KTS 4.0 adopts the theme “Learn Tamil Tamil Karkalam”, aimed at promoting Tamil language learning across India and reinvigorating interest in classical linguistic heritage. Delegates drawn from seven categories including students, teachers, writers, artisans, women and spiritual scholars—will take part in seminars, cultural performances, and immersive learning modules.
Program structure and itinerary
The Sangamam offers an eight-day itinerary covering Varanasi, Prayagraj and Ayodhya. Participants will visit key Tamil heritage sites in Varanasi: the ancestral house of Mahakavi Subramanya Bharatiyar, Kedar Ghat, the Kasi Madam in the Little Tamil Nadu precinct, Shri Kashi Vishwanath Temple and Mata Annapurna Temple. BHU’s Tamil Department will host academic and literary interactions.
Sage Agasthya Vehicle Expedition
A highlight is the Sage Agasthya Vehicle Expedition, departing Tenkasi on 2 December and culminating in Kashi on 10 December. The expedition retraces ancient cultural routes and commemorates traditions linked to Pandiyan ruler Adi Veera Parakrama Pandiyan, evoking civilisational links from Chera, Chola, Pandya, Pallava, Chalukya and Vijayanagara eras.
Teaching and learning initiatives
KTS 4.0 will pilot an on-ground Tamil teaching drive in Varanasi schools, where 50 Hindi-knowing Tamil teachers will introduce Tamil to local students under the “Tamil Karkalam” campaign. Complementing this, a cohort of 300 college students from Kashi will be selected for a 15-day Tamil immersion programme in Tamil Nadu; orientation materials will be provided by CICT Chennai and host institutions.
Coordination and backing
The programme is coordinated by IIT Madras and BHU Varanasi with support from multiple central ministries Culture; Information & Broadcasting; Tourism; Textiles; Food Processing; MSME; Skill Development & Entrepreneurship and public bodies such as IRCTC and the Government of Uttar Pradesh. This whole-of-government approach aims to combine academia, arts, tourism and skill development.
Registrations and selection
Organisers have launched two dedicated portals. General registrations (all categories) are available at kashitamil.iitm.ac.in with the window closing at 8:00 PM on 21 November 2025; a Selection Quiz is scheduled for 23 November 2025. The second portal, kashitamil.bhu.edu.in, manages selection of the 300 students chosen for the Tamil immersion tour.
Cultural and national significance
Since 2022, Kashi Tamil Sangamam has emerged as a recurring cultural bridge reconnecting two of India’s oldest knowledge traditions. KTS 4.0 aims to deepen people-to-people contact, support linguistic pluralism and foster youth engagement reinforcing the government’s broader objective of national integration through cultural exchange.
For background and official updates, see the Ministry of Education and Press Information Bureau releases.