Thiruparankundram Dargah

Thiruparankundram Dargah
A view of the dargah
Religion
Affiliation	Sunni Islam
Sect	Sufism
Festivals	Eid Ramadan Santhanakoodu
Ecclesiastical or organizational status	Dargah and mosque
Status	Active
Location
Location	Thiruparankundram, Madurai district, Tamil Nadu
Country	India
Location of the mosque and dargah in Tamil Nadu
Coordinates	9°52′35″N78°04′09″E / 9.8764°N 78.0693°E / 9.8764; 78.0693
Architecture
Type	Mosque architecture
Style	Indo-Islamic
Completed	14th century CE
Specifications
Dome	1
Minaret	12

The Thiruparankundram Dargah, also known as Thirupparankundram malai Dargah, is a dargah (Sufi shrine) located in Thiruparankundram, Madurai district of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. Located on the northeastern side of the Tirupparankundram hillock, the complex was built in the 14th century CE as a memorial for Sikandar Shah, the last ruler of the Madurai Sultanate, and was expanded in the later years. ^{[1] [2]} The death anniversary of Sikandar Badusha is commemorated as the Santhanakoodu festival on the 17th night of the Islamic month of Rajab every Hijri year. ^{[3] [4]}

History

Sikandar Shah, the last ruler of the Madurai Sultanate, was killed by Kumara Kampana in the war with the Vijayanagara Empire in the 14th century CE. After the war, the followers of Shah, who was believed to be a Sufi mystic, built a memorial for him atop the hill, which was expanded in the later years. ^{[1] [2]}

While the hill and the surrounding areas, which also hosts several Hindu temples including the Murugan Temple complex, and Jain relics, has seen coexistence of various religious practices over the years, it been a subject of occasional dispute since the early 20th century. ^{[3] [1]} Adjudicating in a related dispute, in October 2025, the Madras High Court declared that the hill was a protected monument as declared by the Archaeological Survey of India in 1908 and 1923, and affirmed the ownership of the hill to the temple excluding the 0.33 acres (0.13 ha) of land on which the dargah is located. It also upheld a ruling that banned animal sacrifice at the site, while permitting the annual Santhanakoodu festival, and restricted prayers at the dargah to the occasions of Eid and Ramadan. ^[5]

Gallery

• 
  Side view of the dargah (2013)
• 
  Entrance to the dargah

See also

• India portal
• Islam portal

• Islam in India
• List of dargahs in Tamil Nadu
• List of mosques in India
• Samanar Hills

References

1. "The Hill that Remembers". Open . 14 February 2025. Retrieved 1 June 2025.
2. "Madurai's Thiruparankundram Hills Stand As Confluence Of Religions". Outlook . 22 August 2023. Retrieved 1 February 2025.
3. "The sacred hill of Madurai: Two faiths and one dispute". The Federal . 13 August 2025. Retrieved 1 September 2025.
4. "Thiruparankundram Dargah". Dargah Info. 2019. Retrieved 1 February 2025.
5. "Madras HC Upholds Temple's Rights Over Thiruparankundram Hill, Bans Animal Sacrifice". News18 . 13 October 2025. Retrieved 1 June 2025.