Naimisharanya

Naimisharanya is one among the eight self-manifested holy places on this planet which are also known as ashta svayam-vykta kshetras. It is also revered amongst the great forests of Bharatavarsha. The followers of Ramanujacharya Sampradaya count it amongst the 108 Divya Desham Kshetras. Above all Naimisharanya is very deeply connected to the narration of Puranas especially the Srimad Bhagavata Purana. Here the Supreme Lord is worshiped in the form of forest just like He is worshiped in the form of water at Pushkar.

naimisham praarthayaanasya paapasyaardham pranashyati
pravishtamaatrastu narah sarva paapaat pramuchyate

Anyone who worships Naimisharanya Tirtha, one’s half sins are immediately eradicated. And the moment one enters Naimisharanya, one is completely rid of all the sins. (Padma Purana)

In the conversation between Ugrashrava and Romaharshana recorded in the first chapter of Padma Purana, there appears the birth of the sacred tirtha – Naimisharanya. Once saintly persons and devotees had congregated on the banks of River Ganga in Prayagraj. They wanted to perform a yajna to worship the Supreme Lord and thus wanted to know about any sacred place to conduct it.

They approached Lord Narayana, who instantly invoked a chakra and informed the sages to follow it. At whichever place the spokes of this chakra will wither, consider that to be a sacred place and location for the yajna. The chakra travelled towards North and stopped at the place earlier known as Gangavarta. There it spokes withered and fell. Hence the place came to known as Naimisha. In Samskruta, naimi means spokes and vishirna means wither or disappear. Since this was a great forest earlier, this place came to be known as Naimisharanya.

In the Vayaviya Tantra, Lord Brahma, the engineer of this universe planned a great wheel which could encase this universe. The hub of this wheel was fixed at Naimisharanya. The Varaha Purana mentions that the performance of sacrifices at Naimisharanya curtails the strength of demoniac people.

How to reach Naimisharanya

To make most out of your pilgrimage and to relish it to the fullest and experience the divinty of this sacred forest, it is recommended that you embark on the Ayodhya Yatra, a guided and package tour conducted by Tirtha Yatra.

The nearest airport / railway station is Lucknow. From Lucknow few buses are available to Naimisharanya. You could also hire a taxi from Lucknow.

Holy Places to visit in Naimisharanya

While you are in Naimisharanya, you may visit the following holy places based on the availability of your time.

Chakra Tirtha

Lalitha Mandir

Pandava Kila

Hanuman Garhi

Dashashwamedha Ghat

Swayambhuva Tapo Sthali

Vyasa Gaddi

Suta Gaddi