NORTHERN MAHARASHTRA
Nasik
Pop: 834,00 Tel Area Code : 0253
This interesting town with its 200 temples and picturesque bathing ghats stands on the Godavari River, one of the holiest rivers of the Deccan, Nasik is one oif four sites for the triennial Kumbh Mela, a huge Hindu gathering which takes place here every 12 years.
The town is about eight km north -west of the Nasik Road railway station, which is 187km from Mumbai.
Temples & Caves
Nasik's riverbanks are lined with ghats above which stand temples and shrines. Alhough there are no particularly notable temples, the Sundar Narayan Temple , to the west of the city, is worth a visit.
Other points of interest include the Sita Gupta Cave from which, according to the Ramayana, Sita, the deity of agriculture and wife of Rama, was supposed to have been carried off to the is land of Lanka by the evil king Ravana. Near the cave, in a grove of large banyan trees, is the Temple of Kala Rama, or Black Rama, in a 96 arched enclosure. The Kapaleswa Temple upstream is said to be the oldest in the town.
Kumbh Mela
The Kumbh Mela, purportedly the largest celebration of any kind on earth, alternates between Nasik, Allahabad, Ujjain and Haridwar every three years. Kumbh means `pot' or `cup' and im Hindu mythology, four drops of the nectar of immortality fell to earth, one in each of these places. For more details about this extraordinary pilgrimage, see the section under Allahabad in the Uttar Pradesh Chapter.
Places to Stay & eat
Hotel Siddharth (ph. 564288), on the Pune Rd about two km from the roundabout, is a large, well - kept place where singles/doubles are Rs 150/200 or Rs 250/300 with air-con.
Hotel Padma (ph. 576837), on Sharampur Rd opposite the central bus stand, has simple, clean rooms with attached bathroom for Rs 200/250.
Hotel Samrat (ph. 577211), near the central bus stand on Old Agra Rd, offers rooms without/with air-con; for Rs 400/550. Its restaurant serves good Gujarati thalis and there's a bar.
Hotel Panchavati (ph. 571273), 430 Vakilwadi, is large and centrally located, offering clean, good-value rooms for Rs 350/550 or Rs 520/725 with air-con ; there are cheaper rooms in its annexe. There's a couple of good restaurants and a bar here as well.
Wasan's Inn (ph.570202) on Old Agra Rd is similarly priced and has its own restaurant.
Woodlands Restaurant, across the road from the Hotel Siddharth, serves excellent south Indian meals, but no alcohol.
Getting There & Away
Local buses and auto - rickshaws ply between the Nasik Road railway station and the town centre. The fastest train to Mumbai is the Panchvati Express which does the trip in 4 1/2 hours, leaving at 7.09am.
There are frequent buses to Mumbai but they're slower than the train as they get caught up in Mumbai's traffic choas. Frequent buses also go to Aurangabad (200km, five hours) and Pune (209km, five hours).
AROUND NASIK
Pandu Lena
About eight km south of Nasik, close to the Mumbai road, is a group of 24 Hinayana Buddist caves dating from around the 1st century BC to the 2nd AD. Cave 3 is a large vihara with some interesting sculptures. Cave 10 is also a vihara and almost identical in design to cave 3, although it is much older and finer in its detail. It is thought to be nearly as old as the Karla Cave near Lonavla. Cave 18 is a chaitya believed to date from the same time as the Karla Cave; it is well sculptured and its elaborate façade is particularly noteworthy.
Trimbak
From a spring high on a steep hill above Trimbak, 33km west of Nasik, the source of the Godavari River dribbles into the Ganga sagar bathing tank whose waters are reputed to wash away sins. From this tiny start the Godavari eventuyally flows down to the Bay of Bengal, clear across India.
Also in Trimbak is the Trimbakeshwar temple, one of India's most sacred, containing one of 12 jyotilingas (naturally occurring lingams) of Siva. Although the temple is open to Hindu only, it is possible (and permitted to see into the temple courtyard to the shrine from a convenient vantage point
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