Naimisharanya : The First Pilgrimage Site

What better way to start your travel itinerary than with the most holiest place in India. Hence the first ever road trip we took with our daughter was to the holiest place Nemisaar. Naimisharanya or Nemisaar or Naimisha is THE MOST holiest places according to Hindu mythology. In many of the hindu mythological texts, this place finds reference as a dense forest where 33 crore Devtas and rishi munis resided and performed various rituals. This is the place where Maharishi Ved Vyas composed 6 shastras, 18 Puranas and 4 ved. Srimad Bhagvat Gita was spoken out at one stretch here for the 1st time. Tulsi das wrote Ram Charit Manas here. The footprints of Manu and Shatrupa (the first man and women on earth, whose descendants are known as Manushya  - human kind) are present here. Manu and Shatrupa performed pennace here for 23000 years so that Lord Narayan be born as their son. It is believed that if one performs pennace here for 12 years they reach directly to Brahmlok.

Situated at the bank of river Gomti in Sitapur district of UP, this place is at a short drive of 2 hours from state capital Lucknow. The place is easily reachable by road.

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 Due to it's religious importance, I wanted it to be the first travel destination for my daughter. It is a very small town, you can easily explore the whole of it on foot, no need to worry about local conveyance. Also the place has yet not been crowded and corrupted by tourists hence its natural beauty and ancient spritual places will provide the peace and tranquility that you will cherish. If you don't wish to perform any ritual and only want to visit the holy places, I would suggest you plan a trip to Nemisaar during any non-festive day.

Although today the place is filled with various famous temples, the most important and ancient places for which Nemisaar is mentioned below -

1. Chakratirth- 

With the onset of the universe, 88000 saints and sages went to Lord Brahma and prayed him to provide them with a place where they can perform spritual rites for the welfare of humanity. Lord Brahma send his Manomaya Chakra to direct them to the spot. It is believed that Chakra Teerth is the place where the Chakra fell. It is believed that Chakra khund has no bottom, no one till date has been able to measure its depth. This particular spot is considered the centre of the universe. Some even believe that the water of Chakra Teerth reaches hell. 

2. Lalitha Devi Temple- 

Lalita devi is the presiding deity of Neemisharayan. Lalitha Devi Temple is one of the 51 Shakti Peeth in India. It is believed that Goddess Sati's heart fell at this place when Lord Brahma severed here body into 51 pieces. The temple is situated in close proximity of Chakra Teerth and is open all days of the week for devotees.

12121. Devpuri Temple

Devpuri Temple is a 5 floor temple with 108 temples depicting incarnations of Lord Vishnu, Lord Kali, Buddha and Krishna, Nine forms of goddess Navdurga, Navgrah, Mahakaleshwar Shiva, Shri Gurudev Nardanand Saraswati Maharaj, Lord Hanuman, Swami Sarvadanand, Swami Vivekanad. The temple was constructed by Swami Shri Nardanand. All the idols are worshipped daily by deities.