National Integration-The traditional Hindu view

Gange cha Yamune chaiva Godavari Saraswati
Narmade Sindhu Kaveri jalesmin sannidhim kuru

“In this water, I invoke the sacred waters of the Ganga, Yamuna, Godavari, Saraswati, Narmada, Sindhu and Kaveri.”
The Kanchi Paramachaarya brings out the strong message that the concept of “national integration” is nothing new to us Indians, and that we have been aware of this for centuries.
The above Shloka is chanted by the devout while having a bath anywhere. By chanting the names of important rivers in the subcontinent during one’s bath, one is reminded of the length and breadth of this great Desam, contrary to the popular notion that “India” as a nation is just a British creation.
To quote another example, Hindus perform rituals for their departed family members in places like Gaya (Bihar), Kaasi (Uttar Pradesh), Rameswaram, etc. This way, people from the North visit the South, and vice versa. This is indeed spectacular, as it is very difficult to see such a commonality of rituals over such a vast spread of geography!
In Madurai, I often see a lot of devotees who come all the way from the north, to see Meenakshi Sundareswarar, and also Ramanaatha Swamy in Rameswaram, 3 hours from here. :-)