North Telengana: Basar

Amongst the few historic Saraswati temples in the country, one of the most well known is in Basar, a town on the banks of the Godavari river. One of the earliest trips every young Hyderabadi makes is perforce to Basar. Once called Vyasapuri after Sage Vyasa, who meditated here, the town later became Vasara and finally got corrupted to the present day Basar because of the Maharashtrian influence on this border town. People from all over the state as well as Andhra Pradesh and Maharashtra bring their children here for blessings, before they begin their education. Some years ago, an IIT campus was supposed to come up here – a distinguished seat to be placed at the feet of the goddess of learning. Then the powers-that-are changed their plans and the IIT was shifted elsewhere. But Saraswathi has stayed on in this one-street temple town surrounded by low-lying green hills on the banks of the Godavari. The fierce river of Maharashtra, the tired lady of Konaseema, is as gentle as a spring here.

Things to See & Do

Basar, though a popular pilgrimage destination, is a pleasantly peaceful place, and strikingly small. No noisy loud-speakers or cacophony of car horns disturb the peace. Even the bazaar is devoid of the usual dust and din. A single road loops around the town; you start strolling and in no time you are back to square one.

The townspeople can set their clocks to the bhajans from the temple loud speaker, which ann-ounces the abhish ekam at 4.00am, waking you up in the predawn. Don’t turn over and go back to sleep. Instead, get up and step out. It is a magical hour, when the sky is clear and still studded with stars. Walk on the empty streets and soak in the stillness and serenity. The road out of the temple-town is lined with innumerable small rocks. Climb onto one of them and witness the birth of a new day. In the evening sit by the side of the Godavari and with the waves gently lapping at your feet, lend an ear to her stories.

A 2-day Basar Tour, organised by TSTDC leaves every Saturday from Hyderabad and covers the Saraswathi Temple at Basar and various sights in Nizmaabad district such as the Dichpalli Ramalayam, the Laxminarasimha Swamy Temple and the Kalabhairava Swamy Temple near Kamareddi.

Goddess Gyana Saraswathi Temple

Feeling depressed after the Kurukshetra War, Sage Vyasa, along with his son and other disciples, left on a pilgrimage. After reaching the Kumaranchala Hills on the banks of the Godavari, he was finally soothed by the serene ambience of the place and decided to settle there. While Vyasa was engrossed in meditation, the divine mother appeared before him and ordained him to build temples for the Shakti trio – Saraswathi, Laxmi and Kali. The sage collected three handfuls of sand everyday and placed them on the ground. Over time, the heap of sand was miraculously transformed into statues of the deities. ‘Gyana Saraswati Devi’, the consort of Lord Brahma and the goddess of learning, music and wisdom, is the presiding deity of the temple. She is generally depicted dressed in white, seated on a swan and playing the veena, a stringed musical instrument. In Basar, her idol is bedecked with turmeric, eating a bit of which is believed to enhance a person’s knowledge and wisdom. Next to Saraswati is the idol of Laxmi – a rarity as the two are never seen together inside the sanctum sanctorum of temples. Further to the east lies a shrine dedicated to Kali.

Manicured gardens in front of the Gyana Saraswathi Temple

The present structure of the temple dates back to the Chalukyan period, though many additions and renovations have been incorporated over the years. The temple, set in a pleasant garden, has a shaded walkway lined with benches leading to it. It follows the standard plan of a gopuram opening into a courtyard, in the middle of which is the sanctum sanctorum. There are no carvings on the gopuram or the interiors.

In recent years, the temple has become a chosen destination for the Akshara Abhyasam (akshara – letters, abhyasam – practice) ritual. Before the commencement of a child’s formal education, a special prayer is performed for Goddess Saraswati. In the Basar temple, Akshara Abhyasam is done in large groups in front of the sanctum and in the adjacent hall, which has a smaller idol of the deity. After the ritual, devotees request the priest to make their children write their first letters on a slate.

One of the most important festivals of the temple is Vasant Panchami (February), which heralds the onset of spring and is considered to be the birthday of goddess Saraswati. Special prayers are performed for the deity. This day is considered to be an auspicious occasion to start a child’s education and many Hindu children are taught to read and write for the first time. It is also a favoured day to lay the foundations of educational institutions.

The festivals of Maha Shivaratri (February–March) and Devi Navaratrulu (September–October) see grand celebrations in the temple, with as many as 10,000 pilgrims visiting from all over the state as well as the neighbouring states of Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh. In light of the temple’s mythical association with Veda Vyasa, Vyasa Poornima, on the day of Aashad Poornima – the full moon night in the month of Ashad (July–August) – is another important festival of the temple.

Vyasa Gumfa

Near the temple, on the top of a hillock, is Vyasa Gumfa, the cave where Vyasa had performed penance. The entrance is quite constricted and you need to get down on all fours, but within, the cave is wide and spacious. Monkeys accompany you all the way up. They are quite aggressive: watch your belongings.

Where to Stay & Eat

Telangana Tourism’s Haritha Hotel (Tel: 08752-255691, Cell: 09848074462; Tariff: ₹550–1,850), opposite the Saraswati Temple is a good budget option. Sri Harihara Cottage (Cell: 08978781168; Tariff: ₹1,200–1,500), between the temple and Ganga Pushkar Ghat, has 16 AC cottages. Meals are provided on request. Another option is the Indraprastha Resort Hotel (Cell: 08008797777, 08008200690; Tariff: ₹3,000), which has 40 rooms with 3-star facilities. Their restaurant serves south Indian as well as north Indian meals.

The Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam Guest House (W basaratemple.org) has about 100 AC and non-AC rooms. Meals are available on order. Rooms are offered on first-come-first-served basis. There is no online facility for booking.

Basar also has a number of community-specific choultries, for instance the Brahmana and Vaishya choultries. Many tiny lodges have sprung up around the temple to cater to the festival occasions of Maha Sivarathri, Devi Nava Rathri, Dattatreya Jayanti, Vasantha Panchami and Vyasa Purnima, when Basar swarms with people and there is a mad rush for anything that has four walls and a roof.

As Basar is a holy town, nonvegetarian food (including eggs) is a strict no-no. At the eating joints and restaurants lining the road to the temple, you get simple wholesome hot meals. Due to the proximity to the border, you can even get a taste of Maharashtrian food without having to cross over, such as the chutney which accompanies crisp crunchy dosas and steaming spongy idlis. It is not the customary coconut chutney of Andhra, but made of mashed peanuts or cashew nuts and milk. Called palli, it has a distinct sweet taste. The dal too is not sambhar but Maharashtrian varan. Try shikaratna made of crushed or sliced bananas with milk and sugar. By the way, if you are diabetic, then you might have a problem for here sakkar (sugar) is there in everything, from the vegetables to the sambhar. The thalis here feature Jowar roti and peanut chutney mixed with curd, rice and vegetables, cucumber raita (koshimbir), chutneys, papads, aamti (Maharashtrian version of rasam), buttermilk and finally the star of the plate, the puran poli with loads of ghee on it.

But remember, if it is not festival time, all eating establishments close shop by 8.30pm.

AROUND BASAR

Mudhol (20km)

The town on the Ghataprabha river, north of Basar, was once known as Muduvolal meaning ‘Lovely Town’. It was the capital of the former princely state of the Ghorpades, and as expected the place is dotted with palaces and royal relics. It is also equally, if not more, famous for its four-legged inhabitants – the Mudhol Hound. Sinewy, sleek and slender, hazel-eyed with whip-like tails, the breed is genetically related to the Pharoanic Hounds of Egypt’s Nile Delta. They accompanied the slave emperors to Delhi across the Hindukush Mountains and Khyber Pass, and at some point ended up in the Deccan. They fought side by side with the cavalry, devastating horses and at times even hamstringing them. Shivaji’s Mudhol hounds were famous for their clinical efficiency and earned much kudos even from Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb.

However, the prized dog that once proudly ran alongside the Maratha chief tain and even graced the courts of British royalty (Maloji Rao Ghorpade presented a pair of puppies to King George V), is now fighting an uphill battle against its extinction. Ironically, the few existing breeding centres closed down the very week the Indian Postal Department released a set of four stamps in honour of native Indian breeds, which featured the Mudhol Hound.

Holy Rock

Near the Basar Bus Stand stands a gigantic four-faced monolith granite pillar on a pedestal. Walk up to the stone and strike it with one of the many pebbles lying at the base. What you will hear is not the customary dull thud, but a distinct metallic sound – the sound of ‘Saptaswaras’, or seven tunes.

Vedavathi Shila

The rock called Vedavathi Sila (Vedasila for short), is supposed to be Saraswati’s treasure chest containing her jewels. Yet some people believe that the jewels are not of Goddess Gyana’s but Sita Mata’s. While Ravana was forcibly fleeing with her to Lanka, she, out of desperation, threw them on this rock so that they would provide a clue to Lord Rama and his brother Laxman about her plight. The rock opened up and took the jewels in and has been safeguarding them ever since. In the past, people lured by the idea of getting their hands on a goldmine have tried to break open the rock. But not only have their endeavours been unsuccessful, they also met with mishaps and slowly such attempts have been abandoned. The rock now stands alone and aloof, in the midst of a weed-covered field, hoarding its legend, though you might come across the occasional curious visitor poking it in an attempt to coax music out of it.