Varanasi: ‘City of Kashi has been attracting Tamils since time immemorial’
VARANASI: “Kashi had been attracting people from Tamil Nadu since time immemorial, but our ancestors started efforts to settle in this abode of Lord Shiva in 17th century when poet of Tamil saint tradition and Shaivite ascetic Kumaraguruparar sought land from Mughal empire and founded Kumaraswamy Mutt around 1658,” recalled VS Subramaniam Mani, secretary of Kashi Tamil Sangh, on the eve of Kashi Tamil Sangamam.
If Kumaraguruparar founded a mutt and renovated Gauri Kedareshwar temple by convincing the then Mughal ruler of Varanasi province Dara Shikoh, many other organisations from Tamil Nadu like Sri Kasi Nattukkottai Nagara Satram associated them with city and arranged bhog-prasad at Kashi Vishwanath temple for 209 years.
Vedic scholar and Shri Kashi Vishwanath temple trust member Venkat R Ghanpathi said, “After Adi Shankaracharya 2,500 years ago, there are many references to a large number of legendary poets, kings and their families art and culture.”
The arrival of people from Tamil Nadu region was interrupted during the medieval period, they said, mentioning that it was the attraction of Kashi that inspired Tamil king Raja Vikrama Pandya to establish Shivkasi along Tamrapali river in the 14th century. “The influx of Tamils had started increasing following Kumaraguruparar’s initiatives,” said Ghanpathi, adding,
“Thiruvaduthurai Adheenam also visited in Kashi while
many legendary poets like Subramanyam Bharti,
musicians like Muthuswamy Dikshitar
also associated themselves with this place.”
Tamil’s attraction for Kashi got a mega boost when Kanchi Kamkoti Peeth’s Shankaracharya Swami Chandrashekhar Saraswati arrived here in 1934. After him, Shankaracharya Swami Jayendra Saraswati visited Kashi and established a Kanchi Kamakoti temple in Hanuman Ghat area,” said Mani, who is also in-charge of Kanchi Shankaracharya Mutt, a branch of Kanchi Kamkoti Peetham in Kashi and looking after this temple.
He said that due to efforts of Swami Jayendra Saraswati the ‘argha’ of Kashi Vishwanath temple was replaced by a golden ‘argha’ and he also gave vision of carrying out Kashi Vishwanath Kalash Yatra.
Vagdevi temple in Sampurnanand Sanskrit University was built, courtesy Shankaracharya Swami Shankar Vijayendra Saraswati in 1987, recalled Ghanpathi.
Mani said that on being inspired by Swami Jayendra Saraswati legendary classical vocalist MS Subbulakshmi composed `Suprabhatam’ for Kashi-Rameshwaram, said Mani.
K Shivram Krishnan, a retired Banaras Hindu University employee, said, “The list of Tamil personalities who contributed in the field of education, arts and culture is very long.” “Kashi Tamil Sangh was formed in Varanasi in 1927,” said Mani adding, “People associated with it have been dwelling here for many generations after their forefathers settled here and now the strength of Tamil families in Kashi is over 1,000.”