Naimiṣāraṇya 

Naimisharanya or the Naimisha forest is an ancient forest mentioned in the Mahabharata and the Puranas. It lays on the banks of the Gomti River of Uttar Pradesh, about 90 kms from Lucknow.

The narration of the current version of Mahabharata that we have today took place at Naimisharanya during a conclave of sages headed by Saunaka, who gathered for a 12-year long sacrifice. In this conclave Ugrasrava Sauti narrated the entire Mahabharata.

According to Varaha Purana, there used to live a Rishi named Gauramukha in these forests, who was visited by a Danava called Durjaya, with his Akshauhini army. Gauramukha had obtained a divine crystal (Divya Mani) from Vishnu, after propitiating the latter through a terrible penance. With the help that divine crystal, Gauramukha was able to host a feast to the king and his entire army. When Durjaya wanted to take that jewel by force, Vishnu destroyed, just in a minute, Durjaya and his vast army using his Chakra and as he wished, the place came to be known as Naimisharanya. Even today, there is an ancient well called Chakra Tirtha and a temple in Naimisharanya dedicated to Vishnu, and is considered one of the 108 sacred Vishnu temples. The temple is counted as one of the eight temples of Vishnu that self-manifested and is classified as Swayamvyaktha Kshetra.

It is considered to be the Ashrama of Rishi Dadhichi, who is believed to have given away his life here to donate his bones for the creation of Indra’s weapon Vajra, which the latter used to kill Vritrasur.

As per another legend, when sages were looking out to perform penance, Brahma brought out a ring from darba grass. He asked the sages to perform penance at the place where the ring falls, which is believed to be Naimisaranya. The sages performed penance and Vishnu appeared to the sages and accepted their offerings. It is believed that the forest still has Vishnu and all sages as trees.