The Sanghis are trying to communalise Tamil society by articulating slogans like ‘Protect Thiruparangunram hills (Madurai) and ‘Liberate Thiruparangunram hills’. The BJP – RSS had a mobilisation in the hills to incite communal passions and divide the society when the prohibitory orders were in force. After trying in various ways, now the BJP is raising the question whether the Thiruparangunram hills belong to Kandar (Tamil Hindu God, believed to be an avatar of God Murugan) or Sikkandar (a Muslim disciple of Muslim Prophet Mohammad). This is the latest attempt of BJP in Tamil Nadu to communalise the Tamil society along the model of Ayodhya and Ram temple. The same police of the DMK government which do not even allow the families to visit the relatives in Vengai Vayal village in Pudukottai where faecal substance was dissolved in drinking water tank used by Dalits, acted as spectators when the BJP defied and violated prohibitory orders. The people are raising eyebrows questioning the role of the so-called ‘Dravidian model’ government led by MK Stalin and DMK.
An Overview of the Issue
A temple of an avatar of Lord Murugan is located on one side of the Thiruparangunram hills, and a shrine of Sikkandar is located on the other. A small temple of Lord Shiva and a local god of downtrodden castes, Karuppannasamy are also located in the same hills. These are the hills which the BJP has chosen now to promote its politics of hate against the harmony among people of all religions in the hills and around.
A British writer Mr SC Hill in 1914 authored a book titled, “Yousuf Khan, the Rebel Commandant” which says that a Muslim disciple of the Prophet called Sikkandar lived, fought and died for the people in the hills then. Yousuf Khan later built a shrine for Sikkandar in his cemetery. The place is considered to be a shrine of Sufism where Hindus and Muslims used to visit and worship.
Another writer Nelson, in 1968, in his “Madurai Manual” wrote that there was a temple of Lord Murugan and also a cemetery of a Muslim and a Dargah (shrine) around it in the 500 feet high Thiruparangunram hills.
There had been several cases from 1926 to 1931 in several courts, including the Madras High Court and also in the privy council of a King then. Sir George Lowndes has noted in his judgment on 12.05.1931 the existence of places of worship for Hindus and Muslims in the hills. The imprints of existence of an altar for goats and a kitchen is seen even now.
The Places of Worship Act 1991 has already mandated that the 1947 status of the places of worship should be preserved and no alteration is allowed. It has also prescribed three years imprisonment for any violations. Still, the BJP Sanghis are openly violating the law and articulating demands against the law.
Why the New Found Love for Sanghis on the Hills
Sanghis are saying that Muslims eat non-vegetarian food in the hills, and that this is polluting and contrary to Hindu spiritualism. But, all communities including the Muslims have been consuming meat on these Hills from time immemorial. Why are the Sanghis creating a dispute now then? Is it because the Tamil Nadu assembly elections are due in 2026? In order to create a divide among the harmonious Hindu-Muslim relationship, the BJP is articulating this issue, not out of any love or respect for Lord Murugan. The same BJP that is opposing the legislation of the Tamil Nadu government that allows people of all castes, not just Brahmins, to become archakas (Hindu Priests) in temples, that abuses Hindus of other castes (other than Brahmins) as fools, Shudras and untouchables, is now calling for a unity of ‘Hindus’ to ‘protect the hills’. It is the same Sanghis who locked the gates of Meenakshi Amman temple in Madurai against the entry of people of all castes, it is the same Sanghis who never gave a call to protect the temples to be demolished in the areas of Tungsten mining project of the union government, are now giving the call to remove a Muslim Sufi Shrine from the hills. The reason is obvious. They want to politicise and communalise the people’s faith and the rituals. Mr Gurumurthy, a well-known leader of Sangh Parivar, openly admitted that it is nothing but politics while their lawyer was arguing in the court otherwise. The politics of the BJP and the Sangh Parivar has nothing to do with spirituality whatsoever.
The Role of the Police and the State government
Tamil Nadu police, which is otherwise considered to be a strong force, acted only as a spectator in the case of BJP’s mobilisation and the attempt to communalise the people’s faith in Thiruparangunram hills when the prohibitory orders were in place. On the contrary, a “Rally for Harmony” proposed by the left and progressive forces of the district was promptly prohibited by the police. Even in court, the government advocates put up weak arguments and failed to submit the literary, historical and legal evidence against the arguments of the Sangh Parivar. It is only the impleaded advocates of progressive organisations who articulated the effective counter arguments in favour of the people and to preserve the tradition of the hills.
Any counter to Sanghis attempt to spread communal virus, can only be to spread progressive ideas and values of the Tamil people and the society. Unfortunately, the government is indulging in competitive communalism, of course of a soft variety, by organising conferences on God Murugan and the Goddess Amman.
The political intentions of Sangh Parivar were exposed when one of the Hindutva organisations petitioned before the court seeking permission to hold a “Vel Yatra” (Vel is a spear-like weapon in the hands of God Murugan) in Chennai. The High Court judge questioned the rationale behind holding a rally in Chennai to ‘protect’ Thiruparangunram hills in Madurai. He also asserted that a constitutional right to protest cannot be granted to programmes that destroy the social and religious harmony, unity and sovereignty. He directed the police not to give any permission for such programmes while upholding the people’s right to worship.
The people of Thiruparangunram hills have also resolved that they will do their best to protect the prevailing social harmony and tradition while being cautious about forces disturbing the same. Thiruparangunram (a popular place of worship of Hindus), Vailankanni (a popular place of worship of Christians) and Nagore (a popular place of worship of Muslims) are symbols of religious unity and harmony in Tamil Nadu, and shall be preserved as the same. Any attempt by communal forces to disturb the same for their own political purposes should be handled with heavy hands and the DMK led state government should not fail to perform its constitutional duty.
