Kashi Tamil Sangamam, a month-long cultural program, was recently inaugurated by the Prime Minister of India in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh. The program is a part of the Government of India's "Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav" and is aimed at strengthening the "Ek Bharat Sreshtha Bharat" initiative.

 

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Kashi Tamil Sangamam celebrates the historical and cultural connections between North and South India. The program's main objective is to bring the two regions' knowledge and cultural traditions closer together and to promote an understanding of their shared heritage. The program is being organized by the Ministry of Education in collaboration with other government bodies such as the Ministry of Culture, Textiles, Railways, Tourism, Food Processing, and Information & Broadcasting. The event aligns with the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, which emphasizes integrating traditional Indian knowledge with modern knowledge systems.

 

The program is being implemented by IIT Madras and Banaras Hindu University (BHU). It has a cultural significance as the King Parakrama Pandya of the 15th century wanted to build a temple to Lord Shiva in Madurai. He traveled to Kashi to bring a lingam but decided to install it in Sivakasi, Tamil Nadu after the cow carrying it refused to move from the spot. The Pandyas had built the Kasi Viswanathar Temple in Tenkasi, located near the Tamil Nadu-Kerala border, for devotees who could not visit Kashi. Image: Narendra Modi/Twitter