Basar temple to roll out online ‘Aksharabhyasam’ service
Other services such as Saraswathi Puja, Moola Nakshatra, and Veda Asheervachanam will soon be covered
Nirmal: Digital technology has simplified life and opened up new possibilities. Devotees, residing in any part of the country and the world, can now easily perform ‘Aksharabhyasam’ or initiation of their children into alphabets now as the management of the famed Sri Gnana Saraswathi Devasthanam (SGSD) of Basar is planning to introduce online service of the ritual, soon,
“Considering the huge demand for the ritual from devotees belonging to different States and foreign countries, a proposal with regard to rolling out the virtual ‘Aksharabhyasam’ service was sent to the Commissioner of Endowments Department V Anil Kumar recently. The service will be rolled out once the Commissioner gives his nod,” temple Executive Officer Vijayarama Rao told ‘Telangana Today.’
Authorities of the shrine have already discussed the introduction of the service with priests. In order to perform the service online, foreigners would be charged Rs 2,516, while Rs 1,516 will be collected from Indian citizens. The authorities are mulling introducing some other services online such as Saraswathi Puja, Moola Nakshatra, and Veda Asheervachanam in the near future.
At present, the price of the normal ritual is Rs 100 and Rs 1,000 for performing special Aksharabhyasam. The normal ritual is organised in batches consisting of 50 to 500 parents in a shed slightly away from the temple. Special Aksharabyasam is performed in a venue situated in the precincts of the holy place. On average, 80,000 parents conduct the ritual per annum.
Only Saraswati temple in south India
This is the only temple that houses goddess Saraswathi in southern India after a popular abode of the goddess of learning located in Kashmir. Parents throng this shrine for performing Aksharabhayasam, a customary ritual for initiating children into education and the world of alphabets. It is believed that sage Vyasa had worshipped goddess Saraswathi during the times of Mahabharatha by staying on the banks of Godavari.
The historic shrine registers income of around Rs 18 crore per annum and is visited by nearly 15 lakh devotees annually. Pilgrims belonging to various parts of not only Telangana, but neighbouring Maharashtra, Karnataka, and Tamil Nadu take darshan of the presiding deity after taking a holy dip in the Godavari.
Rs 50 crore allocated for development of temple
Meanwhile, the government allocated Rs 50 crore to develop the temple and to create basic amenities for the convenience of the pilgrims. Expansion of the shrine, construction of queue line complexes, and renovation of ceilings of the main temple are being taken up in the first phase of the development. A master plan has been prepared to give a facelift to the shrine, with an outlay of Rs 200 crore.
