Naimisharanya

Naimisharanya was considered a sacred forest and referred to in Hindu epics and puranas.

Legend: Sage Narada is believed to have searched for the best theertha (water body) in three worlds. He went to Kailasa, the abode of Shiva, then to Parkadal(Kshir Sagar), the abode of Vishnu and finally landed in the water body in the Naimisha Forest.

The Brahmanas derive the name Naimiṣāraṇya from ‘nimiṣā’, “a twinkling of the eye”; hence Naimiṣāraṇya means “a forest or pool where in the twinkling of an eye sage Gauramukha destoryed an army of Asuras.” Naimiṣīyā figure for the first time in the Brāhmaṇas and the Upaniṣadic Literature. These words denote the dwellers in the Naimiṣa forest. They are mentioned in the Kāthaka-Saṃhitā and Brāhmaṇas being clearly of special sanctity.

Current Location:

Naimisaranyam is located at the junction of the roads from Sitapur and Khairabad, 32 km from Sitapur and 42 km from the Sandila railway station, 45 miles north of Lucknow in Uttar Pradesh. Naimisaranya is also known as Nimsar or Nimkhar and is located on the left bank of the river Gomati.[5] The sacred well, namely Chakra Kunda is believed to have started from the weapon of Vishnu, Chakra. There are shrines dedicated to Chakranarayana, Ganesh, Rama, Lakshman.

In the Adi Parva of the Mahabharata, the forest is mentioned as situated towards east (prācīm diśam) of the mountain regions of Himavat