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Narayan Ganpati (right), 45, claims to be the fifth generation of his family from Varanasi to live in Hanuman Ghat Mohalla.

VS Chandrashekhar is happy that the mega event KashiTamil Samagam is being held.

Oliver Fredrick

oliver.fredrick@ htlive.com

Varanasi: Called mini Tamil Nadu by locals, Hanuman Ghat Mohalla in Varanasi is a vibrant symbol of the centuries-old bond between Kashi and Tamil Nadu.

Its uniqueness is more prominent than ever in the context of Kashi Tamil Samagam, which aims to revive the cultural and traditional ties between Varanasi and Tamil Nadu. Prime Minister Narendra Modi will formally inaugurate the event on Saturday.

Home to around 70 Tamil families, the locality is a stone's throw from Hanuman Ghat on the banks of the Ganga.

Clearly different from other areas of the city, it has temples with Dravidian architectural designs. The houses have lots of greenery outdoors and spacious verandas adorned with terracotta sculptures, wooden swings and brightly coloured indoors - a common feature of traditional houses in Tamil Nadu.

"Our mohalla (locality) was like any other place in Varanasi. But when Kashi-Tamil Samagam took place, it suddenly came into the limelight," says Narayan Ganpathi, 45, who lives in Hanuman Ghat Mohalla.

Kashi-Tamil Samagam is a first-of-its-kind initiative of the Union Ministry of Education in collaboration with IIT Madras and Banaras Hindu University (BHU). The month-long event saw participation from over 2500 representatives from all walks of life.

"We are very grateful to the people of Varanasi," says Ganpati, a local priest who claims to be the fifth generation of his family living here. Now the world will realise the rich cultural bond between Kashi and TN. "

Ganpati says his family was among 200 people who embarked on a pilgrimage on foot from Tamil Nadu to Varanasi about 120 years ago.

"On reaching Kashi, they settled here to pay homage to Lord Shiva and attain moksha," he adds.

VS Chandrashekhar, manager of Kanchi Shankaracharya Math, is happy that the big event has been organised.

"This helps highlight the contribution of Tamils ​​in Varanasi's history," he says. Despite remaining in UP for generations, Tamil families have kept their traditions and culture alive, he adds.

"The first and most basic thing we do to keep our culture alive is to speak in our mother tongue, Tamil. We make sure to celebrate our festivals, including Pongal, along with other festivals from the north. In fact, we consider ourselves lucky to celebrate festivals from both the north and the south," says Chandrashekhar. Kedar Shastri, another local Tamil, says the importance of Tamil culture and traditions can be gauged from the fact that the priests of Notkottai Satram math perform aarti (religious rituals) twice a day at the famous Kashi Vishwanath temple in Varanasi.

Experts say the connection between Kashi (Varanasi) and Tamil Nadu (TN) dates back more than 700 years. These bonds were further strengthened when spiritual leaders from TN established the tradition of pilgrimage from Rameswaram in Tamil Nadu to Varanasi in UP.

Pravesh Srivastava, senior professor in the department of ancient Indian history, culture and archaeology at BHU, says Indian history has several references to Tamil Nadu in the context of Varanasi.

One such reference relates to the founding of Sivakasi, a city in Virudhunagar district of Tamil Nadu, famous for its fireworks, matchbox and printing industries.

According to legend, in the early 15th century, Pandyan king Harikesari Parakkirama Pandian wanted to build a temple of Lord Shiva in his region. The king travelled to Varanasi and brought a Shivlingam, nicknamed "Kashi", to his domain. On his return journey, he decided to rest under a grove of biba trees. After some time, the bull carrying the precious Shivlingam refused to move even an inch. The king installed a Shivlingam at the same place, and as the Shivalingam was brought from Kashi (Kashi), Srivastava says, the place came to be known as Sivakasi.