‘Not Ayodhya’: Tamil Nadu village’s rebuttal to communal politics

"Thiruparankundram will be the next Ayodhya," declared H Raja, a senior Tamil Nadu BJP leader, in February 2025. He made the statement as tensions flared in Thiruparankundram, the first of the six abodes of Lord Murugan, over demands to rename the hillock, which is also home to a dargah, as Sikkandar Malai.

The swift intervention of the Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court helped cool tempers. Four months later, in June, Union Home Minister Amit Shah visited this ancient temple city. He accused the DMK government of supporting the renaming of the hillock and encouraged Hindu devotees to participate in the June 22 Murugan conference, which advocated for Hindu consolidation in favour of the BJP.

The statements by Raja and Shah, though months apart, are part of the BJP’s ongoing efforts to invoke Lord Murugan — one of the most revered deities, especially among backward communities and across caste lines — as a symbolic figure in a state where the party has yet to gain a significant foothold.

Despite the attempt by both sides — the BJP alleges that the issue blew up after Ramanathapuram Lok Sabha MP Nawaz Kani led a group to consume meat at the hills — the villagers continue to live in harmony and say no force can break the bond between the two communities, who have lived as "relatives".

Both Hindus and Muslims point to "outsiders" from both communities as attempting to create tensions for political gain. 

Thiruparankundram hill has been a haven of religious coexistence and communal harmony for centuries, hosting the Subramaniya Swamy temple, Kasi Viswanathan temple and Sikkander Badusha dargah.

While the dargah is the most recent religious structure, dating to the 17th century, there has never been a major religious conflict in the village. 

Edakanathan, 65, who runs a stall overlooking the Murugan Temple, told DH that he moved to the village at age 12 and has never witnessed a conflict over religious identity.

“To this day, Muslim brethren buy sandalwood powder from me before climbing the hillock to visit the dargah. Whatever happened earlier this year is just politics — it has nothing to do with us,” he said.

Senthil (39), who works at a hotel, recalls being taken to the dargah by his Muslim friends when he was sick, hoping for a cure.

"We have no differences, but it is true that outsiders are trying to create trouble. Thiruparankundram will never become another Ayodhya," he said.