The fourth edition of Kashi Tamil Sangamam started on December 2, 2025, in Varanasi, under the aegis of “Let Us Learn Tamil – Tamil Karkalam”.
Launched by the Ministry of Education, along with the Government of Uttar Pradesh, this year’s event goes out to further strengthen the civilisational and cultural ties between the ancient city of Kashi and the southern state of Tamil Nadu by combining pilgrimage with cultural exchange and language learning under the umbrella of Ek Bharat Shrestha Bharat.
Cultural and civilisational confluence
Kashi and Tamil Nadu are connected through spiritual journeys, scholarly exchanges, temple traditions, and cultural flows between North and South India for several centuries.
The Sangamam builds on this legacy. Over 1,400 delegates from Tamil Nadu will be attending the Sangamam in Varanasi, including students, teachers, writers, media professionals, artisans, and spiritual scholars. Cultural events, heritage-site visits, spiritual rituals, and academic interactions will form part of the Sangamam.
Language and educational exchange
But what makes the 2025 edition different is its linguistic outreach: the learning of the Tamil language forms the core of the Tamil Karkalam initiative. As part of this initiative, Tamil-language teachers will be sent to teach spoken Tamil in 50 schools in Varanasi so that students from non-Tamil backgrounds can learn one of India's oldest classical languages.
After the Varanasi phase, students from the Kashi region will also get an opportunity to visit Tamil Nadu, thereby further reinforcing mutual understanding, respect, and cultural solidarity between the two regions.
Spiritual and symbolic significance
Apart from culture and language, Sangamam is an event of deep spiritual and symbolic significance. The arrival of Tamil delegates in Kashi, many of whom are spiritual scholars, classical musicians, and temple artisans, awakens the old flows of pilgrimage and devotion between North and South India.
For participants, it will be a journey of rediscovery to explore the sacred ghats, participate in rites and rituals, and experience traditions striking a chord with their ancestry and faith.
