Basant Panchami is celebrated to honor the Goddess Saraswati, the goddess of learning who bequeaths the greatest wealth to humanity, the wealth of knowledge. It is believed that Goddess Saraswati was born on this day . Goddess Saraswati, depicted in a white sari, along with Veena and peacock, is the goddess of music, knowledge, wisdom and arts. According to the Hindu Mythology the four arms of Goddess Saraswati represent the four aspects of human personality in learning: mind, intellect, alertness, and ego. She rides on a white goose (swan). The swan is known for its peculiar characteristic of separating water from milk, indicating that one should possess clear vision and knowledge to discriminate between good and evil.
In Sanskrit sara means ‘essence’ and swa means ‘self’. Saraswati is considered the creative power of Lord Brahma, as knowledge is required to create the world. As per Skanda Purana, Lord Shiva is the father of Goddess Saraswati. She is known by different names in different languages, like in Telugu the goddess is called Chaduvula, in Konkani she is known as Sharada, and in Tamil she is called Kalaimagal. Her other names are Veena Pustaka Dharani, Vani, Vagdevi, Varadhanayagi.
According to another belief this festival is marked by end of winter and welcoming of spring as ‘Basant Ritu’ means the spring season in Hindi. Pitr-tarpan (puja for departed soul) is performed and Brahmins are fed.The god of love Kamadeva is also worshipped on this day.
There are many temples of others gods like Vishnu and Shiva, but there are very few temples of Goddess Saraswati in India. Let us explore some of the popular ones in South India.
Gnana Saraswati Temple at Basar, Telangana
One of the very prominent Saraswati temples, this one is situated in the Adilabad district of Andhra Pradesh at a well known place called Basar or Basara. At Basar, the goddess is famous by the name Gnana Saraswathi, meaning the provider of knowledge. The temple is located on the banks of River Godavari.
Legend:
The Sage Veda Vyasa after the Kurukshetra war was searching for peace and reached Basara situated on the banks of River Godavari in Dandakaranya. He found this place very serene and so started meditating here. The Divine Mother appeared before him and asked him to set up the Shakthi trio (Maha Saraswathi, Maha Lakshmi and Maha Kali). He brought three handfuls of sand from the river bank and started worshiping the Shakthi trio. It is said that those sand heaps then turned into three idols of Goddess Lakshmi, Saraswathi and Kali. The place was earlier known as Vyasapuri, but that later changed to Basara or Basar. Goddess Saraswati, who is the presiding deity in the temple, is shown in a seated position with a Veena (musical instrument) in her hands. A little distance from the temple is the shrine of Maha Lakshmi and Maha Kali.Basara
Sringeri Sharadamba Peetham, Sringeri, Karnataka
One of the well-known peethams associated with Adi Sankaracharya, this temple in the holy town of Sringeri is dedicated to Devi Sarada. In coastal Karnataka, it is a tradition to pray to Sarada, who is another form of Goddess Saraswathi, with special pujas and offerings during all the nine days of Navratri. The Goddess of Sringeri was initially carved out of sandalwood and later the idol was made into gold. Devotees not just from Karnataka, but all over India make a beeline to the temple to get a glimpse of the beautifully bedecked form of the Goddess. Aksharabhyasa is one of the main ceremonies conducted at the temple during this time.
Legend
Jagadguru Sri Adi Shankara Bhagavatpada established the first of the four Amnaya Peethams1 at Sringeri more than twelve centuries ago to foster the sacred tradition of Sanatana Dharma.
Hallowed for all times by Sage Rishyashringa who stayed and performed Tapas here, Sringeri attracted the great Acharya with a remarkable sight on the banks of the Tunga. A cobra was seen spreading out its hood over a frog in labour pains, to give it shadow from the scorching mid-day sun. Struck with the sanctity of the place, which could infuse love between natural adversaries, the Acharya chose this very location to establish His first Math to spread the truths of Advaita Vedanta.
Mookambika Temple, Kollur – Karnataka
This well-known temple dedicated to Goddess Mookambika is situated about 135 Kms from Mangalore, on the foots of the Kodachadri Hills in the scenic Western Ghats. The pristine river Souparnika flows nearby. It is one of the major pilgrimage sites of the State, along with the temples at Udupi, Subrahmanya, Kumbasi, Kodeshwara, Sankaranarayana and Gokarna. Legend has it that the Goddess, who is an incarnation of Saraswathi, made an appearance here in front of Adi Sankaracharya, who then built a temple in her name. Navratri is a festive affair in the temple and the Goddess is decorated in a lot of jewels.
Legend
Mythology holds that at the Kollur Mookambika Temple lived a demon named Kaumasura, who unleashed terror upon the gods by the special powers he obtained from Lord Brahma. While the gods were trying their best to stay away from him, good news came that the demon would face death. Learning of his impending doom, Kaumasura undertook severe penance. Lord Shiva appeared, asking the demon what boon he would like to be granted. Sensing that grave danger would come of the demon if his boon was granted, Saraswati, the goddess of speech took away his ability to speak. Kaumasura came to be known as Mookasura or the mute demon. Thereafter, the supreme mother parvati devi, the goddess of power, mobilized all the powers of the gods and killed the demon, and hence she came to be known as Mookambika. The place where Mookambika killed the demon came to be known as Marana Katte.
Saraswati Temple, Kuthanur – Tamil Nadu
The Saraswati temple at Kuthanur, a small village in the Tiruvarur district of Tamil Nadu, has a stone image of Goddess Saraswati. The goddess is sitting in a yogic posture and has four arms, holding rosary (japamala), water-pot (kamandala), chinmudra (indicative of knowledge) and a palm-leaf manuscript. As per legend, Ottakuttar, a famous Tamil poet during Chola period in the 12th century, had a vision of Goddess Saraswati. After this he became a great poet and gained popularity. It is said that Ottakuttar then constructed the temple. One can also see a stone image of Ottakuttar at the entrance of the temple. White saris and lotus flowers are also offered to Goddess Saraswati at the temple.
Legend
Ottakoothan, was an ordinary mortal, earnestly sought the blessings of the Goddess Saraswathi and Lord Pillayar (Arul Gnana Vinayakar) to grant him the gift of the ability to compose poems. Bathing in the river Harisol daily and by offering floral tributes to the Goddess, he got his boon fulfilled when the Goddess, came in a very beautiful boat in the river, in the form of a lovely woman and gave him to wish.
Blessed with the beningn looks of Goddess Kalaimagal, and the betel mouth Blessings of “Then Kani vagadevi”, Ottakoothar became a poet with the ability to compose rhythmic poems. The populace were enamoured of his ability to compose.His fame reached the ears of King Vikrama Chola, who invited him to his court and witnessed the blessed ability of Ottakoothar. From the day King Rajaraja Chola (grandson of King Vikrama Chola), gifted this land to Ottakoothar. This Ambalpuri has come to be known as Koothanur.
It is learnt, that this place was known as “Ambalpuri”, about a 1000years ago, even before poet Ottakoothan was born. So history has it that Goddess Saraswathi did her penance towards Lord Brahma and conferred her blessings on her devotees for ages. Devotees offer their puja with lovely flowers that are known to be acceptable to the Goddess.
Shree Maha Saraswati Temple in Kaleswaram
The deity is worshipped here as Antharvahini, or the invisible river. Offerings are made to the goddess during Navratri, and Saraswati pushkaras are conducted here every 12 years. The last pushkara that took place here was in 2013. This Saraswati temple is located close to Kaleswar Mahadev Temple.
The Mukteeshwara Swamy Temple is uniquely significant because of the two Shiva Lingas found on a single Panavattam (pedestal). They are named known as Kaleshwara and Mukteeswara representing Lord Yama and Lord Shiva. Kaleshwaram is located exactly at the merging point of the Godavari River and its tributary, the River Pranahita. People believe that there is another river named saraswathi which flows as Antarvahini i.e. flowing under godavari and pranahita, therefore calling the meeting point as Triveni Sangamam (Three rivers confluence).
Legend
Once upon a time, Yamaloka became empty because all the people getting rid of their sins just by worshipping Muktheeswara swamy. Lord Yama seen all Yamakinkaras are became jobless. Then Yama went to Shiva and told about the happening and requested him to make justice for his Dharma. Then lord Shiva told Yama to install one more Lingam as Kaleswara lingam on the same Panavattam at Kaleswaram. He added that the devotee should worship first Kaleshwara lingam then Muktheeswara lingam then only they get salvation. If they don’t offer the fist prayer to Kaleswara lingam, they don’t get rid off the sins and goes to Yamaloka. Lord Yama did the same and till then both the Lingams are getting worshipped at Kaleshwaram.
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