What is a Vyas Peeth? Who Can Sit on it? Know About this Place and Its Significance

There are many scriptures attributed to the Sanatan Dharma including Shrimad Bhagwat Geeta, Ramayana, Narmada Purana, Vishnu Purana, Shiv Purana, and Ramcharitmanas.

These holy books contain stories and tales about the different deities and provide us with the philosophy to live a virtuous life. From time to time, storytellers recite these Puranas to awaken the human inside us. The place where the storytellers sit and recite these holy books is called Vyas Peeth or Vyas Gaddi. But, do you know why that place is called Vyas Peetha? Let us find out and also who can sit on this sacred place.

What is a Vyas Peeth?
The seat of Ved Vyas or Krishna Dwapayan, Vyas Gaddi is an ancient banyan tree and one of the most significant tourist sites in Naimisharanya. This is the age-old tree under which Ved Vyas narrated the Hindu scriptures like Vedas, Shastras, and Puranas.

This ancient tree is said to be more than 5000 years old, and hence, it traces its history to the time of Mahabharata.

Since Ved Vyas used to sit under this tree, it is renowned as the name Vyas Gaddi, where Gaddi refers to ‘Seat’.

At this popular tourist site in Naimisharanya, there is a small shrine dedicated to Ved Vyas. Inside the temple, there are triangular piles of clothes that represent the presiding deity of the temple. The sacred site of Vyas Gaddi is also famous as the place where Sri Satyanarayana Vratha Katha was first narrated by Vyasa.

Peetha means the best seat of religion, from which the true nature of the speech and knowledge of the Vedas is revealed. These divine peeths adorn the four monasteries built by Adi Shankaracharya.