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Location: Naimisaranya
(Uttar
Pradesh)
(Vada Naadu)
Vishnu: Devarajan (Sree Hari),
Taayaar: Pundarikavalli (Harilakshmi)
Theertham:Chakra Theertham
Paasuram :Tirumangaialwar
Vimaanam:Sree Hari Vimanam
Travel Base:Lucknow
Description Vishnu is is considered
to be an Aranya Swaroopi, or in other words, the forest of Naimisaranyam,
hallowed earlier on by the discourses on the great epics of India, by
Vyasa Muni and Suka Muni - is considered as a manifestation of Vishnu
and held in reverence and worship. The forest is considered to have been
the abode of 60000 sages.
Naimisaranyam is located at the junction of the roads from Sitapur and
Khairabad, 20 miles from Sitapur and 24 miles from the Sandila railway
station, 45 miles north of Lucknow in Uttarpradesh. Naimisaranya is also
known as Nimsar or Nimkhar and is located on the left bank of the river
Gomati. This place has also been visited by Sankaracharya; Surdas resided
here
Legends: :
The word Naimis has been spelt in two ways - Naimis and Naimish. The Vayu
Purana and the Bhrammanda Purana state that that Bhrama sent out a manomaya
wheel (chakram) after worshipping Shiva, and that this wheel after moving
around reached Naimisaranya where its rim was shattered, and that the
sages following this wheel bright as the sun, stopped at Naimisaranya
and settled here and so did several of the sacred thirthams (rivers).
The Varaha Purana
says that the entire army of Danavas was destroyed at this place in one
nimisha, hence the name Naimisharanya.
Naimisaranya:
A more recent work the Ain I Akbari describes Nimkhar as a large fort
and a religious resort with the Bhramavartakundh tank with a strong
ccurrent, which ejects anything that is thrown into it. This work also
speaks of a natural stream held in reverence. It also speaks of the sand
taking the natural shape of Shiva.
The reservoir mentioned
here is the Chakra Theertham, where the wheel of Bhrama fell. It is also
the place where Vishnu flung his discus at the demons. The chakra theertham
is hexagonal in shape. There are other sacred tanks such as the Pancha
Prayag, the Godavar, Kasi, Gangotri and Gomati. The Gomukhi river
flows here.
Temples:
There are temples to Chakranarayana, Ganesh, Ram, Lakshman here. Enroute
to the river, there is a shrine to Veda Vyasar. There is also the Puran
Mandir. The Mahabharat was recited here, and Naimisaranya is mentioned
freqeuntly in both the Mahabharat and the Ramayana. The chakratheertha
is considered very holy, and a dip here on Somavati Amavasya is considered
to be sacred. The chief temple here is that of Lalita Devi. Large crowds
collect here on new moon days.
The parikrama fair,
begins at Nimkhar and ends at Misraka; crows collect here in the bright
half of the month of Phalguna, and visit Korauna, Haraiya, Sakin, Dahi,
Gomati and Deogaon and a few other sites and visit Nimkhar and Misrikh.
Misrikh houses the Dadichi Kund. Legend has it that sage Dadichi gave
up his material body, so that his bones could be used in th preparaption
of a missile to destroy demons. The Hatyaharana Thirtham here at Misraka
is of great importance; where Rama is believed to have bathed to purify
himself of the sin of having killed Ravana.
Tirumangaialwar
of the 9th century CE has sung of Naimisaranyam in chaste Tamil
in a total of 10 verses, as one of the abodes of Vishnu. Tirumangai Alwar
refers to Vishnu as 'Naimisaaranyattull en Taai'. An Ahobila Madam
and a Ramanuja Kootam in the Sree Vaishnavite tradition are located here.
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