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A petition has been filed seeking a ban on animal sacrifices, including goats and chickens, at the Sikandar Badusha Dargah in Thiruparankundram, Madurai. The petition, filed as a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) by Kannan, a resident of Madurai, was submitted before the Madurai Bench of the High Court.
In the petition, Kannan emphasized that the Thiruparankundram Temple is an ancient and well-known temple built during the Pandya dynasty. The temple's southern side houses the Umayandar Cave Temple and 11 sacred theerthams (holy ponds). He argued that animal sacrifices should not be allowed within the temple area and that cooking and serving meat in the vicinity should also be prohibited. Kannan further pointed out that the Sikandar Badusha Dargah, located at the top of Thiruparankundram Hill, reportedly conducted a community feast in January during which goats and chickens were sacrificed. He claimed that these sacrifices hurt the religious sentiments of devotees of the Subramanya Swamy Temple. Additionally, he objected to the reference to Thiruparankundram Hill as "Sikandar Hill," stating that it could lead to religious tensions. A division bench of Justice M S Ramesh and Justice A D Maria Clete posted the case to be heard along with another similar matter on February 4. (ANI)
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