The Tamil Nadu Police, acting under the DMK government, denied permission for the sacred Mahameru Rath Yatra that was en route from Trimurti Hills to Kerala to participate in rituals connected with the Maha Kumbh Mela scheduled to be held at Thirunavaya in Kerala from 18 January to 3 February 2026.
Following its orders, the TN State government directed that the Mahameru be dismantled and transported separately from the chariot, stating that the Rath Yatra could not proceed through the state in its present form. Once the Mahameru enters Kerala, the chariot procession will be allowed to cross the border under police escort.
The Rath Yatra was planned as part of the preparations for the Maha Kumbh Mela scheduled to be held at Thirunavaya. According to the organisers, the procession was to pass through Tiruppur, Udumalpet, Pollachi, Coimbatore, and Ettimadai in Tamil Nadu before entering Kerala. The event is being planned by the Juna Akhada, one of the prominent ascetic orders traditionally associated with organising the Kumbh Mela at Prayagraj in Bharat.
The inauguration ceremony of the yatra was originally scheduled for 7.00 am at the Amanalingeswarar Temple. However, following the police refusal to grant permission, organisers postponed the ceremony to 9.00 am.
The Mahamagha Maha Kumbhmela is one of Kerala’s oldest Hindu religious gatherings and is traditionally held once every 12 years. However, the ritual was discontinued around 250 years ago. The present Mahotsavam, which began on January 19, will conclude on February 3, 2026. Historically, the ancient Maha Magha Mahotsavam at Tirunavaya followed a 12-year cycle linked to planetary positions, similar to the Kumbhmela elsewhere in Bharat. It has now been revived as “Kerala’s Kumbh Mela”.
One of the event functionaries told the media that stopping the Rath Yatra was a “wrong and dangerous precedent”, pointing out that Kumbh Mela-related processions have been taking place at Thirunavaya for over two centuries.
He said spiritual journeys create a positive awakening among people and warned that suppressing religious expression has historically led to extremism in societies where faith was systematically targeted.
🚨 BREAKING | SANATANA UNDER ATTACK AGAIN 🚨
As part of Kerala Kumbh Mela, the sacred Mahameru Rath Yatra coming from Trimurti Hills has been BLOCKED by the Tamil Nadu government.
Police have directed that the Mahameru be dismantled and transported separately from the chariot.… pic.twitter.com/5TN0iP8YB7
— MAHARATHI (@MahaRathii) January 19, 2026
In Thiruparankundram, as critics point out, “despite repeated High Court orders, the DMK government and its police denied permission to light Karthigai Deepam at the ancient stone pillar. At the same time, the same state government allowed Muslims to conduct sandal paste celebrations and permitted the hoisting of a crescent flag on the sacred sthala vruksha belonging to a Hindu temple. It was removed only after court orders. Muslim functions were said not to cause communal disharmony, but when Hindu devotees, numbering just ten and accompanied by CRPF escort, attempted to visit the Kashi Viswanathar Temple located on the hill, they were not allowed.”
Critics recalled that the DMK had openly called for the “eradication of Sanatana Dharma”, and that Udhayanidhi Stalin had compared Hinduism to “malaria and dengue” in 2023.
They accused the present DMK government under CM Stalin of being more hostile to Hindu religious activity than even previous administrations. They pointed out that several yatras, including those led by senior BJP leader L. K. Advani, were conducted during the tenure of former Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi, but alleged that the current government under Chief Minister M. K. Stalin was acting on “misleading and poor inputs” to block spiritual journeys.
The organisers said, “They first did this at Thiruparankundram, and now they have done it here.” They rejected the police claim that the procession was stopped due to potential inconvenience to the public.
They added, “There is no massive chariot. It is only a small vehicle carrying a Sri Chakra. This is not about public inconvenience; this is about a mindset to suppress Hindus while appeasing minorities.”
On the future course of action, the organisers said they were contemplating moving the court to obtain permission and conduct the Rath Yatra legally. For the time being, the rath or chariot may be taken back to Kerala with police coordination.
Critics said that “today, that ideological hatred is reflected on the ground — when ancient Hindu traditions are stopped, regulated, and humiliated at state borders. No ban, no insults, no government can erase a civilisation that has survived for thousands of years. Faith continues. Resistance continues. Sanatana stands tall.”
Critics further argued that “none of the political party meetings, protests, or demonstrations by minority communities — including protests against Israel over the Gaza issue or Iran-related events — created law and order problems. Yet, whenever BJP or Hindu organisations conduct programmes, they are projected as law-and-order threats. As courts have pointed out several times, these are flimsy reasons used to deny permission only to Hindus, a pattern proven incident after incident.”
