Nasik, The Wine Capital of India, is located 190km from Mumbai, Maharashtra. It is a well-known site of the Kumbh Mela.
Trimbakeshwar Shiva Temple, Nashik; Image Source: Savitri
LOCATION
Located 190 km from Mumbai, Nasik is situated on the banks of the river Godavari and is the fourth largest city in Mumbai. It is situated on the western side of the Deccan Plateau, giving it a pleasant climate all year round.
MYTHOLOGY
As we have read in the Ramayan, Lakshman chops off Surpankha’s nose when she abuses Sita. This incident is said to have happened where Nasik is situated today, hence the name of the city, which literally means Nose in Sanskrit.
SIGNIFICANCE
Nasik plays a significant role in Hindu religion because it is said to be the place Lord Ram resided in during his 14-year exile. Shirdi and Trimbakeshwar are two places of religious importance visited by throngs of people especially during festivals. In today’s time Nasik happens to be a hub of vineyards, with almost half the vineyards of India located here. Nasik has been reported to produce 10,000 tonnes of grapes a year.
Being the Wine Capital, it also hosts seasonal wine festivals which attract sizable crowds.
Nasik has a 108 feet tall Jain idol, which, according to the Guinness Book, is the tallest Jain idol in the world and is carved in a monolith.
The Dudhsagar Falls of Nasik are a famous tourist attraction for their natural beauty and a breathtaking view of the horizon.
ARCHITECTURE
The Sundarnarayan temple is a temple for Lord Vishnu. It combines Vedic architecture with Mughal architecture, which gives it a unique beauty. Every March 21st, the first sun rays directly fall on the idols, which is an event that many devotees come to witness.
The Shri Dharmachakra Prabhav Tirth Jain Mandir is a majestic three storey Jain temple built with pink sandstone. It is one of the newer Jain temples, which is noticeable when the architectural style is compared to other famous temples, this one having a more modern design.
AT DIFFERENT TIMES
As gathered from Vedic scriptures, Nashik has been known with many different names over the centuries. During the Satya Yug it was known as Padmanagar, during the Treta Yug it was known as Trikantak, Janasthan during the Dwapar Yug and Navashikh during Kal yug. The Mughals referred to Nasik as Gulshanbad. Nasik was a relatively insignificant city during the struggle for independence. Its population only rose much later, because of migration due to opportunities for labour.
ARCHAEOLOGY
A group of 24 caves known as the Pandavs Caves have been excavated 8km from Nasik. From these caves a lot of things such as water cisterns, inscriptions and viharas have been found with some that can be dated back to the second century BC
DEMOGRAPHY
Nasik has a population of 1,486,053 according to the 2011 population census. The sex ratio is 894 females per 1000 males and the literacy rate is 89.85%. It is the fourth largest populated city in Maharashtra.
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