Naimisha Forest

Naimisha Forest

Naimisha Forest or Naimiṣāraṇya (Devanagari:नैमिषारण्य) was an ancient forest mentioned in the epic Mahabharata and the Shiva Purana. It lay on the banks of the Gomati River (in Uttar Pradesh) . It lay between the Panchala Kingdom and the Kosala Kingdom. The whole narration of Mahabharata took place at Naimisha forests, during a conclave of sages headed by sage Saunaka, who gathered for a sacrifice to the cause of world peace. In this conclave a story teller belonging to the Suta caste viz. Ugrasrava Sauti narrated the entire Mahabharata, the story of the great kings of Bharata dynasty to Saunaka. The central part of this story was the history of Kauravas and Pandavas and their battle at Kurukshetra known as Kurukshetra War.

The story regarding the importance of this forest is that, after the great battle of Mahābhārata, sages and saints led by the great sage Saunaka, who were very much concerned about the beginning of Kali yuga, approached Brahma. Being aware of the extreme effects of the yuga, they urged Brahma to show them a place which can stay untouched by the effects of Kali. Brahma takes out a sacred wheel (Chakra) and rolls it down on the earth and says, where ever that wheel stops, that would be the place. The sages follow the wheel, which stops in the forest of Naimisha. Thus, they make it their abode for further penance.

Earlier mention of Naimiṣāraṇya is found in Rāmāyaṇa. The colophon of yuddha-kanda (sixth) of Rāmāyaṇa mentions that Lav and Kush, the sons of Ram narrated the epic by Valmiki in the Naimiṣāraṇya in His Ashvamedha-yajna.

Geographically mapping to a presently known location, Naimisha forest is said to be in Sitapur district of Uttar Pradesh state in India.

External links


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Поможем сделать НИР

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Glossary of Hinduism terms — An article related to Hinduism …   Wikipedia

  • Bhagavata Purana — Not to be confused with Devi Bhagavata Purana. Krishna lifting Mount Govardhan to shelter his friends from a thunderstorm unleashed by Indra. (Bh. P. X.17) The Bhāgavata Purāṇa (Devanāgarī …   Wikipedia

  • Mahabharata — This article is about the Sanskrit epic. For other uses, see Mahabharata (disambiguation). Manuscript illustration of the Battle of Kurukshetra …   Wikipedia

  • Nana Sahib — For Peshwa Balaji Bajirao of Pune, see Nanasaheb Peshwa. Nana Saheb Born 1820 Bithoor Died Nationality …   Wikipedia

  • Kurukshetra War — (Details given are according to the epic Mahabharata) The position of the Kuru kingdom in Iron Age Vedic India …   Wikipedia

  • Epic India — This article is about the kingdoms as reflected in Sanskrit literature. See History of India for a historical overview, in particular Mahajanapadas and Middle kingdoms of India for historical kingdoms ca. 700 BC ndash;AD 1200. Epic India is the… …   Wikipedia

  • Naga Kingdom — This article is about the Nagas in Indian epic literature. For the present day Naga people, see Naga people. For the mythological Nagas, see Nāga. Naga Kingdom refers to the territory of a tribe called Nagas who were a group of hardy and… …   Wikipedia

  • Shaunaka — (Sanskrit: शौनक) is the name applied to teachers, and to a Shakha of the Atharvaveda. It is especially the name of a celebrated Sanskrit grammarian, author of the Ṛgveda Prātiśākhya, the Bṛhaddevatā, the Caraṇa vyūha and five Anukramaṇīs… …   Wikipedia

  • Panchala Kingdom — This article is about the kingdom of Panchala during the epic ages. For the historical kingdom, see Panchala. Panchala Kingdom extended from Himalayas in the north to river Charmanwati in the south during the period of Mahabharata. It had Kuru,… …   Wikipedia

  • Vyasa — For the author of Brahma Sutras, see Badarayana. For the crater on Mercury, see Vyasa (crater). Vyasa Veda Vyasa (modern painting) Titles/honours Festival of Guru Purnima, is dedicated to him, and also known as Vyasa Purnima as it is the day,… …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”