Gnana Saraswati Temple, Basar

Gnana Saraswati Temple శ్రీ జ్ఞాన సరస్వతి దేవస్థానము
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Gnana Saraswati Temple శ్రీ జ్ఞాన సరస్వతి దేవస్థానము Location in Telangana
Name
Proper name	Shri Gnana Saraswati Temple శ్రీ జ్ఞాన సరస్వతి దేవస్థానము
Geography
Coordinates
Country	India
State	Telangana
District	Adilabad
Location	Basar
Elevation	579 m (1,900 ft)
Culture
Primary deity	Saraswati
Important festivals	Saraswati Puja
Architecture
Architectural styles	South Indian
History and governance
Website	http://basaratemple.org/

Gnana Saraswati Temple (Telugu: శ్రీ జ్ఞాన సరస్వతి దేవస్థానము) is a Hindu temple of Goddess Saraswati located on the banks of Godavari River at Basar, Telangana, India. It is one of the two famous Saraswati temples in India, the other being in Jammu & Kashmir. Saraswati is the Hindu Goddess of knowledge and learning. Children are brought to the temple for the learning ceremony called as Akshara abyasam.

Basar is a census town in the Adilabad district in the state of Telangana. It is about 30 km (19 mi) from Bhainsa,15.5 km (10 mi) from Dharmabad, 34.8 km (22 mi) from Nizamabad, 70 km (43 mi) from Nirmal, and 205 km (127 mi) from Hyderabad.

Origin

According to some myth, Maharishi Vyas and his disciples and sage Viswamitra decided to settle down in a cool and serene atmosphere after the Kurukshetra War. In the quest for a peaceful abode, he came to Dandaka forest and, pleased with serenity of the region, selected this place. Since Maharishi Vyasa spent considerable time in prayers, the place was then called "Vasara" and turned into Basara due to the influence of the Marathi language in the region.

It is also believed that this temple is one of the three temples constructed near the confluence of the Manjira and Godavari rivers.

Historically, 'Bijialudu' a Karnataka king, who ruled the province of Nandagiri with Nanded as his capital in the sixth century, constructed the temple at Basara.

The Temple Today

Photo of the river Godavari, behind/adjacent to the temple, taken on 30 April 2011.

Many pilgrims come to Basara to perform the "Akshara abhyasam" ceremony for the children before they start formal school education. The children perform the exercise of letters, and devote books, pens, pencils notebooks to the goddess of knowledge. The Puja at the temple starts at 4 am in morning with Abhishekam which carries on for an hour. At 5 o'clock they start the Alankarana whereby the new sarees are adorned to the goddesses. The whole atmosphere is very pious and pure. At 6 am, in the rays of the morning sun, the aarti starts at the temple after which the prasadam is given to the devotees.

Special poojas and celebrations are held at the temple during Maha Shivaratri, beginning 15 days before (Vasantha Panchami) and continuing 3 days after the festival. Devi Navarathrulu is celebrated for ten days during Dasara.

The temple also has a Mahakali idol situated on the 1st floor very near to the main temple. Devotees often go to the nearby mountain which has an Idol of Goddess Saraswati on the top of the rock. The image of Lakshmi stands besides the Goddess Saraswati in the sanctum sanctorum. Due to the presence of Saraswati, Lakshmi and Kali, Basara is considered as the abode of the divine trinity.

How to Reach

The temple is located about 210 kilometers(via road) from the nearest City Hyderabad.It is well connected by District buses,run by TSRTC .but, by train it is said to be the best.As the Temple is located about 2.4 km from, Basar Railway Station.where you can get share-autos to the temple by paying a nominal. Trains that go to Basar Railway station 51433 NZB-PVR PASSENGER PASSENGER 2 17640 AK-KCG INTER CITY EXP MAIL EXP 3 17058 DEVAGIRI MAIL EXP 4 18310 NED-SBP NAGAWALI BI-WEEK 5 57562 MMR-KCG- PASS PASSENGER 6 57593 NED PASS PASSENGER 7 17232 NSL-NS EXPRESS MAIL EXP 8 57558 NZB PASS PASSENGER 9 16004 NSL-MAS WKLY EXP 10 17064 AJANTA MAIL EXP

See also

• List of Hindu temples in India

External links

• Wikimapia
• Hyderabad to Basara map
• BasaraTemple.org