Why is Thiruparankundram becoming centre for religious politics?

Chennai: Thiruparankundram, the first of the six abodes of Lord Murugan across Tamil Nadu, is located in Madurai, one of the oldest living cities in the world.

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. People from the Hindu and Muslim communities in Thiruparankundram have been living together for centuries – members of both communities own shops outside the Murugan temple.

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

An ownership dispute that arose about a century ago was settled in 1923 by a Subordinate Judge of Madura, who ruled that t