Basara Saraswathi Temple

Basara Saraswathi Temple is one among the two temples of this Goddess in India. The other is in Kashmir. Let’s take the tour of the vibrant historical heritage in and around Nirmal. There are many places of worship built which reflect the amalgamation of various cultures and traditions. Among them the most important and most visited place is the temple of Basar, the abode of Goddess of Learning, Goddess Saraswathi. Basar is well connected by rail and road. One can go by train, The Secundrabad –Manmad Express that stops at Basar.And all state transport buses from Hyderabad. The temple authority provides the Devasthanam Choultry for the devotees and visitors for their stay. There are many guesthouses, restaurants and hotels available on reasonable tariffs. The temple of Goddess Saraswathi at Basar is one among the two temples of this Goddess. The other is in Kashmir. Basar is a village situated on the banks of river Godavari; the serene and pious nature attracts the kith and kin. Built at the confluence of the rivers Mangira and Godavari this temple is adorned by the goddess of knowledge and wisdom The Goddess Saraswathi. According to a popular legend great sage Vysa along with his son sage Shuka and other disciples desponded and dejected by the Kruskethra War left on a pilgrimage towards Dakshinapatnam (southern India). He retired on the banks of River Godavari for a penance. This was later called Vasar in his honour and gradually is being called as Basar. During his stay, Sage Vysa bought three handfuls of sand and made them into three heaps daily after the morning bath. T he heaps have transformed into the divine trio The Lakshmi, The Sarada and The Gowri. The idol made of sand is smeared with turmeric. Another popular legend says that Sage Valmiki prior writing his magnus opus The Ramayan; installed Goddess Saraswathi and seeked her blessing. One can find the marble samadi of Valmiki near the Saraswathi temple. The temple is an example of the Dravidian architectural splendour. The Garbha gudi or Garbha griha, Gopurams, Prakarams and the like all are sculptured with grandeur. The idol of Goddess Lakshmi is installed along with Goddess Jnana Saraswathi. The goddess adorns the throne in sitting posture, which is of 4 feet tall. Another object of attraction is the granite pillar that emits the sound of ‘Saptaswaras’when struck with a stone, drawing visitors’ attention. Another speciality is the tree called ‘Oudumbra’ at the base of which are installed the sacred sandals of Dattatreya’. It is believed that a barren woman is gifted with a child on mere touch of them. Devotees stream the temple for the ritual of ‘AksharaAbhishekam’ of their children; the formal starting of education deeming it to be auspicious. The annual festivals of ‘Devi Nava Rathri’, ‘Dattatreya Jayanthi’, and ‘Vasantha Panchami’ are celebrated with utmost dedication and devotion and draws devotees from all parts of the country from all walks of life. A shrine one must visit in one’s lifetime; the abode of Goddess of learning and knowledge is the BASAR Saraswathi temple in the Muthol taluq in the district of Adilabad in Andhra Pradesh. For more information on Basar Saraswathi, please visit: www.basaratemple.org

Basara Temple - Accomodation facilities. TTD Guest House ( Four Rooms) Each room (Non-AC) Rs. 150 per day, AC room Rs. 400 per day. Vemulavada Guest House 4 rooms. Rs. 75 per day per room. Saraswathi Sadan Guest House with 5 rooms. Rs. 75 per day per room. Nilanghekar Guest House ( Donor Guest House) With 4 rooms Rs. 100 per day per room. Gourla Guest HOuse (Donar Guest House) with 2 rooms Rs.150 per room per day. Dharamshala with 9 rooms Rs.100 per room per day. There is a large 100 room Tirumala Tirupathi Devasthanam (TTD) Guest House. Rooms are available for Rs. 100 per day. There are Brahmana Choultry and Vyshya Choultry near the temple premises. APTDC run Punnami hotel ( Ph: 08752-243691) is also available for the visitors. For reservations and bookings visit APTDC website. Besides these major accomodation facilities, there are about 20 private lodging establishments with an average of 15 rooms each. Air conditioned rooms cost about Rs. 700 per day and Non-AC about Rs. 200. To reserve the rooms, please write a letter to Excutive officer along with a Demand Draft of Rs. 200 for Non-AC room and Rs. 500 for AC room, in favour of "Excutive officer, Gnana Saraswathi Devi Devastahnam" payable at "State Bank of Hyderabad-Basar, Andhra Pradesh" Make sure to mention the date, time, duration of stay, number of people and number of rooms you want to reserve. Register post the letter to the following address: The Executive Officer Sri Gnana Saraswathi Devasthanam, Basara - Village: Mudhole - Mandal. Adilabad. Pin - 504101, Andhra Pradesh, India. Devasthanam Phone number (91) 08752 - 243503 Executive Officer (Office) (91) 08752 - 243550 E.O (Home) (91) 08752 - 243903

How to Reach Basara Temple?

Basara is well connected with Road and Rail routes. By Air : Nearest airport is Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh. From Hyderabad one can choose to travel by Bus, Train or by hiring a private taxi. By Train : Basara has a Rail railway station between Secunderbad Junction - Mudkhed Junction (via Kamareddy, Nizamabad.) By Road : Number of Andhra Pradesh Road Transport Buses ( APSRTC) are available from Hyderabad Mahatma Gandhi Bus Station ( Imliban Bus station) and from Jubilee Bus Station (JBS Secunderabad) List of trains and their schedule to Basar. Note: Information provided may be out dated and need update. Kindly visit the Indian railways web site for the latest. Kindly visit South central railway website for detailed schedule TRAIN NO TRAIN NAME 7058 DEVAGIRI EXP 707 PARBHANI - NIZAMABAD PASS 708 NIZAMABAD - NANDED PASS 703 NANDED-NIZAMABAD 704 NIZAMABAD-NANDED PASS 582 NIZAMABAD - MUDKHED PASS 557 NIZAMABAD - NANDED PASS 558 NANDED - NIZAMABAD PASS Station Telephone Numbers Centralised enquiry about arrival and departure of trains at Secunderabad, Hyderabad, Kacheguda and Begumpet. 131 Centralised reservation enquiry about Accommodation availability and Confirmation for all classes at Secunderabad 135 1345 (IVRS)* IVRS for train enquiry at Secunderabad 1331 (English) 1332 (Hindi) 1333 (Telugu) Vijayawada 131 136 (IVRS) 135 133 578955 577775 Guntakal 131 (Note: Kindly reconfirm the train numbers and the destinations with the proper railway authorities. Web site is not responsible for an misinformation) BUS Transport: Number of APSRTC buses, as frequent as every half-hour, are available from Imliban Bus station (MGBS), Hyderabad and Jubilee bustation, Secunderabad, Nizamabad and Bhainsa. Contact APSRTC for a detailed Schedule. APSRTC Enquiry phone numbers: 040 - 23434268 General Enquiry 040 - 23434280 General Enquiry 040 - 24618685 General Enquiry 040 - 23434264 General Enquiry 040 - 24613955 and 040 - 23434269 - Reservation Enquiry. From Maharashtra busses run from Nanded, Bhokar, Hadi Gaon and Mudhkhed.