Murugan a vegetarian god? Unraveling the debate with literary and historical evidence
As ‘outsiders’ mar religious harmony and create tensions at Thiruparankundram over animal sacrifice, scholars point to Sangam-era evidence of meat offerings to challenge contemporary claims about the deity’s traditions. Was Lord Murugan vegetarian?
Murugan worshipped in a procession in the Tamil festival of Thaipusam. (Wikimedia Commons)
Synopsis: The debate over Hindu god Murugan’s dietary preferences has reignited tensions at Thiruparankundram, where disputes over animal sacrifice at the Sikandar Badusha Dargah have led to protests from both Hindu and Islamic groups. Scholars argue that historical evidence from Sangam literature shows Murugan was once offered meat, and that vegetarianism in Shaivism emerged much later. Experts warn that political groups are exploiting the issue, disturbing the long-standing religious harmony in the region. With Ayodhya comparisons emerging, scholars urge the government to act wisely to prevent further divisions.
In Tamil Nadu, Murugan is perhaps the most contentious deity. Similar to how Ram is significant in North India, everyone — from the ruling DMK to Tamil nationalist parties and Hindutva groups — wants to appropriate this uniquely Tamil Hindu deity.
Events like the Murugan Conference organised by the DMK government and the Vel Yatra carried out by BJP Tamil Nadu demonstrate this phenomenon.
According to Tamil literature — Thirumurugatrupadai — and the beliefs of devotees, Murugan has six sacred abodes known as “Arupadai Veedugal” in Tamil Nadu, with Thiruparankundram in Madurai being one of them.
However, recently, tensions have been brewing due to disputes over religious practices on the hill, which houses both the Subramaniya Swamy Temple and the Sikandar Badusha Dargah. The conflict began when police intervened to prevent members of Islamic groups from performing animal sacrifices at the dargah, citing the verbal order prohibiting such activities on the hill.
A glimpse of Sikandar Badusha Dargah at Thiruparankundram. (Source: Wikimedia Commons)
This action led to protests from Islamic organisations asserting their traditional rights to conduct these rituals. In response, Hindu organisations, including the Hindu Munnani, announced counter-protests opposing the animal sacrifices, emphasising the hill’s sanctity in Hindu tradition.
To maintain law and order, the Madurai district administration imposed Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (equivalent to Section 144 of the now-repealed Code of Criminal Procedure), prohibiting public gatherings in the area.
Sikandar Badusha Dargah at Thiruparankundram. (Source: Wikimedia Commons)
Eventually, Hindu Munnani moved to court and secured permission to hold a one-hour protest in Madurai’s Palanganatham on 4 February. They successfully mobilised over 3,000 participants, leaving many surprised.
However, the focus of the issue has now shifted from the debate over performing animal sacrifices on the hill near Murugan’s temple to a broader question: Is Murugan a vegetarian god?
Religious diversity
Thiruparankundram Hill features diverse religious and syncretic history; it houses Jain rock beds and inscriptions at the hilltop, a Shiva temple further down, the Sikandar Dargah on the southern side, and the Murugan temple to the north.
Professor A Ramasamy
This multi-religious presence makes it impossible for any one group to claim exclusive ownership of the site, says Professor A Ramasamy, a Tamil scholar, writer, Researcher and former professor at the Department of Tamil at Manonmaniam Sundaranar University, Tirunelveli.
According to Ramasamy, the name ‘Murugan’ does not appear in early Sangam literature. Instead, deities such as Seyon, Varunan, and Indiran are mentioned.
The first recorded reference to Murugan is found in the Tamil literary work Thirumurugatrupadai, which describes devotees undertaking a pilgrimage from Madurai to Thiruparankundram to worship him.
This text details the clothing, food, and rituals observed by Murugan’s devotees. It also mentions offerings of meat to Murugan, indicating that the deity was not originally associated with vegetarianism.
Furthermore, Sangam literature refers to venison (deer meat) being offered to Seyon, the deity of the Kurinji landscape, which was later identified with Murugan.
Thirumurugattrupadai also features a poem describing a Kurathi (slaughter) priestess, known as Devaratti, who performs rituals before Murugan’s arrival, offering white rice flakes to the local deities.
She wears two layers of clothing and ties a red thread around her wrists. To ensure strength and stability, she offers rice mixed with the blood of a strong, well-built goat as a minor sacrifice and fills baskets with various ritual items.
முரண் கொள் உருவின் இரண்டு உடன் உடீஇ.
(Wearing clothes of two different shapes)
செந் நூல் யாத்து, வெண் பொரி சிதறி,
(A red thread tied, scattering white puffed rice)
மத வலி நிலைஇய மாத் தாள் கொழு விடைக்
( large male goat with great strength and big legs)
குருதியொடு விரைஇய தூ வெள் அரிசி
(its blood mixed with pure white puffed rice)
சில் பலிச் செய்து,பல் பிரப்பு இரீஇ,
(Gave a small sacrifice, Made a spread of offerings.)
Another verse from Kurunthogai asks, “If you offer a sacrifice of various grains and rice dishes, slaughter a young goat, anoint this woman’s forehead with its blood, and worship Murugan with this offering, will the chieftain who tormented her, the one who roams the vast mountains reaching the sky, accept your offering? Will his radiant chest, adorned with a shining garland, consume what you give?”
முருகயர்ந் துவந்த முதுவாய் வேல
(Oh wise Vela, who has come to worship Muruga)
சினவ லோம்புமதி வினவுவ துடையேன்
(Don’t lose your temper, I have a question to ask you)
பல்வே றுருவிற் சில்லவிழ் மடையொடு
(If you make an offering of various coloured rice)
சிறுமறி கொன்றிவள் நறுநுதல் நீவி
(Kill a small lamb, and rub it on her plain forehead )
வணங்கினை கொடுத்தி யாயின் அணங்கிய
(Worship and offer all of it as sacrifice to Murugan)
விண்தோய் மாமலைச் சிலம்பன்
(Will the great leader of the mountainside that stretches to the sky)
ஒண்தார் அகலமும் உண்ணுமோ பலியே.
(Will the chest adorned with a garland of light, also accept this offering?)
Saivism and vegetarianism
The concept of Saivism being linked to vegetarianism emerged much later, argued Ramasamy. In ancient Tamil society, there was no strict distinction between vegetarian and non-vegetarian diets. However, with the emergence of Jainism and Buddhism, which promoted abstaining from meat, these ideas gained traction in Tamil Nadu.
Especially in Thirukkural, there is a dedicated section on ‘புலால் மறுத்தல்’ (abstinence from meat).
Post-Sangam texts such as the Pathinenkilkanakku and “Ethical Literature” strongly advocated non-violence and vegetarianism. This influence grew, leading many Saivites to adopt these practices. During the later Pandya period, kings like Arulmozhi Pandiyan, Koon Pandiyan, and Mangayarkarasi converted to Saivism, reinforcing the shift.
This religious transformation was reflected in temple traditions as well. Earlier, sacrifices and blood offerings were common in temples, but as Vedic influence increased under Chola and later Pandya rule, temple customs were altered.
Sacrificial practices were banned inside temples, but to accommodate the traditions of common people, small temples for guardian deities (Kaval Deivam) were built at temple entrances, where sacrifices continued.
A classic example of this can be seen at Azhagar Kovil in Madurai, where the main Perumal temple prohibits sacrifices. However, outside the temple gate, a shrine for Karuppasamy (a guardian deity) has traditionally received animal sacrifices from devotees. Similar traditions exist in temples across Tamil Nadu.
The evolution of Murugan
Interestingly, Murugan is unique to Tamil Nadu and has no direct counterpart in North India. It was only after the advent of Puranic texts such as Skanda Purana that Murugan was equated with Skanda in North India. The Puranas shaped the mythology of many Hindu gods, including Murugan, transforming his identity over time.
This cultural exchange worked both ways. While Murugan was adapted as Skanda in the North, deities from North India were introduced to Tamil Nadu. This process became more pronounced between the ninth and tenth centuries CE, leading to significant changes in temple traditions, including the imposition of Vedic rituals.
Professor Ramasamy also highlighted that the syncretic traditions in Tamil temples can be traced back to the medieval period when Islamic invasions prompted Hindu rulers to consolidate religious identities. As a result, many major temples incorporated both Vedic rituals and folk traditions, ensuring that temple practices aligned with broader Hindu customs.
Why the controversy now?
In recent years, there has been a growing effort to inherently link Hinduism to vegetarianism. This has led to political debates and legal interventions.
In 2003, the then-Tamil Nadu chief minister J Jayalalithaa imposed a ban on animal sacrifices in temples. However, due to strong opposition from the public, the order was repealed in 2004. This highlights how deeply ingrained these traditions are and how difficult it is for any government to completely eliminate them.
The Sikandar Dargah, located on Tirupparankundram Hill, has now become the center of this conflict, but its history dates back to a time before many of Madurai’s famous festivals.
Professor Ramasamy stated that during the Delhi Sultanate’s rule in the 1300s, Madurai was under the governance of Sikandar Shah.
After Sikandar Shah was defeated by the Vijayanagara ruler Kumara Kampana, his followers established the Sikandar Shah Dargah at Thiruparankundram as a memorial, as documented in the book Madura Vijayam by Ganga Devi.
From that day they were worshiping in the mosque. Veldeva (30), a resident of Madurai, shared that he has personally witnessed this practice for over 20 years. He knows it by the name of ‘Kandhuri’ (animal sacrifice) tradition when goats and poultry are offered as a sacrifice on the hills.
According to the Madurai District Collector, tensions at Thiruparankundram Hill first flared on 4 December 2024, when the Temple authorities filed a complaint against the Dargah Managing Trust for installing a notice board stating that Kandhuri rituals could be conducted at the hilltop Dargah. Following the complaint, the board was removed.
On 31 December 2024, a peace meeting, led by the Thirumangalam Revenue Divisional Officer, ruled that existing worship practices should continue, as neither the Dargah administrators nor the Tamil Nadu Hindu Religious & Charitable Endowments (HR&CE) Department could provide evidence supporting the tradition of Kandhuri rituals.
It was decided that any resolution should be sought through the courts, considering law and order concerns. However, the Dargah administrators walked out, refusing to sign the agreement.
Interference of outsiders
On 27 January 2025, 11 representatives from Thiruparankundram petitioned the Madurai District Collector, stating that all faiths coexisted peacefully in their village and urging that outsiders should not interfere in religious practices.
A second peace meeting on 30 January 2025, involving representatives from major political parties, reaffirmed that existing worship practices should be maintained, including private Kandhuri offerings, while barring external interference. The AIADMK representative, however, declined to sign the resolution.
Amid rising tensions, on 04 February 2025, Hindu Munnani sought permission for a protest under the banner “Protect the Hill, Preserve the Sanctity of Thirupparankundram.” The police denied permission, prompting Hindu organisations to take to social media, calling for community mobilisation to “protect the hill”.
These developments have intensified debates over religious practices at Thirupparankundram, particularly the coexistence of Murugan worship at the temple and Kandhuri rituals at the Dargah.
According to retired professor and author Arunan (Ramalingam Kathiresan), and Professor Ramasamy, the current controversy is a clear case of disrupting social harmony. They emphasise that history should not be used to create divisions but rather to foster coexistence and mutual respect.
Whilst discussing the political scenario with Arunan, he referred to an all-party letter addressed to the Madurai Collector on 27 January, which clearly states that the custom of animal sacrifice at the dargah on the hill has been practised for decades. Many locals still serve as living witnesses to this tradition.
Both Arunan and Ramasamy suggested that there has never been an issue with religious harmony or the coexistence of both places of worship from the Sangam period to the present day. They argue that only now, certain Hindu organisations are turning it into a controversy, disturbing communal peace.
Pointing to what happened in Ayodhya, Ramasamy urged the government to act wisely and take necessary steps to preserve communal harmony.
First published on 8 Feb 2025 by thesouthfirst.com