Nashik – The City of Temples

Nashik is 180 km from Mumbai and is situated in north west of Maharashtra.this is considered to be the western kashi of India. Nashik is one of the holiest places for Hindus all over the world as it is situated in the banks of Godavari river. This city has its own historical, mythological, social and cultural importance. Lord Lakhman by the wish of Lord Rama had cut the nose of “Shurpanaka” and by this the city was named “Nashik” (from Sanskrit word “Nasika”). Lord Rama lived here during his exile. Agasti rushi stayed here for tapasya. Godavari river originates from trimbakeshwar in Nashik. Lord Hanuman was born near Nashik at Ajineri.

There are a number of temples situated in and outside Nashik. Lord Rama, who had spent some of his exile in Nashik, is a unique blend of civilization and modernization. the holiness of the city invites thousands of tourists every year.It is a paradise for tourists with temples, holy rituals, cool climate, museums, wine yards and lots more. It is the wine capital of India. the religious festival “Kumbhmela” that occurs in every 12 years is also celebrated in Nashik with 3 other cities in india. The Nashik Kumbhmela is celebrated as the most sacred of all festivals.  A dip in the godavari river has great importance during the Kumbhmela.

Tourists are very much attracted to this city because of its beautiful surroundings and  natural valleys. Nashik is home to many wine yards and orchards. today, Nashik is rated as one of India’s fastest growing cities. The city saw a fast uplift of development from 2003 with malls, multiplexes, infrastructure, educational institutions   etc. It is known  for its pleasant and cool climate, green y surroundings, high standard of living, and well-developed infrastructure. Nashik is one  of the well developed industrial city of Maharashtra.

How to reach

Nearest Railway Station   –   Nashik  road

Airport   –  Mumbai

Bus service available from major  cities of Maharashtra

Panchavati –

It is the central attraction of nashik.  Panchavati is situated 2km from Nashik town. This name is derived from the word Panch means five and vati means banyan trees. Kalaram temple, Sundar Narayan temple, Kapaleshwar temple, ganga godavari are situated in Panchavati.

Ramkund –

Here the devotees take holy dip in the river Godavari. It is considered as Ganges of south. this is one of the significant tourists place in Nashik. It is believed that by a dip in ramkund, salvation or moksha is easily achieved.

 Kapaleshwar temple –

This is one of the oldest temples in the city of nashik. this is the only temple without “Nandi”.  It is situated on the banks of Godavari near Ramkund.

 Kalaram mandir –

This temple is dedicated to Lord Rama. As the image of  Lord Rama is enshrined inside the temple on black stone, temple came to be known as Kalaram temple.

Sundar narayan temple –

It is situated at the corners of Ahalya bai holkar bridge. The most attraction of this temple is the architectural work.  The main dietary of the temple is Lord Vishnu Narayan.

 Sita gupha –

The literal meaning of gupha is cave. Sita used to worship lord Shiva sitting inside this gupha during vanvas. Since the entrance to this cave is small, visitors have to crawl through this gupha which is just about 4 ft in height. There are 2 separate wings in the gupha where Ram, Sita, Lakshman and Shivlingam are placed. Opposite to the gupha lies a temple with the Lakshman rekha drawn across it. Visitors often visit this place.  There are 5 banyan trees in front of Sita gupha.

 Tapovan –

Tapovan literally means forest where asceties are engaged in penance. This place is use by great sages for meditation. This place is 5 km away from Nashik. At kumbhmela time around 25000 sadhus stayed here in last Kumbhmela. This sacred place has temples of Ram Parnakudi, Lakshman and Kund. Long stretch of green woods and proximity to jungle’s flora and fauna attracts tourists.

 Jain mandir –

It is a temple made of white marble and pink sand. This huge temple is dedicated to Jain saints. The amazing deity weighs 12 tons and is made up of Panchadhatu.

 Muktidham –

It is a pink marble temple and is about 12 km away from Nashik city. This temple represents all important places of pilgrimage in India. All the deities are prepared according to the original size of the deities from the respective holy places. Eighteen chapters of Bhagwat Geeta are written on the walls of this temple.

 Pandavleni –

It is also called as Pandava caves. these are originally vihars of Buddhist monks carved in stone on the mountain. There is extensive writing in Brahmani script. Water tanks that are skillfully chiseled into rock are very attractive. Buddha idols are engraved in many caves. According to old Hindu myths, pandavas stayed here for a year during their exile.

Maha kumbh mela –

This is a religious festival and is celebrated every 12 years in four major pilgrim sites.  They are allahabad, haridvar, ujjain and nashik.  Nashik is biggest of them with over three million divotees take holy dip in the river of godavari.  Exact period of kumbhmela is fixed according to the position of stars and planets.

 Someshwar temple –

Another sacred place which adds to the holiness of the city is the someshwar temple, situated in the banks of Godavari and is 8 km away from the city. Along with ancient temples the place is surrounded by greenery all around, offering a beautiful view of Godavari on one side adding serenity to the divine shrine. This place has a small garden for visitors to relax and a boating club that adds to the pleasurable experience. Very near to the temple is the Dudhsagar waterfalls, peoples can sit on the rocks hearing the gushes of water with a “Garam Butta”(hot roasted corn) in hands makes the visit a worth cherishing.

 Balaji temple –

This is a beautifully designed Balaji temple situated near to the Someshwar temple. Here we can see a very magnificent idol of Lord Balaji. This temple has also now become one of the major refreshment and picnic spot.

 Shirdi –

Shirdi is situated 110 km from Nashik city. Sage Sai Baba lived here till his death.  Shirdi Sai Baba, the great saints temple is located in Shirdi.  It is one of the most famous pilgrim places of Maharashtra. Many devotees across the country visit Babas shrine. Arti darshan is at morning 5 am. The articles and valuables, which were used by Baba are exhibited in a room here.

 Trimbakeswar –

It is about 36 km away from Nashik. this is a very famous temple of Shiva. It is one of the 12 Jyotirlinga sites of India. The linga in the temple is having three faces and are Tridev, Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva. This place is considered as the most sacred place in india. Godavari river starts from the Brahmagiri hills in this town. This hill is an adventurous spot for trekking. According to Hindu myths Trimbakeswar is considered as the ideal place to do shradh ceremony,for the salvation of soul. It is a hot spot for tourists other than Hindu pilgrims.

 Coin museum –

The Indian institute of research in numismatic studies was established in 1980 and is the only of its kind in Asia. This is situated around 15 km from Nashik. The museum exposes a fine collection of coins, coin dies, moulds, medals, photographs, articles and drawings  about various currency systems that existed in india from centuries together. there are nearly 3000 coins on display. Many coin manufacturing techniques like casting, die striking, etc. are also exibited with the help of dioramas.

Gargoti museum –

This is situated in sinner which is 25 km away from Nashik. It is an excellent place for getting geological ideas related to rocks and minerals. The theme of this museum is the aesthetic beauty of the minerals of the earth. There is quite substantial collection of precious and semi precious minerals found around the world.

 Phalke smarak –

This is a garden of around 30 acres, very near to pandava caves in memory of Dada Sahab Phalke. There is a  beatiful museum,meditation hall,music fountain,water park, Buddha stoop,open theatre etc. Along with all these, the beautiful green landscape   atttracts the tourists to this place.

 Wine yards of Nashik-

Wine yards of Nashik are very famous. As the climate is cool, good and healthy,the cultivation of grapes in the city is high and it makes Nashik the wine capital of India. There are many wine yards in the city. The most famous is Sula  wine yards and is 1500 acres in ares and capacity is 5 million litres. Winery tours are also arranged in the city. This tour includes tasting of premium quality wines in the yards and  have a look  on the different processes in  making wines.

Nashik is totally based on the banks of the holy river Godavari.it is a fast developing city and is one of the cold places in india. Other than all these there are a large number of industries like Hal, Security press, Mahindra & mahindra, Siemens, Bosch etc, enhances the economic  level of this city. The cool climate and presence of mountain ranges in the nearby areas make this city a semi hill station.

If Kerala is Gods Own Country,    Gods lived here…………….

 sreerekha.r.nair