CHENNAI: The controversy over the lighting of the Karthigai Deepam at the historic Thiruparankundram hill in Madurai has intensified ahead of this year’s festival, with Hindu Munnani launching a fresh agitation demanding that the lamp be lit at the traditional Deepathoon (ancient stone lamp pillar) in accordance with the Madras High Court’s directions.
As part of its latest campaign, Hindu Munnani organised protests at several locations in Chennai and its suburbs on October 4. The organisation has announced another round of demonstrations across Tamil Nadu on October 11, seeking implementation of the High Court’s orders on lighting the Karthigai Deepam atop Thiruparankundram hill.
The issue has been at the centre of a prolonged legal and religious dispute involving the Thiruparankundram Subramaniya Swamy Temple, the Deepathoon and a dargah located on the hill.
Hindu Munnani launches fresh agitation
Hindu Munnani had announced a two-stage protest programme ahead of Karthigai Deepam. The first phase was held in Chennai and surrounding areas on October 4, while the second phase is scheduled across Tamil Nadu on October 11.
சென்னையில் ஆர்ப்பாட்டம் நடைபெறும் இடங்கள்..
நீதிமன்ற தீர்ப்பின் படி,
திருப்பரங்குன்றம் தீபத் தூணில்
தீபம் ஏற்ற அரசை வலியுறுத்தி,
நாளை சென்னை முழுவதும் அறப்போராட்டம்..நாள்: அக்டோபர் 04, ஞாயிற்றுக்கிழமை#Thirupparankunram #Deepathoon #karthikaideepam #தீபம்_ஏற்றுவோம்… pic.twitter.com/7DP9cuCo2t
— Hindu Munnani (@hindumunnani_tn) October 3, 2026
According to the organisation, protests were held at multiple locations in the city, with participation from its functionaries, cadres and members of the public.
திருப்பரங்குன்றம் தீபத்தூணை
நில அளவைக் கல் என்று பொய் பிரச்சாரம்..
நாத்திக, நக்சல்களுக்கு, தீய சக்தி திமுக உபச்சாரம்..!!நீதிமன்ற தீர்ப்பின் படி,
திருப்பரங்குன்றம் தீபத் தூணில்
தீபம் ஏற்ற அரசை வலியுறுத்தி,
தமிழகம் முழுவதும் அறப்போராட்டம்..நாள்: அக்டோபர் 11, ஞாயிற்றுக்கிழமை… pic.twitter.com/O6RsQaan8E
— Hindu Munnani (@hindumunnani_tn) October 4, 2026
In Velachery, Hindu Munnani leaders participated in a protest on Sunday evening demanding that the lamp be lit at the Deepathoon.
A separate demonstration was held in MR Nagar in North Chennai, while another protest took place at Virugambakkam in South Chennai under the leadership of district vice-president Gemini. Advocate Padmarajan and other functionaries also participated in the protest.
#சென்னை மாநகரம் சார்பில், #வேளச்சேரி விஜயநகரம் பேருந்து நிறுத்தம் அருகில், திருப்பரங்குன்றம் தீபத் தூணில் தீபம் ஏற்ற வலியுறுத்தி கண்டன ஆர்ப்பாட்டம் நடைபெற்றது…#Thirupparankunram #Deepathoon #karthikaideepam #அறப்போராட்டம் #HinduMunnani pic.twitter.com/J5gfTlUlFN
— Hindu Munnani (@hindumunnani_tn) October 4, 2026
Hindu Munnani workers, including women cadres, also participated in the demonstration at Ekkattuthangal.
சென்னையில் ஆர்ப்பாட்டம் நடைபெறும் இடங்கள்..
நீதிமன்ற தீர்ப்பின் படி,
திருப்பரங்குன்றம் தீபத் தூணில்
தீபம் ஏற்ற அரசை வலியுறுத்தி,
நாளை சென்னை முழுவதும் அறப்போராட்டம்..நாள்: அக்டோபர் 04, ஞாயிற்றுக்கிழமை#Thirupparankunram #Deepathoon #karthikaideepam #தீபம்_ஏற்றுவோம்… pic.twitter.com/7DP9cuCo2t
— Hindu Munnani (@hindumunnani_tn) October 3, 2026
The organisation has said that the October 11 protests will be conducted across the State with the same demand.
What is the Thiruparankundram Deepam dispute?
Thiruparankundram hill, located near Madurai, is home to the historic Arulmigu Subramania Swamy Temple, one of the prominent Murugan temples in Tamil Nadu.
The dispute concerns the location where the traditional Karthigai Deepam should be lit. While the temple administration has traditionally been lighting the lamp at the Deepa Mandapam near the Uchi Pillaiyar Temple, devotees and Hindu organisations have sought the lighting of the lamp at the Deepathoon, an ancient stone pillar situated on the hill.
The location is also near the Sikkandar Badhusha Dargah, adding another layer to the dispute.
The issue became particularly contentious after disagreements over activities proposed on the hill and competing claims concerning the religious character and usage of different portions of the hillock.
Hindu organisations have maintained that the Deepathoon is associated with the traditional religious practices of the hill and have repeatedly demanded that the Karthigai Deepam be lit there.
Madras High Court intervenes
The dispute subsequently reached the Madras High Court.
In December 2025, Justice G.R. Swaminathan of the Madurai Bench directed the temple authorities to light the Karthigai Deepam at the Deepathoon in addition to the existing location. The order followed petitions filed by devotees seeking permission to conduct the traditional lamp-lighting at the ancient stone pillar.
The Court subsequently intervened again after administrative restrictions were imposed. On December 5, 2025, the Madras High Court set aside the prohibitory order imposed by the Madurai district administration and directed the police to provide protection for the petitioners to light the Deepam as ordered by the Court.
A Division Bench comprising Justices G Jayachandran and K.K. Ramakrishnan subsequently upheld the directions concerning the lighting of the Deepam. The Bench held that the Deepathoon area on the lower peak belonged to the temple and rejected the argument that administrative concerns could override the judicial directions.
State government approaches Supreme Court
The legal battle did not end with the High Court ruling.
The Tamil Nadu government later approached the Supreme Court challenging the January 2026 Division Bench order permitting the lighting of the Karthigai Deepam at the Deepathoon. The State’s challenge was filed in June 2026.
In August, the Supreme Court agreed to examine the State government’s challenge but declined to stay the Madras High Court’s orders at that stage. The Bench comprising Justices Aravind Kumar and Vipul M. Pancholi also questioned the delay in pursuing the appeal.
The legal dispute therefore remains significant as the next Karthigai Deepam approaches.
Dispute over the Deepathoon
One of the central points of contention has been the identity and historical status of the stone pillar.
While Hindu petitioners and organisations have described it as the traditional Deepathoon associated with the temple’s religious practices, arguments have also been advanced questioning whether the structure was historically used for lamp-lighting.
The Madras High Court, however, rejected the contention that the stone structure was merely a survey boundary stone and upheld the direction permitting the Deepam to be lit there.
The Archaeological Survey of India and the archaeological status of the hill have also figured in the legal proceedings, with the Division Bench requiring the ritual to be conducted in a regulated manner in view of the site’s protected status.
FIRs against Hindu Munnani protesters quashed
The latest agitation comes shortly after the Madras High Court quashed an FIR registered against Hindu Munnani member S. Nallathambi and more than 300 others in connection with a 2025 protest over the Thiruparankundram Deepam issue.
The Court’s decision to quash the FIRs has further encouraged the organisation to intensify its campaign ahead of the upcoming festival.
Hindu Munnani plans statewide mobilisation
With Karthigai Deepam scheduled in December, Hindu Munnani is now seeking to turn the Deepathoon issue into a statewide campaign.
The organisation’s immediate demand is that the Tamil Nadu government and temple authorities comply with the Madras High Court’s directions and facilitate the lighting of the traditional lamp at the Deepathoon.
The October 4 demonstrations in Chennai were described as the first phase of the latest agitation. The second phase, scheduled for October 11, is expected to cover multiple districts across Tamil Nadu.
The organisation has also sought to counter claims that the ancient stone pillar is merely a survey marker, arguing that the Deepathoon has religious and historical significance connected to Thiruparankundram hill.
The renewed agitation is likely to keep the Thiruparankundram Deepam dispute in focus as the Karthigai Deepam festival approaches, particularly with the legal challenge before the Supreme Court and the High Court’s earlier directions continuing to shape the controversy.
