Agasthyar’s legacy to be the focus of Kashi Tamil Sangamam 3.0

Agasthyar’s legacy to be the focus of Kashi Tamil Sangamam 3.0

Sub: History

Sec: Art and Culture

Context: -Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan on Wednesday announced that the main theme of the third edition of Kashi Tamil Sangamam, a cultural exchange programme scheduled to be held from February 14 to 25, will be Rishi Agasthya.

What is Kashi Tamil Sangamam?

About:

• Kashi Tamil Sangamam is being organized by the Ministry of Education, Govt. of India in collaboration with other ministries including Culture, Textiles, Railways, Tourism, Food Processing, I&B etc. and the Govt. of UP.
• The event aims to strengthen historical and cultural connections between the two regions, bringing together intellectuals, artists, and scholars from both sides.
• The endeavour is in sync with NEP 2020’s emphasis on integrating the wealth of Indian Knowledge Systems with modern systems of knowledge. IIT Madras and BHU are the two implementing agencies for the programme.

Cultural Significance:

• King Parakrama Pandya, who ruled over the region around Madurai in the 15th century, wanted to build a temple to Lord Shiva, and he travelled to Kashi (Uttar Pradesh) to bring back a lingam.
• For devotees who could not visit Kashi, the Pandyas had built the Kasi Viswanathar Temple in what is today Tenkasi in southwestern Tamil Nadu, close to the state’s border with Kerala.

About Rishi Agasthyar

• Rishi Agasthyar is considered one of the most revered sages in Hinduism and is particularly significant in Tamil tradition.
• He is one of the seven most revered rishis (the Saptarishi) in the Vedic texts, and is revered as one of the Tamil Siddhar in the Shaivism tradition, who invented an early grammar of the Old Tamil language, Agattiyam.
• Sage Agastya is mentioned in the Hindu epic Ramayana in several chapters with his hermitage described to be on the banks of river Godavari.