NIZAMABAD: Sringeri Peetham seer Vidhusekhara Bharathi Swami, on his Dharma Vijaya Yatra, visited the Gnana Saraswathi Devi temple in Basara, Nirmal district, near Nizamabad and performed special pujas, drawing large crowds of devotees.
A grand ceremony was organised by the Sringeri Shankara Matham–Lalita Chandramoulishwara Temple, built under the aegis of the Basara Trust with support from Nizamabad devotees.
In his discourse, the seer explained the spiritual bond between Basara and Sringeri, tracing it to Veda Vyasa, who installed Gnana Saraswathi Devi on the banks of the Godavari river to spread knowledge. Vyasa, he said, was the incarnation of Narayana, the embodiment of the Vedas, who composed the Mahabharata, Bhagavata and Ashtadasa Puranas.
He said Lord Parameshwara, as Dakshinamurthy, taught sages the essence of philosophy, later taking form as Adi Shankara Bhagavadpada to revive Vedic wisdom. To instil Vedic consciousness, Sharada Devi — another form of Saraswathi — was consecrated in Sringeri.
Quoting Shankara Vijayam, the Swami recalled how Vyasa once tested Shankara in Kashi through a debate on a single Brahma Sutra, symbolising the unity of Shiva and Keshava. To commemorate that divine link, idols of Vyasa Maharshi and Adi Shankara have been installed facing each other in the new Lalita Chandramoulishwara temple.
He said devotees continue to draw strength from Gnana Saraswathi’s blessings, developing knowledge, will and action. Urging students to pursue both academic and spiritual learning, he said this balance was key to the awakening of Dharma.
During the visit, the Swami consecrated a new idol of Lord Ganesh, named Rathna Garbha Ganapathi. His Anugraha Bhashanam from the event has since gone viral on social media.
Basara Trust representative Veleti Rajeshwar Sharma said the temple, built on two-and-a-half acres, would serve as a centre for spiritual learning.
MLC and TPCC president B Mahesh Kumar Goud recently said the state government sanctioned a `558-crore Temple Corridor Road from Kondagattu to Basara, linking major temples across Karimnagar, Jagtial, Sircilla, Nizamabad and Nirmal districts to promote temple tourism.
