Chennai: Tamil Nadu’s Hindu, Religious, and Charitable Endowments (HR & CE) department on Tuesday announced that it will organise a two-day global conference on Lord Murugan, perceived to be the god of Tamils, in Palani on August 24 and 25, as the ruling DMK makes a concerted effort to shed off the 'anti-Hindu' tag it had acquired over the decades.
Titled Muthamizh Murugan Manadu 2024, the conference will bring together devotees of Lord Murugan and thinkers from across the world to spread his core principles.
Believed to have been lived in six abodes across Tamil Nadu, including Palani, which is venue of the conference, Lord Murugan is worshipped with reverence in countries like Sri Lanka, Singapore, Malaysia, Myanmar, Australia, Canada, and Indonesia.
DH had on April 24 reported that the DMK government was planning a conference on Lord Murugan and that an announcement in this regard was expected to come soon.
The conference is seen as one of the ways to counter the 'anti-Hindu' criticism being levelled at the DMK often and to prove the party and the government’s 'inclusiveness.'
Officials said conference will help people to easily understand the philosophical doctrines of Lord Murugan, apart from uniting his devotees on a global scale and propagating the valuable gems of Murugan worship drawn from puranas, literature, thirumurais, and shaiva siddhanta scriptures to the world.
This is the first time that the ‘rationalist’ DMK government is organising a spiritual conference by inviting about 2,000 delegates from across the world who have worked in the field and propagated Lord Murugan, who has temples dedicated to him wherever Tamils live in large numbers.
The delegates will present papers on Lord Murugan, while the government plans to organise exhibitions in the venue. A website www.muthamizhmuruganmaanadu2024.com has been launched to enable participants and delegates to register for the event.
The DMK had come under attack from right-wing outfits, especially after Udhayanidhi Stalin’s remarks calling for annihilation of Sanatana Dharma in September 2023.
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) tried to capitalise on a controversy surrounding Kandha Shashti Kavasam, a song in praise of Lord Murugan, after a YouTube made disparaging and controversial remarks against the devotional song in 2020. The party conducted ‘vel pooja’ across the state and organised ‘Vetrivel Yatra’ but they didn’t give the desired electoral dividends to the BJP.
The officials said the conference will also instil Murugan doctrines of the precious heritage in the minds of the youth, paving the way for “a prosperous and harmonious divine world.”
Palani hill is the place where “Bogar” built a temple and worshipped Lord Murugan in Tamil. “So, it is the ideal place to host the Muthamizh Murugan International Conference 2024,” the official said.