Vinaśana (“the vanishing”) is a tīrtha (sacred place) on the river Sarasvatī. It is the place where the river goes underground and disappears from the surface of the earth. It is one of the well-known landmarks along the course of the Sarasvatī in the holy geography of Bhāratavarsha. Bhagavān Balarāma visited it on his pilgrimage.

Why it is called Vinaśana

The Mahābhārata knows the Sarasvatī for its flow. In some stretches the river is seen and honoured. In others it goes underground. Vinaśana marks the point where the river sinks below the surface and runs underground for some distance. This disappearance (vinaśana, “the vanishing”) gives the tīrtha its name.

The underground Sarasvatī goes on making the land holy even when it cannot be seen.

Balarāma at the tīrtha

Bhagavān Balarāma passed through Vinaśana Tīrtha on his pilgrimage along the Sarasvatī, and performed the proper rites here.

Sources

Mahābhārata, Śalya Parva, Chapter 36