Kashi-Tamil Sangamam ends: ‘We want to visit Rameshwaram, like they come here’

Soon, they were met by the temple priest and its only Tamil trustee, K Venkat Ramana. “It is PM Modi who made it possible for the majestic Ram Temple to be built at Ayodhya after 500 years,” Ramana told them, amid chants of Jai Sri Ram, Har Har Mahadev and Bharat Mata ki Jai. “But at the same time, he ensures development of (other) temple towns also. He is the true revivalist of Sanatan culture.”

Named ‘Sindhu’, the group comprising writers and academics was the sixth batch of Tamil enthusiasts who visited Kashi (Varanasi) for this year’s edition of the Kashi-Tamil Sangamam, a programme launched last year by the Ministry of Education to build social and cultural bridges, as well as to trace historical connections, between the two diverse regions.

The event’s 2023 edition, which began December 17, concluded Saturday.

According to Ramana, the Sangamam has done much more than just ensuring more visitors to Kashi from the South. “We, the Tamilians who migrated here a century ago as temple priests, were living as an isolated cultural community in Varanasi, but things are changing since the first sangamam was held last year. We get more visitors from southern India, and the locals are also more accepting of us,” he told The Indian Express.

Satish Raj, a science teacher from Thiruvannamalai district, said he registered for the trip last month and was surprised to see the “transformation of Kashi” since his last visit with family in 2017.

After returning, Raj said, he will tell his “students and peers about the Kashi-Ayodhya-Prayagraj tourist circuit”. “We will also visit Ayodhya and Prayagraj as part of this trip… but my only regret is that the Ram temple is not open yet,” he said.

While preparations are in full swing for the consecration ceremony of the Ayodhya temple on January 22, Kashi (or Varanasi) wasn’t prepared less for the Sangamam. Ahead of the event, the roads were dotted with ‘Vanakkam Kashi’ (welcome to Kashi) banners, railway stations, airport and ghats were all spruced up. A special Kanyakumari-Varanasi Tamil Sangamam train was also flagged off to mark the event.

Over the 14 days, seven groups, each comprising around 200 people and named after prominent rivers — Yamuna, Ganga, Kaveri, Sindhu, Narmada, Saraswati and Godavari — arrived in the city from different parts of Tamil Nadu. From businessmen to farming communities, from students to young professionals and seers, the visitors came from varied backgrounds.

At the newly inaugurated Namo Ghat, the latest tourist hotspot in Kashi, several stalls showcased art and culture of both Tamil Nadu and Kashi. Events combining the two cultures were organised, apart from seminars, discussions and lectures on ancient texts, philosophy, music, dance and Ayurveda.

From Bollywood legends Sridevi, Rekha, Hema Malini and A R Rahman to nationalist icons MG Ramachandran, MS Subbulakshmi and Subramanian Bharati, the contribution of people of Tamil origin to India’s history and culture was on display at the Ghat.

Drawing visitors was also a replica of Sengol, a ceremonial sceptre installed at the new Parliament Building by PM Modi, given to him by 21 seers from various Adheenams across Tamil Nadu.

At the Ghat, local shopkeeper Anand Singh said he now wanted to visit Rameshwaram, a town in Tamil Nadu known for the Ramanathaswamy Temple, “like people from there visit Kashi Vishwanath”.

Very likely, because the next edition of the event is planned to be held in Tamil Nadu this June, where people from Kashi will get to experience Kanchi.