Naimisharanya

There are very many legends associated with the origin of the temple at Naimisaranya. A per one, it is believed that one revered sage Narada was in search of the best water body (teertha). During his search, he went to the abode of Lord Shiva- Kailasa and that of Lord Vishnu- Parkadal. Finally he settled on the water body in the Naimisha Forest.

Another legend goes on to state a tale when Lord Indra who was the king of the devas was troubled and driven out of the devalok by a demon (asura) named Vritra. The demon was apparently blessed by a boon that no weapon that was created till the date of him receiving the boon could kill him. So, disappointed and disheartened, Lord Indra seeked the help of Lord Vishnu to retrieve his kingdom. It was finally decided by Lord Vishnu that a weapon made from the bones of sage Dadhichi could defeat Vritra. When Dadhichi was approached for help, he gave in to the proposal and was ready to offer himself willingly but he wanted to go on a pilgrimage of all the holy rivers in the world. On hearing this, Lord Indra brought all the holy rivers to Naimisaranya to allow sage Dadhichi to fulfill his wish without wasting time. Soon after, the sage sacrificed himself and a weapon was created with his spine that was used to defeat the asura.

Yet another myth associated with the temple is that once when all sages were performing penance, Lord Brahma- the God of all creation brought out a ring from darba grass. The ring fell down at a place and Lord Brahma asked the sages to perform penance at that place. That same spot came to be known as Naimisaranya later. At the end of the penance, Lord Vishnu emerged and accepted the offerings. As per mythology, this forest still has God Vishnu and the sages as trees.

As stated earlier, the temple holds enormous religious significance; it is one of the most important Hindu pilgrimage spots. The place has been visited by the renowned Shankaracharya and was the abode of Surdas for a considerable amount of time. Suthar, who was the author of the 18 puranas also lived here. Initially all the prayers and offerings were made to the forest; hence, even today, the pujas are done to the forest. The temple is one of the ‘Divya Desams’ - one of the 108 Vishnu temples mentioned in the works of the scholarly saints (Alvars). The temple has been mentioned in Nalayira Divya Prabandham which is a 7th–9th century Vaishnava canon. The temple remains especially crowded every full-moon day when devotees visit in huge numbers and take a dip in the holy Chakra Kundra. The pujas are especially effective if the new moon days fall on Mondays.

1. Holy dip at the Chakra Kundra and River Gomti.
2. Performing the rituals of Pind Daan, Thila Tharpaan.
3. Charity in the form of Gau Daan (Cow), Vruksha Daam (Tree), Sayya Daan (Bedding), Vastra Daan (Clothes), Gehu Daan (Wheat) etc. It is believed charity made here in the name of forefathers and deceased people will cleanse them of all the sins and can grant them salvation.
4. Sri Satyanarayana Puja

The temple is situated is 72 kms from Lucknow which is also the nearest airport. The nearest railway lines are at Hardoi, Balaanaur and Lucknow. Regular buses also ply from Lucknow, Hardoi and Sitapur.