Petition Seeks Approval to Offer Piglets At Shiva Temple Near Tiruparankundram Dargah Amidst Row Over Animal Sacrifice

The issue over animal sacrifice on the Tiruparankundram hill—one of the six abodes of Lord Muruga in Tamil Nadu, took an interesting turn today (21 January).

According to a report by News7Tamil, a petition has been filed before the Madurai District Collector by an advocate, Muthukumar. He has sought permission to offer piglets at the Kashi Viswanathar temple, which is located near the Sikandar dargah.

In his prayer, Muthukumar has stated that according to a story in the Puranas, twelve Vellalars who lived in the area were cursed for not following the principles of Shaivism and killing animals for pleasure. As a result of the curse, they were reborn as piglets, who were soon orphaned and thus suffered from starvation. These pigs were later fed by Lord Shiva, who took the form of a mother-pig.

This development comes days after Muslim groups protested over not being allowed to sacrifice goats and roosters at the dargah. According to the belief of Hindus, not a single drop of blood is to be spilt on the hill.

They fear that these are attempts by the Muslim community to take over the hill and rename it as 'Sikandar Malai' or 'Sikandar Hill' instead of Skanda Malai. The Bharatiya Janata Party and Hindu organisations such as the Hindu Munnani and Indu Makkal Katchi have been at the forefront of opposing the animal sacrifice.

They also say that the entire hill belongs to Lord Muruga, i.e. the temple, based on a judgement by the Privy Council in London in 1931.