In the ongoing Deepam row, the Tamil Nadu government has asserted in court that there is no historical evidence to suggest that a pillar on Thiruparankundram hill, near a dargah, was meant for lighting lamps. This statement comes amidst a legal battle concerning the tradition of lighting the Karthigai Deepam lamp at the 'Deepathoon', a stone pillar on the hill.
The controversy arose after a single-judge order by Justice G.R. Swaminathan of the Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court on December 1, 2025, permitted devotees of the Arulmighu Subramaniya Swamy Temple to light the lamp at the Deepathoon, in addition to the customary lighting near the Uchi Pillaiyar Mandapam. The court stated that doing so would not infringe upon the rights of the adjacent dargah or the Muslim community. When this order was not implemented, the court issued another order on December 3, 2025, allowing devotees to light the lamp themselves, with protection from the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF).
The Tamil Nadu government has challenged the High Court's order, arguing that the pillar's intended purpose was not for lighting lamps. They have appealed to the Supreme Court, which has agreed to consider the plea. Simultaneously, they have filed an appeal before the High Court challenging the single-judge order. The Supreme Court has admitted the state government's plea, and a division bench of the High Court is scheduled to hear the case.
The dispute over the Deepam ritual site dates back to 1994 when a devotee sought to move the ceremony from the Uchipillar Kovil mandapam at the temple to Deepathoon. In 1996, the Madras High Court ruled that the Deepam should be lit in the traditional location at the Subramaniaswamy temple near Uchipillaiyar Kovil.
In the latest petition, the petitioner, Rama Ravikumar, founder of Hindu Tamilar Katchi, argued that a 1920 decree establishes the temple's ownership over the entire hill, allowing the Deepam to be lit anywhere on the property. He further contended that no judicial order prohibits lighting the Deepam at the Deepathoon and that the temple's refusal to consider Deepathoon as the ritual site lacks justification. The temple administration maintains its position that the lamp should be lit at the mandapam.
Adding another dimension to the issue, the Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court permitted a lawyer's petition seeking permission for a peaceful fast by the public of Thiruparankundram on December 13, 2025, to advocate for lighting the Deepam at the Deepathoon. The court stipulated conditions, including a limit of 50 participants, the uttering of mantras only, and a prohibition against provocative slogans.
Arif Khan, the secretary of the Thiruparankundram Dargah, stated that the Dargah cannot determine where the Karthigai lamp should be lit and called for a court-ordered survey. He also mentioned that the steps to the Deepathoon are behind the dargah, and they have to cross the dargah area to reach that place.
The Tamil Nadu Archaeology Department has conducted a study of the disputed Deepathoon. The outcome of this study and the ongoing legal proceedings will likely determine the future of the Deepam ritual at Thiruparankundram.
