Madras HC Upholds Temple’s Rights Over Thiruparankundram Hill, Bans Animal Sacrifice

Last Updated:October 13, 2025, 19:23 IST

The court has also banned animal sacrifice within the hill area, while allowing limited prayers by the Dargah administration only during Ramzan and Bakrid

Justice Vijayakumar held that the entire Thiruparankundram Hill is a protected monument under notifications issued by the Archaeological Survey of India.

The Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court has ruled that the ancient Thiruparankundram Hill cannot be referred to as Sikkandar Malai.

The court has also banned animal sacrifice within the hill area, while allowing limited prayers by the Dargah administration only during Ramzan and Bakrid.

Justice R. Vijayakumar, acting as the third judge after a split verdict between Justices J. Nisha Banu and S. Srimathy, delivered the judgement on October 10 in three clubbed petitions filed by devotees and members of Hindu organisations. The petitioners had sought to prohibit animal sacrifice, prevent Muslim gatherings at Nellithoppu, and restrain the usage of the alternate name Sikkandar Malai for the temple hillock.

After examining extensive records, Justice Vijayakumar held that the entire Thiruparankundram Hill is a protected monument under notifications issued by the Archaeological Survey of India in 1908 and 1923, covering over 172 acres. Citing Rule 8 of the 1959 Rules framed under the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Sites and Remains Act, he observed that cooking, serving food, or bringing animals into the protected area is explicitly barred without the ASI’s consent. Therefore, the court prohibited any form of animal sacrifice or related activities on the hill unless specifically permitted by a competent civil court and the ASI.

The court also referred to the 1920 decree in O.S. No. 4 of 1920 and the 1931 Privy Council ruling, both of which confirmed the temple’s ownership over the entire hillock, except for a 33-cent portion at Nellithoppu belonging to the Dargah. The judge said this narrow portion merely grants access to the Dargah and does not vest any larger rights in its administration.

Justice Vijayakumar found that the attempt to rename the hill as Sikkandar Malai was without historical or legal basis, terming it a “mischievous effort to distort a centuries-old identity". The official and archival records, he said, have consistently described the hill as Thiruparankundram Hill, and the name change could potentially trigger communal tension in a site that holds sacred significance for multiple faiths.

While upholding the temple’s right to preserve the hill’s sanctity, the court struck a balance on the issue of prayers by Dargah devotees. It permitted the offering of prayers at the Nellithoppu area only during Ramzan and Bakrid festivals, directing that such prayers must not obstruct the temple’s traditional pathway to the Kasi Vishwanathar shrine or pollute the premises. The court made it clear that animal sacrifice or serving non-vegetarian food in the area will remain prohibited until the claimed custom is validated by a civil court.

Concluding the matter, Justice Vijayakumar concurred with Justice S. Srimathy’s view in allowing two petitions, W.P.(MD) Nos. 2277 and 2678 of 2025, thereby banning animal sacrifice and the use of the name Sikkandar Malai. He agreed with Justice J. Nisha Banu in dismissing W.P.(MD) No. 15565 of 2023, which had sought a complete ban on prayers by the Dargah members. No costs were awarded.

Salil Tiwari

Salil Tiwari, Senior Special Correspondent at Lawbeat, reports on the Allahabad High Court and courts in Uttar Pradesh, however, she also writes on important cases of national importance and public interests fr...Read More

Salil Tiwari, Senior Special Correspondent at Lawbeat, reports on the Allahabad High Court and courts in Uttar Pradesh, however, she also writes on important cases of national importance and public interests fr...

Read More

News india Madras HC Upholds Temple’s Rights Over Thiruparankundram Hill, Bans Animal Sacrifice

Read More