About Kashi Tamil Sangamam
Kashi Tamil Sangamam celebrates the civilisational bond between Tamil Nadu and Kashi. It was conceived as an expression of Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat: two of India's oldest centres of learning, Kashi on the Ganga and the Tamil country on the Vaigai and the Kaveri, meeting to rediscover shared traditions of language, scholarship, faith, craft and cuisine.
The fifth edition: Thirukkural Payilvom
Kashi Tamil Sangamam 5.0 will be held from 28 Nov 2026 to 12 Dec 2026 under the theme “Thirukkural Payilvom – Thirukkural Abhyas Karen”. The programme seeks to celebrate the cultural and civilisational bonds between Kashi and Tamil Nadu and to promote the timeless ethical and moral values of the Thirukkural.
KTS 5.0 takes the Thirukkural, the 1,330 couplets of Thiruvalluvar, as its unifying theme. The couplets speak of virtue, wealth and love in a language that every Indian tradition recognises as its own, which is why the Central Institute of Classical Tamil has translated the text into all twenty-two languages of the Eighth Schedule.
Under this theme, 1,000 Participating Institutions across India, selected by the Nodal Institutions of the States/UTs, each assess their interested students on the Thirukkural and nominate one on merit; the selected students take part in a two-lecture academic orientation in their own language and a one-month research and academic engagement, write an article or research note of at least 4 and not more than 10 pages under a Faculty Supervisor/Guide, and carry the text back to their campuses through a one-hour presentation of their own.
திருக்குறள் பயில்வோம் · Thirukkural Payilvom – Thirukkural Abhyas Karen · तिरुक्कुरल अभ्यास करें · Let's Learn Thirukkural
Who does what
- The Ministry of Education is the nodal ministry for the Sangamam.
- The Central Institute of Classical Tamil, Chennai, implements KTS 5.0: this portal, on which institutions register and the Participating Institutions nominate their students, the multilingual orientation, the digital repository, apps, films, publications and outreach to schools.
- IIT Madras and Banaras Hindu University are the nodal and coordinating institutes on the Tamil Nadu side and the Kashi side.
- Indian Railways, the Airports Authority of India, the National Highways Authority of India, the Ministry of Culture, UGC, AICTE, CBSE, KVS and the Governments of Tamil Nadu and Uttar Pradesh are partners for displays, outreach, travel and venues. Partners →
The journey so far
More than 2,500 people from Tamil Nadu, from twelve walks of life, visited Varanasi, Prayagraj and Ayodhya on eight-day tours. Organised by the Ministry of Education with the Government of Uttar Pradesh at Banaras Hindu University.
Held at Namo Ghat, Varanasi, with interactive academic sessions between professionals from Tamil Nadu and Kashi, and real-time Tamil translation of the inaugural address through an app.
Bridging Indian knowledge and tradition with contemporary discourse, and highlighting the legacy of Sage Agasthyar; 1,200 participants, including 200 students of Tamil origin from central universities.
“Let us learn Tamil”: fifty Tamil teachers taught in the schools of Varanasi, 300 students from Varanasi studied Tamil in colleges in Tamil Nadu, and the Agasthya Expedition travelled from Tenkasi to Kashi. The valedictory function was held at Rameswaram.
“Thirukkural Payilvom”: the Thirukkural for every campus in India, in every Indian language.
Implementing institute
Central Institute of Classical Tamil (CICT), Chennai
Central Institute of Classical Tamil (CICT), Chemmozhi Salai, Perumbakkam, Chennai – 600100, India
kts@cict.in · 044-22540125
