Om! Gam! Ganapathaye! Namaha!

Om! Sri Raghavendraya Namaha!

Om! Namo! Bhagavathe! Vasudevaya!
Om! Ham! Hanumathe! Sri Rama Doothaya Namaha!

BASAR
A RARE TEMPLE OF
GODDESS SARASWATHI

In our country we find very few temples of Goddess Saraswathi. Out of two
such famous temples dedicated to Goddess Saraswathi one which can be
easily accessed is in Adilabad district of Andhra Pradesh in a prominent place
called Basar. Situated on the Banks of holy river Godavari, the Goddess at
Basar is known as Gnana Saraswathi the one who bestows knowledge. It is
the only temple in the entire South India that is dedicated to the Goddess of
Learning Sri Saraswathi.

Legend behind the Temple

As per the popular legend it is said that Sage Veda Vyasa of Mahabharata
fame after the Kurukshetra war went on a pilgrimage in search of peace.
During the course of his pilgrimage he reached this place at Basar situated
on the banks of holy river Godavari in Dandakaranya. He found this place to
be very peaceful and serene for his penance and started meditating. It is
believed that the Divine Mother appeared before him and ordained him to
install the Shakthi trio (Maha Saraswathi, Maha Lakshmi and Maha Kali) at
this place. Accordingly the Sage Veda Vyasa did so by bringing three
handful of sand from the river bed and started worshiping the Divine Mother.
Miraculously these sand heaps got transformed into Shakthi Trio forming
three idols of Goddess Lakshmi, Saraswathi and Kali. Due to the involvement
of Sage Vedavyasa who stayed at this place, thenceforth it came to be
known initially as Vyasapuri which in course of time became Vasara and
ultimately as Basara or Basar.

Though it is a Kshetra of Shakthi trio it became popular as a Saraswathi

Kshetra dedicated to Goddess Saraswathi known here as Gnana Saraswathi.
Here, Goddess Saraswathi the presiding deity is depicted in a seated position
holding Veena, her instrument in two hands and with the sand idol bedecked
with turmeric. Adjacent we find the shrine of Maha Lakshmi and Maha Kali
at a little distance.

Temple Timings
The temple remains open from morning 4.00 am to night 8.30 pm. In
between it is closed during afternoon from 12.30 pm to 2.00 pm.

Aksharabhyasam at Basar Temple

The temple of Gnana Saraswathi at Basar is famous for a ritual known as
Aksharabhyasam, formal induction of a child into education. Many people
bring their children to this temple especially on Vasantha Panchami day and
induct them into Aksharabhyasa with the strong belief that they would
prosper well in their education and learning.

Festivals at Basar
Special celebrations are held at this Saraswathi temple on the occasion of
Vasantha Panchami, Shivarathri that falls during the months of January-
February and on the occasion of Devi Navarathri festival known as Dussera
during September-October. Thousands of pilgrims take bath in the holy
river Godavari and seek the blessings of Gnana Saraswathi during these
occasions.

How to Reach Basar?

Though it is in Adilabad District, it is nearer to Nizamabad town in the
Northern Telangana region of Andhra Pradesh. The place Basar is well
connected by rail and road. By Road Nizamabad is connected to NH-7.
APSRTC runs number of buses to Basar connecting major towns and cities of
Andhra Pradesh. By road it is 210 km from Hyderabad, 55 km from
Nizamabad and 70 km from Nirmal. Basar is also on the rail map of India
situated on the Hyderabad – Manmad section of South Central Railway at a
distance of about 30 km from Nizamabad. Nanded in Maharastra is 80 km
from Basar. All trains passing in this route stop at Basar station. Nearest
airport is Hyderabad an international airport about 210 km from Basar.

Stay and Accommodation

For a days visit there may be no need for a stay and accommodation. One
can return by night to the nearest town of Nizamabad or Hyderabad city.
For those who would like to stay overnight there are number of Hotels and
Guest houses including that of TTD’s, providing accommodation to pilgrims
at reasonable cost.

For more details you may like to contact,

Executive Officer,
Sri Gnana Saraswathi Devasthanam,
Basara - Village: Mudhole Mandal,
Adilabad (Dt.), Pin - 504101,
Andhra Pradesh, India.

Tele: (91) 08752-243503

Executive Officer: (91) 08752-243550

Sri Krishnaarpanamasthu
bhargavasarma