The Madras High Court’s Madurai bench has finally settled a long dispute over Thiruparankundram Hill, addressing questions about its name, the religious practices at Sikkandar Badusha Dargah, and the prayer rights of Muslims in the Nellithoppu area.

Justice Vijayakumar said that official records from both the revenue and archaeological departments, along with Gazette notifications from 1908 and 1923 issued under the Ancient Monuments Preservation Act, clearly identify the site as Thiruparankundram Rock.

These notifications protect 172.2 acres of the hill under the Archaeological Survey of India. Based on these records and a 1920 civil court order, the judge said that referring to the hill as Sikkandar Malai was “mischievous” and aimed at twisting its historical identity.

The court ruled that animal sacrifices at Sikkandar Badusha Dargah could not be allowed, pointing out that there was no documentary proof showing it to be an essential or age-old religious practice. The judge said that if the dargah administration wanted to claim it as a religious tradition, it must prove it in a civil court.

Justice Vijayakumar also permitted Muslims to offer prayers in the Nellithoppu area only during Ramzan and Bakrid, and that too under strict conditions. The court made it clear that even though 33 per cent of the Nellithoppu area belongs to the Muslim community, the steps leading up to it and to the Kasi Vishwanathar Temple at the top of the hill remain part of the temple and must not be blocked.