Sri Devaraja Perumal Temple, Naimisaranyam
Thiru Naimisaranyam
Photo: T.sujatha · CC BY-SA 3.0 · via Wikimedia Commons
One of the eight Swayamvyakta kshetras and a major Puranic narration site.
Sthala Purāṇam
Thiru Naimisaranyam, on the banks of the river Gomati, revered as the Adi Ganga, in Sitapur district of Uttar Pradesh, is the Divya Desam where the Lord is worshipped as Sri Devaraja Perumal, also called Sri Hari, standing east-facing with his consort Sri Hari Lakshmi, also known as Pundarikavalli. The site is counted among the eight Swayam Vyakta Kshetrams, the self-manifested shrines, and is one of the most ancient sacred forests of Vaishnavism. The sthala puranam explains the place-name: when the assembled rishis approached Brahma seeking the ideal place to perform penance and yajnas, Brahma fashioned a ring or wheel from Darbha grass and rolled it, declaring that wherever its rim came to rest would be the most auspicious spot. The wheel halted at this forest, and because nemi means the rim of a wheel and aranya means forest, the place became Naimisaranyam, the forest where the wheel's rim fell. This forest became the great assembly ground where the sages, led by Rishi Shaunaka, gathered, and where Suta Goswami narrated and the eighteen Mahapuranas were classified and recounted. The principal tirtham is the Chakra Tirtham, fed by perennially welling waters in which pilgrims bathe; other sacred waters include the Gomati river, the Nemi Tirtham, and the Divya Visrantha Tirtham. The sanctum tower is the Sri Hari Vimanam. As a Divya Desam, Thiru Naimisaranyam received mangalasasanam from Thirumangai Alvar, the sole Alvar to glorify this kshetra, dedicating ten pasurams of the Nalayira Divya Prabandham to Sri Devaraja Perumal.
Mangalāśāsanam — the Āḻvār pāsurams
The Lord Devaraja Perumal (Sri Devarajan) with Pundareekavalli (Harilakshmi) of Thiru Naimisaranyam is glorified in 10 pāsurams by:
Thiru Naimisaranyam (Naimisharanya, Sitapur district, Uttar Pradesh) — the forest sanctuary where the Puranas were expounded — is the only one of these northern shrines hymned by a single Alvar: Thirumangai Alvar alone, in a decade of 10 pasurams (Periya Thirumozhi 1.6, the 'vANilA muRuval' decade, verses 998-1007). The decade reflects on a life misspent in worldly pleasures and turns the heart toward the Lord of Naimisaranyam, whom even Indra and the celestials come to worship.
ஏதம் வந்தணுகா வண்ணம் நாம் எண்ணி எழுமினோ தொழுதும் என்று இமையோர் நாதன் வந்திறைஞ்சும் நைமிசாரணியத்து எந்தையைச் சிந்தையுள் வைத்து
Edham vandhaNugA vaNNam nAm eNNi ezhuminO thozhudhum enRu imaiyOr nAdhan vandhirainjum naimisAraNiyaththu endhaiyaich chindhaiyuL vaiththu
So that no harm may come near us, let us resolve, rise up and worship Him — saying thus, even the lord of the celestials (Indra) and the immortals come and bow before my Father who graciously resides at Naimisaranyam, whom I have placed firmly within my heart.
Tamil text & meaning sourced from divyaprabandham.koyil.org and other Śrī Vaiṣṇava authorities — please cross-check the linked source for the canonical reading.
Read the pāsurams ↗Gallery
Tap an image to view it larger — use ‹ › to browse, ✕ to close. Images via Wikimedia Commons.
Plan your visit
📍 27.34858, 80.48645
Routes, distances, hotels and restaurants open in Google Maps with live data. Build a phased pilgrimage plan →