The place where Mahabharata was written

This is the very place where one of the greatest epics of the world came to be written. It is also the place where there is a famous temple dedicated to Saraswathi, the Goddess of Learning and Music.

Locals say this is also the place where the Ramayana came to be written. They quote cantos from the Brahmanda Purana to buttress their point that Valmiki lived here and wrote his Ramayana.

The Mahabharata came to be dictated to Lord Ganesha by Veda Vyasa. The entire dictation took place in a cave and that structure still exists today.

The cave and the Gyana Saraswathi Temple are situated in Basara or Basar which is a small town near Nizamabad in Adilabad district of Andhra Pradesh. Basar is 201 kms from Hyderabad and it is well connected by both rail and road. The holy river of  Godavari flows near the town.

It is famous for being home to one of the six major shrines of Saraswathi in India.

The construction of the temple is ascribed to the sixth century by a King from Karnataka, Bijjala who had Nanded as his capital. Bijjala is supposed to have ruled over Nandagiri area.

The temple was subsequently repaired and renovated by the Rashtrakutas and the Chalukyas.

The temple is located in the Kumarachala hill ranges and the main deity is Saraswathi. There are deities to Lakshmi and Kali and Pathaleshwar and Papahareshwar.

The temple is unique in the sense that it does not have nay carvings. There is an interesting story behind the origin of the three idols of Saraswathi, Lakshmi and Kali. Veda Vyasa used to take bath at the Godavari nearby and meditate. After his bath, he used to take a fistful of sand from the river bed and place them at three places. With his mantra shakti, the three sand heaps transformed into the Goddesses of Saraswathi, Lakshmi and Kali.    

Behind the temple there is a hillock with few steps, which leads to a hill with several pillars. This structure almost resembles a cave which was believed to be the place where Veda Vyasa meditated.

According to legends, Veda Vyasa came here after the end of the Kurukshetra war with his disciples, including Shuka.

He meditated at the cave and sought the blessings of Saraswathi. Hence, the name Kumarachala. It is at this very place he sat down with Ganesha as his scribe and dictated the Mahabharata without a break.

There is an idol of Valmiki near the cave This, the locals say, is the pot where he wrote Ramayana. There is also a Samadhi believed to be that of Valmiki.

Children are brought here before they go to school for the Akshara Abhyasa. Thousands of devotees  descend on the town here during  Maha Shivaratri, Dassera  and Vasantha Panchami . Dvottes eat the turmeric paste which is applied to the deity of Saraswathi in the belief that it would enhance their mental prowess and give them more knowledge and wisdom.

The Vedavathi Sila, the Ashta Theertha are other places of interest nearby.

Accommodation is available at the temple itself. Pooja to Saraswathi commences at 4 a,m.

The name Basara is a corrupted form of the original word Vasara. The name Vasara originated from Vyasa.  Over the years,Vasara became Basara