Vyas Gaddi at Naimisharanya near Lucknow

An important site in Naimisharanya is Vyas Gaddi - the seat of Ved Vyas or Krishna Dwapayan (in the present yug). It was at this spot that the words of Brahma ji, as heard by various rishis, were compiled into the four Veds by Ved Vyas. He also composed the 18 Mahapurans and the Mahabharat.

Next to this is the temple where Satyanarayanji ki katha was said for the first time and where the 88000 rishis (Shaunakadi - Shaunak etc.) performed the yagyas. The havan kund is very big and is asthkond - a big centre with eight petals.

Entrance to the Vyas Gaddi

Vyas Gaddi Taposthan 

Puja at Vyas Gaddi.

The Sam Ved was narrated by Vyas ji to his disciple Jaimini under a banyan tree. The Banyan tree seen here is over 5000 years old. All the Purans were also narrated here by Sut ji, the disciple of Ved Vyas to Shaunak etc. (Temple dedicated to Sut ji is at a small distance away).

5000 plus year old Banyan tree. Ved Vyas used to sit here. 

The Sam Ved was taught here to Jaimini by Vyas ji.

Swayambhu Manu and Satrupa performed tapsaya for 23000 years here to ask for the boon of a son like Narayan. And it was here that Narayan gave them darshan and promised them that he would be born as their own son - the temple here is calm and peaceful. And so took place the birth of Ramchandraji as the son of Dasrath and Kaushalya.

In the same premises is also a temple with all the 12 jyotirlings.

Entrance to the Manu / Satrupa temple which is on the right. 

The 12 jyotirlings are on the left.

At the Swaran Khamb mandir of Sri Vishnu (Devaraj Swamy), every mango tree is believed to have sprouted out of each Rishi samadhi. That is the reason that we use mango leaf to add ghee into hawan, as only rishi is qualified to offer anything into hawan, mango leaf is as sacred as our ancient rishi.

Another important Mandir in Naimisharanya is that of Lalita Devi. When Shiv ji carried the body of Sati, one of the body parts fell here. Some distance away is Hanuman Gadhi - the spot were Hnauman brought out Ram and Lakshman from paatal after defeating Ahiravan, Ravan's younger brother.

This is post three on Naimisharanya. The final one will be on Hanumangarhi and on Mishrik / Dadichi.

Chakra Teerth, Naimisharanya near Lucknow

Chakra Teerth: The central point of Naimisharanya is the Chakra Teerth. The story in Shiv Puran goes that the devtas once went to Brahma ji and asked him for a spot on earth which would give bhakti and mukti. Brahma ji created a mind-born (manomaya) chakra and released it. The circumference (naimi) of this chakra landed (sheerna) in this forest (aranya), the axle pierced the ground and provides a never-ending source of water. Brahma ji said that this place will never have the impact of kaliyug;the spot is said to be continuing since Satyug.

The wall seen here is said to be 40 ft deep and constructed by the British. The water, which never dries, is very deep; any overflow flows into the Gomti nearby. The water outside the circle is not very deep - only about waist high - and is quite clean, work to re-lay the steps is presently going on. A dip in the Chakra Teerth is considered very auspicious. Puja for the pitrs (ancestors) is done here, its importance here said to be comparable to Gaya in Bihar.

A parikrama around the Chakra Teeth takes one to several small temples generally dedicated to various rishis. There is the spot where Shringi rishi performed his tapasya. It may be recalled that Shringi Rishi had performed the yagya whereby King Dasrath’s queens gave birth to their sons.Then there is the Ram Lakshman Sita temple. Ramchandra ji is said to have performed the Aswamedh Yagya on the banks of the Gomti river, in Naimisharanya; Luv and Kush also narrated Valmiki’s Ramayan in Naimisharanya. There is a temple of Gokarn Nath: Gokaran (cow’s ears) was the son of Atmadev and Dhundkari and his story features in the Bhagwat Puran.

This is post two on Naimisharanya.

Naimisharanya : Where Ved Vyas is said to have written the Mahabharat and the Purans

Naimisharanya, or Neemsar, is a not-so-well-known teerth spot less than 100 km away from Lucknow. Though many people have not heard of it, those in that area say it is the single teerth that is more important than all other teerths in India. It is the place where several important occurrences in Hindu religion have taken place starting from Satya yug (being the first ever pilgrimage site on earth) with perhaps the latest being the last travel of the Pandavs and Draupadi. In fact, on a visit, it felt so comfortable and personal, as it has been the site of so very many of our often heard tales and mentioned in our ancient books.

It has the Chakra teerth – the place marked by Brahma which will never have Kaal visiting, the spot of Swayambhu Manu and Satrupa’s tap and Narayan’s boon to them, narration by Luv Kush, where Hanuman brought out Ram and Lakshman from paatal, Vyas Gaddi where all the Purans and Mahabharat were written etc. etc. etc.. Some other important rishis / occurences are Lomesh /Lomaharshan, Ugrashrava (Sut ji) and his narration of the purans to Shanaukadi (Shaunak etc. -88,000 rishis), Markandeya, Narad ji, Ved Vyas (Krishna Dwaipayan)

The road is very good and the drive comfortable – once away from the hustle of Lucknow it takes approx. an hour. Basic amenities are available and all places can be seen on a day’s trip. A visit is strongly recommended.

The large number of temples and holy spots in the area will be covered in separate posts on this page alongwith the tales about it.This is post one on Naimisharanya.