Telagana: Famous Basara Gnana Saraswati temple to get a big facelift

The magnificent abode of goddess Saraswati in South India and popular centre for Aksharabhyasam Basara Gnana Saraswati Temple is set to get a big faceliftEstablished by the sage Veda Vyasa the famous temple in Telangana dedicated to the three Goddesses will captivate the hearts of devotees even more deeply with the addition of a towering Rajagopuram main tower a sacred pond an enhanced Northern Gateway and meditation halls All these new structures are being designed in strict adherence to traditional ritualsAccording to Telangana CMO the state government has already allocated Rs225 Crores for the reconstruction of the Basara Gnana Saraswati TempleChief Minister Revanth Reddy will perform Bhoomi Puja groundbreaking ceremony for the reconstruction works on Monday The temple is situated on the banks of the sacred river Godavari which is also revered as the Dakshina Ganga Southern GangesFollowing the Kurukshetra War Veda Vyasa sought tranquillity and came to reside on the banks of the Godavari at Basara During his stay Vyasa personally sculpted and consecrated the idols of Goddesses Gnana Saraswati Mahalakshmi and Mahakali by using the locally available sand of the river Godavari From then Basara gained popularity as a holy site with the enshrine of TrimataasThe abode of Goddess Gnana Saraswati is witnessing an influx of visitors every year The devotees come to perform Aksharabhyasam the traditional initiation ceremony into formal education for their children for their children The temple bustles with religious activity with Aksharabhyasam during the auspicious occasion of Vasantha Panchami and other festive days every yearHowever the increasing number of visitors has been facing hardships due to a lack of adequate facilities in the templeThe authorities consulted with the spiritual heads of the Sringeri Peethadhipatis before formulating the Master Plan and obtained their approval for the construction of the Sanctum Sanctorum Garbhalayam Artha Mandapam Raja Gopuram main tower other towers Mada Veedhulu processional streets temple tank Koneru and the Northern GatewayIn view of the growing number of devotees and future requirements the Sanctum Sanctorum and Artha Mandapam currently spanning 2000 square feet are being expanded to cover 5000 square feet The plans included the construction of a ninestorey Raja Gopuram on the northern side sevenstorey towers in the remaining three directions Mada Veedhulu processional streets 33 feet in width encircling the temple on all four sides and a northern Gateway In total the temples builtup area is being expanded from 20000 square feet to 62000 square feetStone is only being used for the entire construction and development of the temple The construction works will commence at several facilities queue complexes spanning 70000 square feet and equipped with all amenities including feeding rooms food stalls restrooms etc to accommodate 6000 devotees A meditation hall was designed to allow 200 people to meditate simultaneously Kitchen dining halls and a prasadam distribution centre covering an area of 20000 square feet will be part of the master planA sacred pond Koneru situated in the northeast corner magnificent ornamental arches designed to radiate a spiritual aura will also be erected on the eastern side alongside an information centre Road development works will be undertaken to the north and east of the temple An underpass will be constructed to facilitate movement from the temple premises to the opposite side A vehicle parking facility with a solar rooftop will be established on the other sideA flower garden with pleasant greenery will also be developed in the temple premises A health centre will be established outside the temple complex Saplings will be planted behind the temple to ensure that the area eventually flourishes with big treesGodavari Pushkaralu will start in June next yearIn view of the visit of lakhs of devotees to Basara to perform a holy bath in the river Godavari all necessary amenities required for the devotees will be developed CM Revanth Reddy ordered the officials to develop facilities in accordance with temple traditions and the beliefs of devoteesThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever