6 min readThiruparankundram (madurai)Apr 21, 2026 07:15 AM IST First published on: Apr 21, 2026 at 07:15 AM ISTThe relationship between Hindus and Muslims in Tamil Nadu’s Thiruparankundram, locals say, can be described by the colloquial phrase “mama-machan (a reference to close bonding)”. And it will stay that way, say most people with shops overlooking the famous Murugan temple in this sleepy temple town near Madurai that hit national headlines a few months ago over a religious dispute.On December 1, 2025, Justice G R Swaminathan of the Madras High Court’s Madurai Bench allowed devotees to light a ceremonial lamp, or Karthigai Deepam, at the Thiruparankundram Hill, where the Subramanya Swamy Temple — according to believers, it is one of the six abodes of Lord Murugan — and the Sikandar Badusha Dargah coexist. The judge held that the stone pillar, or Deepathoon, at the centre of the century-old row lay outside the dargah’s jurisdiction. While the temple is at the foothill, halfway up the hill lies the Uchipillayar temple where the lamp has been lit for a century, and on top of the hill are the dargah and the Deepathoon.AdvertisementThis was the latest chapter in a century-old property disagreement between the temple and the dargah, and, as it flared up following the court order, the DMK government accused the BJP and Sangh-aligned organisations of attempting to manufacture a communal flashpoint in Tamil Nadu months before the elections.As the dispute plays out in court — the Madurai bench, earlier this month, stayed several orders of Justice Swaminathan in the contempt petitions filed over non-compliance of his December 1 order — the tension is not visible on the ground and police presence, locals say, has reduced, barring on the road leading to the hilltop.Tamil Nadu has seen communal tensions in the past, but it has rarely experienced controversies over structures. Muslims make up just around 6% of the population, as per the 2011 Census, and the minority community’s population is relatively small in Thiruparankundram compared to the overall population.Focus on nomineesAdvertisementWhile the Murugan temple is a sacred place for Hindus across the state — Murugan is in many ways the supreme deity of Tamil Hindus — local Hindu caste groups also revere gods such as Madasamy, Kuruppasamy, and Pettiamman. And because of this, the attempt of Hindu groups to project the Deepam controversy as a unifying factor for the community has not found much success. While they revere Murugan, the residents of Thiruparankundram say their voting preference will be dictated by the performance of the government and the local MLA and not the controversy. More than the row, the talk on the streets is about sitting AIADMK MLA Rajan Chellappa’s performance and his young DMK challenger, Krithika Thangapandian.Thiruparankundram is one of the 10 Assembly constituencies in Madurai district and the seat is not exactly a DMK bastion when it comes to state elections. Although the DMK won it in a by-election in 2019, that victory came after a long 23 years. Since then, the seat has been with the AIADMK, except in 2011, when the DMDK won it.While the BJP took the Deepathoon issue to the national political centrestage — in March, Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited the temple to offer prayers and the party’s poll manifesto later promised to “ensure that the tradition of lighting the Karthigai Deepam is resumed and protected through the years” — the AIADMK decided to keep the seat for itself. The DMK, on the other hand, rallied the Opposition in the Lok Sabha to submit a notice to remove Justice Swaminathan, but nothing came of it.Religious amity holdsThough the dispute generated much political and legal heat, most of the locals and shopkeepers near the temple say the controversy is unwarranted as local Hindus and Muslims have always enjoyed a close bond. Some say the controversy was fuelled by outsiders from both sides, while a handful argue the lamp should be lit. The row, they say, has not damaged the religious amity.“Hindus and Muslims here have a mama-machan relationship. Many of the Hindus even go to the dargah. And both our livelihoods are sustained because of the footfall at the Murugan temple. Our businesses were hit during that time (of the controversy). There were police everywhere. Even now, there is a dip in Muslim devotees from Kerala at the dargah. They think there is some big problem here. We want peace and we don’t have a problem if the deepam is lit at the nearby Uchipillayar temple as is done now,” says Lakshmi, a fruit-seller outside the Murugan temple.you may like“Disturbing that tradition will only lead to misunderstanding between Hindus and Muslims, who have lived peacefully here,” says Rajan, an auto driver. People from both the Hindu and Muslim communities own shops outside the Murugan temple. One of them, Khadeeja Banu, echoes Lakshmi’s sentiments, blaming “outsiders” for the tension.While locals say the controversy will not influence elections, AIADMK candidate Chellappa has promised to light the lamp at the Deepathoon. “The deepam has been lit at the Uchipillayar temple for the past century. But there is a Deepathoon, which means the lamp used to be lit there once upon a time … So what is the harm in reviving that tradition? The entire hillock can’t be the property of the dargah. Our candidate has promised it, the AIADMK is coming to power, let’s see what will happen,” says Murukesh, a flower-seller who says he is an AIADMK supporter.While the main contest seems to be between the AIADMK and the DMK, there are also odd supporters of Vijay’s TVK, which is looking to throw up a surprise.