighting of the lamp, the direction has not yet been implemented.
During the grievance redressal day held at the Madurai District Collectorate on Monday, fresh petitions were submitted reiterating the demand to allow the lighting of the lamp at the Deepathoon. Similar petitions had also been submitted during the grievance day held last week, when members of various communities arrived in groups to present their representations.
A few days earlier, residents of Thirupparankundram had also staged a peaceful hunger strike, referring to the High Court order and demanding that it be implemented.
During Monday’s grievance redressal meeting, members of the Tamil Nadu Narikuravar Federation arrived at the Collectorate dressed as Hindu deities, including Murugan, Valli, Rama, Hanuman and Perumal, to submit a petition. Initially, police personnel refused them entry into the Collectorate. However, following instructions from District Collector Praveen Kumar, they were allowed inside the office premises.
Subsequently, the petitioners, dressed in deity costumes, submitted a representation to the Collector demanding that the lamp be lit immediately at the Deepathoon atop the Thirupparankundram hill. In their petition, they stated that lighting the Karthigai Deepam on Thirupparankundram hill is a long-standing Hindu tradition and that the practice had stopped due to foreign invasions. They alleged that despite the Madurai Bench of the High Court issuing an order permitting the lighting of the lamp, police permission had been denied.
The petition further stated that although the Dargah administration located on the hill had not raised any objection, false reasons were being cited that allowing the lamp to be lit would lead to communal unrest. The petitioners said that in a State where Hindus form the majority, their religious sentiments must be respected, and the High Court’s order should be implemented by allowing the lighting of the lamp on the hill.
They also stated, “We ask with the right of having given our daughter in marriage to Murugan that the Karthigai Deepam be lit at the Deepathoon on Thirupparankundram hill.” They added that the failure to light the lamp had caused them mental anguish and urged the authorities to take immediate steps to facilitate the ritual.
After receiving the petition, the District Collector informed them that the matter was currently pending before the High Court.
More than 100 Narikuravar community members, dressed as Murugan, Valli, Rama, Lakshmana and Vishnu, submitted the petition on behalf of the Tamil Nadu Narikuravar Federation. They reiterated that lighting the Karthigai Deepam at the Deepathoon was a Hindu tradition that had been discontinued due to historical circumstances, and that the continued non-implementation of the court order was causing distress among devotees.
The issue traces back to a petition filed by BJP member Ramaravikumar before the Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court seeking permission to light the Karthigai Deepam at the Deepathoon on Thirupparankundram hill. Justice GR Swaminathan, who heard the petition, had ordered that the lamp be lit at the Deepathoon.
However, during the Karthigai Deepam festival held on December 3, temple authorities lit the lamp near the Uchi Pillaiyar temple, as per their usual practice, instead of lighting it at the Deepathoon. Following this, BJP members and Hindu organisations staged protests at Thirupparankundram and allegedly broke police barricades.
Subsequently, Ramaravikumar filed a contempt petition against the temple administration for non-compliance with the court order. In response, the temple administration and the Madurai District Collector filed appeals before the Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court challenging Justice GR Swaminathan’s order.
Meanwhile, organisations including the Hindu Munnani and the BJP have continued to campaign in various ways demanding that the lamp be lit at the Deepathoon. Hindu Munnani representatives stated that they are conducting online opinion polls on social media to gauge public support for lighting the lamp, and that the response has exceeded their expectations.
They also said that awareness campaigns are being carried out, with people wearing T-shirts printed with slogans such as “We will light the lamp on the hill,” and displaying messages like “The lamp will be lit there itself” on WhatsApp statuses and public displays. They claimed that only through such collective efforts would the State government be compelled, by Murugan’s grace, to allow the lighting of the lamp at the Deepathoon on Thirupparankundram hill.
Source: Indian Express Tamil & One India Tamil
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