As far as Tamil Nadu is concerned, Pongal is the biggest festival of the year. Pongal is a secular festival and celebrates farming which forms the backbone of the population. It may well be that the exclusive focus given to Pongal by Dravidian parties in power has likely boosted the profile of...
One tweet by Saudi Arabia's Ministry of Islamic affairs has led to debates and controversies around Tablighi Jamaat across the world. The tweet doesn't stop with the statement on the ban on the Tablighi Jamaat but said that the Jamaat is a gateway of terrorism. To understand Tablighi, we have...
With minarets and domes, mosques across the country reflect the distinct Indo-Islamic architectural features. But there is a string of mosques along Tamil Nadu’s coast which reflect Tamil or Dravidian style of architecture. Most of these mosques on the coast were constructed between 1200 and...
(The first part of this series traced the history of government control of temples, second dealt with whether other religious places of worship have similar government control. This is the third and concluding part. The articles are part of the Matchup section that provides a platform for...
The first part of the article traced the history of government control of temples in Tamil Nadu. This article deals with the fairness argument. Questions are often raised on why temples are being administered by government when Islamic religious establishments are run by Muslims. The truth is...
Temples have played a big role in history. The reason for this is that temples in those days played a key role in overall administration as they also served as the treasury, king’s court, and so on. Historically, temples have always been owned by government rather than private individuals, nor...
Mylapore Kapaleeswarar temple is among the wealthy ancient temples of Tamil Nadu holding extensive properties of over 600 acres around the temple and elsewhere. These properties were bequeathed by kings and others so the centuries-old temple’s functions and services could continue to be held as...
Even as the controversy over the entry of women of all ages into the Sabarimala temple is raging, it may be worth recalling that some 35 years ago a woman became an adheenam – the head of a Saivite mutt – in Tamil Nadu. No eyebrows were raised and no questions were asked. In 1983, Sayimatha...
Nallur Sa Saravanan, president of Saiva Siddhanta Perumandram and the head of the Department of Saiva Siddhantam in the University of Madras, has come under threat from militant Hindutva groups for his views on Saivite philosophy. This Saiva Siddhanta Maha Samajam (Saiva Siddhanta Perumandram)...
Padmavati Patti is a Sabarimala veteran. She has made the pilgrimage some 40 times. Originally from Cumbum in Theni district, she is among the few female guruswamys in the state – team leaders who initiate, mentor and guide the pilgrims – and takes women pilgrims along with her. Yet, Padmavati...
