KASHI TAMIL SANGAM
1. Context
The center will be organizing a one-of-its-kind event called 'Kashi-Tamil Sangamam' in Varanasi to re-establish age-old links between the cultures of Varanasi and Tamil Nadu.
2. What is the Kashi Tamil Sangamam?
- The month-long Kashi Tamil Sangamam begins in Varanasi and will celebrate the many aspects of the historical and civilizational connection between India's North and South. Some 2,400 people from Tamilnadu will be taken to Varanasi in groups for visits that will last eight days and will include, besides an immersive local experience, trips to Ayodhya and Prajagraj.
- The border objective is to bring the two knowledge and cultural traditions (of the North and South) closer, create an understanding of our shared heritage, and deepen the people-to-people bond between the regions.
- This is in sync with the National Education Policy, 2020 which emphasizes nurturing a generation that is modern and in sync with the 21st-century mindset, while being rooted in the Indian Culture and ethos.
- BHU and IIT- Madras is the knowledge partner for the event, and the Ministers of Culture, Tourism, Railways, Textiles, and Food Processing have been roped in as stakeholders, besides the government of Uttar Pradesh and the Varanasi administration.
3. Linkages Between Kashi and Kanchi
- The connection between the two centers of Knowledge (Kashi and Kanchi) is evident in the similar themes in literature, and the presence of the name Kashi in every village in Tamil Nadu.
- Since ancient times, higher education in Southern India was not considered complete without a visit by the scholar to Kashi.
- Kashinath is a popular name in Tamil Nadu.
- Besides the Kasi Viswanath temple in Tenkasi, there are hundreds of Shive temples in Tamilnadu that bear the name of Kashi-there are some 18 of them in the area around Chennai alone.
- People from Rameswaram would take a dip in the Koti teertha (in the temple) before visiting Kashi for darshan and would bring back (Ganga) water from Kashi for abhiseka at the temple in Rameswaram.
4. History of ties between the Kashi and Tamilnadu
The ancient connection between the two centers of knowledge is evident in many walks of life.
Many Households in Tamilnadu adopted the names of Kailasanatha and Kashinatha for naming their children, like those who are living in Kashi and Uttar Pradesh.
4.1 King Parakrama Pandya
- He ruled over the region around Madurai in the 15th century.
- Legend has it that he wanted to build a temple to Lord Shiva, and traveled to Kashi to bring back the lingam.
- While returning, the king stopped to rest under a tree but when he tried to continue his journey, the cow carrying the lingam refused to move.
- Then he installed the lingam there, a place that came to be known as Sivakasi.
- For Devotees who could not visit Kashi, the Pandyas built the Kasi Vishanathar Temple in what is today Tenkasi in southwestern Tamil Nadu.
4.2 Adhivir Ram Pandyan
Much later, another king, Adhivir Ram Pandyan, after returning from a pilgrimage to Kashi, constructed another Shive temple in Tenkasi in the 19th century.
4.3 Sant Kumara Gurupara
He was from the Thoothukudi district and had negotiated with the princely state of Kashi to get a place for the consecration of Kedarghat and Vishvesvaralingam in Varanasi.
He also composed Kashi Kalambagan, a collection of grammar poems on Kashi.
For Prelims & Mains
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For Prelims: Kashi-Tamil Sangamam, King Parakrama Pandya, Adhivir Ram Pandyan, Sant Kumara Gurupara, Kasi Viswanath temple in Tenkasi.
For Mains: 1. What is Kashi Tamil sangamam? Explain the History of ties between the Kashi and Tamilnadu.
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Source: The Indian Express
