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Basar is a small and dusty village amidst
the dry and barren patches of the north Telangana region, 30-km from
Nizamabad. Basar is situated on
the banks of River Godavari. It is located at a distance of about 220-km
by road and 260-km by rail from
Hyderabad .
The Temples
There
is an ancient temple dedicated to Goddess Saraswati. The temple at Basar
is also the abode of Goddess Lakshmi and Kali. The current structure dates
back to the Chalukya period.
A small muddy road leads to the temple. This temple has no exquisite
carvings like other temples. Walking ahead a few steps, one enters the
sanctum sanctorum - a feeling better experienced than described. A feeling
of peace, brightness and unlimited joy engulfs one. The presiding deity,
'Gnana Saraswati Devi', is in a seated position with a 'Veena' in hand and
bedecked with turmeric. Adjacent is the shrine of Goddess Maha Lakshmi and
a little distance away, on the eastern side is the Maha Kali temple.
The Legends
Local legends suggest that Maharshi Vyasa the author of Mahabharata came
to the forests of Dandakaryana to meditate. He began meditating on the
banks of the River Godavari and found the place to be very peaceful. The
divine mother is believed to have appeared before the sage and ordained
him to build temples for the Shakti trio: Maha Saraswati, Maha Lakshmi and
Maha Kali. The sage Veda Vyasa did so by bringing three handfuls of sand
and sculpts out the figures. This place was initially named after Vyasa
and was called "Vyasapuri". Later on it got corrupted to Vasara
and ultimately Basara / Basar.
The Eight Pushkarnis
Some 100m from the temple is the cave, where the devout 'Narahari Maluka'
is believed to have performed rigorous penance. There is a four-sided
monolith rock called "Vedavathi", which produces different
sounds on each side when struck. It is said to contain jewels of Sita
Devi. There are eight 'Pushkarnis' spread across the village known as
'Indra Teeratham', 'Surya Teeratham', 'Vyasa Teeratham', 'Valmiki
Teeratham', 'Vishnu Teeratham', 'Ganesha Teeratham', 'Puthra Teeratham'
and 'Shiva Teeratham'.
The most important festivals celebrated are Maha Shivaratri (February-March) and Devi Navaratrulu (Septmber-October) and on both the occasions about 10,000 pilgrims visit the place from all parts of Telengana and Marathwada.
Rail: The nearest railway station
is at Nizamadad.
Road: Tourists can access this place from Nizamabad, which is well
connected by road. APSRTC runs buses daily from Nizamabad.
Accommodation is available in the hotels at Nizamabad.