HC directs CoP to ensure festival is conducted peacefully on Thiruparankundram hill
The Madras High Court has directed the Madurai Commissioner of Police to ensure the peaceful conduct of the 'Malai Mel Kumarar' festival on Thirupparankundram hill. This follows the Archaeological Survey of India's decision to withdraw restrictions on cooking food and performing traditional rituals at the site.
Why it matters
The ruling balances the preservation of historical sites with the protection of religious freedom and customary practices in India.
After the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) withdrew the condition prohibiting cooking of food/Prasadam on Thirupparankundram hill, the Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court on Friday directed Madurai Commissioner of Police to ensure that the ‘Malai Mel Kumarar’ festival was conducted peacefully and adequate measures were taken to maintain law and order.
A Division Bench of Justices P. Velmurugan and K.K. Ramakrishnan was hearing a batch of petitions filed in this regard. The contention of the petitioners was that the ‘Malai Mel Kumarar’ festival was being conducted from time immemorial. This year, the festival was on October 9.
According to the petitioners, it was a customary practice to carry the ‘Vel’, the sacred spear of Lord Murugan, from the temple to the hilltop, where ‘abhishekam’ was performed to the ‘Vel’. Thereafter, the devotees and villagers assembled there to prepare Prasadam (Kadamba Sadam) for distribution among the devotees.
Get smarter about the news
Sign up free for a feed built around what you actually care about, Dive Deeper research on any story, and the full text of every article.
Create free accountAlready have an account? Sign in