Word

Naimisharanya

Sanskrit

नैमिषारण्य

IAST

naimiṣāraṇya

In General

Nimisharanyaka is the hermitage of Shaunaka, a Kulapathi (Head of a large educational center) . It is here that Ugrasrava Suta narrated to a group of sages led by Shaunaka, sacred Hindu stories that later came to be known as the Puranas. The place witnessed other storytelling sessions, including Narada who expounded bhakti lore, Lava-Kusha who narrated the Ramayana to Rama himself, and the famous Mahabharatha narration by sage Lomaharsha.

Naimisharanya, believed to be the modern day Neemsar on the banks of River Gomti, Sitapur district, Uttar Pradesh, is a land steeped with Hindu mythology, owing to the belief that it is the land where the pantheon of 33 gods reside. It also believed to be most sacred of all pilgrim centres since if one performs penance for 12 years on this land, one moves to brahmaloka.