Kashi Tamil Sangamam: Age old links between Kashi & Tamil Nadu

At a time when ‘Kashi Tamil Sangamam’, a month-long celebration are going on, which is organized to reaffirm and rediscover the age-old links between Tamilnadu and Kashi, it is pertinent to point out the emotional and devotional connection that is still prevalent between Tamilnadu and River Ganga. For more than 300 years, people of Tamil Nadu have been taking holy bath of Ganga Jal every year, which gushes out in a well in Thirivisinallur village, near Kumbakonam on the new moon day in Karthika month.

This year, on November 23, 2023  (New moon day), an on-the-spot visit was made. When we reached the spot around 5.30 am, already there was big queue of thousands of devotees in wet clothes, after having a dip in River Cauvery and eagerly awaiting to have holy bath of Ganga Jal. A large screen was put up outside the house of Sridhara Ayyaval. We could see on the screen the priest chanting mantras and performing pooja to the well (which was decorated with flowers), where Holy Ganges pumps out inside the well every year on this day. After the pooja was over, aarathi was performed to the well with all the devotees chanting ‘Gangethi, Gangethi’. This was followed by priests rendering Gangashtakkam, eight verses on Holy Ganges, along with hundreds of devotees sitting around the well. Soon after this, the whole atmosphere was reverberating with chanting of ‘Gangadhara, Gangadhara’ by the devotees inside and outside the premises with emotional and devotional fervor. Immediately 6 persons climb on the well with buckets tied with ropes and draw ganga jal from the well and pour it on the heads of devotees, who devotedly take the holy bath chanting aloud ‘Gangadhara, Gangadhara’ repeatedly.

Thousands of devotees (men, women, children, belonging to all castes), who were standing in the queue entered the premises and took holy dip and some even took the ganga jal in water bottles and vessels. After that all the devotees pay homage to the Samadhi of Sridhara Ayyaval, which is adjacent to the well and everybody was offered Vibhoothi, Kumkum and prasad. It was a wonderful sight to see as the entire atmosphere becoming filled with devotion to Holy Ganges and Lord Shiva. This taking of holy bath goes on till evening. This incidence of holy dip together by people belonging to all castes every year is marks the silent revolution of social harmony and the interconnectedness and bondage between North and South. The entire occasion was well organized.
Significance and the story behind the occasion:

Sridhara Venkatesa Dikshitar (1635-1720), known as Sridhara Ayyaval, a revolutionary householder saint who looked upon all living beings as god, one day was on his way to River Cauvery for a bath. It was a day of ‘Sraardha’ (annual death rites for ancestors) in his home and all food offerings were ready. On the way he found a poor Scheduled Caste fallen down in an unconscious state due to hunger. Unable to bear the sight of the suffering of the poor man Sridhara Ayyaval rushed back to his home and returned with the food prepared for the ceremony and gave it to the man. Sridhara Ayyaval , who saw the Lord in all, neither had a second thought about doing this nor was he bothered about the outcome of the act. He knew that by appeasing the hunger of this man he would be pleasing the Lord. After giving him food Sridhara Ayyaval went back home and cooked fresh food for the priests and invited them for performing the ceremony.

The priests who were to perform the ceremony were a jealous lot who envied Sridhara Ayyaval and chose this as the right moment to create trouble for him. They picked up an argument with him on this matter. Sridhara Ayyaval quoted scriptures to show the greatness of timely help and said it was in no way wrong to feed a hungry SC. However, the priests were adamant and refused to accept any explanation. They all walked out of the house and announced social boycott of Sridhara Ayyaval. Sridhara Ayyaval accepted this too as the divine will of Lord and continued the ceremony without the help of the priests.

Though the ceremony was performed in this manner that year, the following year Sridhara Ayyaval, very compassionate, requested the priests to participate in the ceremony. The arrogant priests refused the invitation bluntly. Sridhara Ayyaval pleaded with them to accept his invitation and said that he would carry out any atonement that they prescribed for the act of feeding the poor man. The priests then said, “Take a dip in the Holy Ganga. That is the only atonement for the act.” Sridhara Ayyaval replied, “The Holy Ganga is up in north and I am already old. I do not think I can travel that far. Instead, I shall bring the Holy Ganga to me in the well here my backyard.” Saying this, he prayed to Holy Ganga through eight verses of Gangashtakam composed by him then. And lo! The Holy River Ganga gushed out of the well in the backyard of Sridhara Ayyaval’s home! The priests were terrified to witness this miracle.

Now they were alarmed to see the river gush out to the roads! They ran and fell at Sridhara Ayyaval’s feet and begged his pardon. They requested Sridhara Ayyaval to send the river back! Sridhara Ayyaval then prayed to Mother Ganga to stay in his well in the backyard of his home for ever for the benefit of the people. The Holy River Ganga paid heed to his prayer and subsided into the well. This incident occurred on the new moon day in the month of ‘Karthika’. Hence, people throng to this place on this day of New Moon to have Holy bath. The ‘Gangaavatarana-mahotsavam’ is celebrated for ten days by the mutt every year in a grand manner, preceding that new moon day.

Due to the presence of Holy Ganga, the place is considered as Kashi, the mandapam adjoining the well is called Viswanatha Mandapam, the dining hall, where Annadanam is offered is called Annapoorna Hall. Sadashiva Brahmendra’s song Tunga Tarange Gange was written on Ayyaval who brought the Ganges.
Bhagavan Nama Bodendra Swamigal was a contemporary of Sridhara Ayyaval. Bodendra Swamigal had deep reverence for Sridhara Ayyaval. They used to meet often and enjoy the bliss of talking about the glory of the Lord. Sadashiva Brahmendra, another great Saint of the same time, also used to join Sridhara Ayyaval and Bodendra Swamigal in their discussions.

Sridhara Ayyaval spent every moment of his life striving to uplift the masses by spreading the nectarine Divine Names of the Lord. Today, the small mutt which houses this great soul stands as a witness to the life & times of this revolutionary saint.