Nashik : At a Glance

The Nashik district of Mumbai is known for its own mythological, historical, social and cultural importance. The city is situated on the banks of the Godavari River, making it one of the holiest places for Hindus through out the world.  Though there is no historical record available to reveals its history but it is believed to be present during the period of stone age when Lord Ramchandraji along with his wife Goddess Sita and brother Laxman stayed for a long time during their stay in forests. It is also believed that it was the place where Laxman cut the nose (known as Nasika in Sanskrit) of Rawan’s sister Shurpankha and thus since then it was called as Nasik.

Another belief is that when Lord Vishun defeated the three demons this city was named as “TriKantak”. The historical records reveals that during 1487 this province came under the rule of Mughals and was known as 'Gulchanabad'. It was also home of Emperor Akbar and he had also mentioned few words about Nashik in 'Din-e-Akbari'. It was also known as the 'Land of the brave' during the regime of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj.

For the convenience history can be divided into following phases:

During Peshwa’s Period: The beauty of Nashik had fascinated the rulers of various dynasties from time to time. For the first time the Mughals were fascinated by the beauty of the city and renamed it as "Gulshanabad" meaning the city of gardens. Beautiful fresh flowers were sent to Aurangazeb from Gulshanabad.  After which when it came under the dominance of Peshwas it was finally renamed as Nashik. During the Peshwas period, Raghobadada and his wife Anandibai settled down at 'Anandwalli' in Nashik. There is also a temple called 'Navasha Ganapati' built by Anandibai. It was during the British rule in April 1818, when Nashik once again appeared on the scene. The British rulers also got attracted towards the beauty of the city and developed it in various fields. The Golf course, developed by the British, was one of the largest in Asia. Nashik is surrounded by nine hills, namely: Durga, Ganesh, Chitraghanta, Pandav, DingerAli, Mhasarul, Jogwada, Pathanpura and Konkani.

Rise and Growth of National Movement: The year 1869 brought the peace to this beautiful city. This resulted in the rapid development of the region and thus religious, commercial and political activities also flourished. With the construction of Railway track towards Bombay the commercial and religious activities expanded. As the result of this Nashik emerged as one of the busiest trade centre of that period and people from different parts of the country visited Nashik for twin purpose of purchasing and also visiting the religious places.

By the middle of 19th century unlike several other Indian regions the British Rule came into the power and the public life of Nashik followed the administrative activities set up by the then British Government. In 1840 a ' Native Library Nashik' was established. In 1861 an Anglo-vernacular school was started and with the beginning of 1864, the city had its own Municipal body.

Nashik's struggle for freedom : On December 21^st 1909 the freedom fighter Anant Kanhere shot the collector Jackson in Vijayanand theater. The murder of Jackson challenged the British Rule. The people involved in the incidence, Anant Laxman Kanhere, Krishnaji Gopal Karve and Vinayak Ramchandra Deshpande were sentenced to death. It was during this time that 'Abhinav Bharat ' was formed. The young of Nashik was influenced by the speech of Lokmanya Tilak given on the 26th of August 1906. Veer Savarkar successfully organised an underground movement against the rulers.

Marathi songs full of patriotic motivation were written by various writers, prominent among whom was G.T. Darekar popularly called 'Govind Kavi' whose poems such as 'Who could ever win freedom without fight ?' or his prayer to God Rama saying 'When, O Rama, wilt thou be pleased to satisfy our burning desire for freedom’,

If Italy be free, why not India ?
If Ireland be free, why not India ?
If America be free, why not India ?'

Milestones in the history of Nashik

Some of the major events in the history of Nashik are :
1840 : Sarvajanik Vachanalaya established. (Public Library)
1854 : Sharanpur Colony formed.
1861 : Deolali Cantonment formed.
1862 : Nashik Road railway station was built.
1864 : Nashik Municipality formed.
1869 : Nashik district formed.
1894 : Saint Andrew Church built.
1894 : Construction work for Victoria Bridge started.
1910 : Police Training School established.
1922 : Distillery started at Nashik Road.
1927 : Security Press formed at Nashik Road.
1941 : Artillery Center migrated to Nashik Road from Quetta in Pakistan.

Statistical Information about Nashik

 

Facts & Figures

 

Tourist Destination: The district of Nashik is famous for its mythological, historical, social and cultural heritage. Most of the tourist place in Nashik are dedicated to Hindu Gods. It is said that the Nashik is the paradise for tourists. Given below is the brief description of major tourist destinations at Nashik.

Shree KalaRam Mandir: Built by late Mr. Odhekar, a knight serving with Peshwas. The major festivals celebrated in this temples are Ramnavami, Dasara and Chaitra Padwa (Hindu new year day). The specialty of the temple is that it was built with black stones which were brought from Rameshwaram 200 years ago. The total cost incurred in construction of this temple came around 23 lakh rupees.

Artillery Gallery:  Recognized as the biggest Artillery Gallery in Central Asia. This artillery center was shifted from Pakistan in 1947, and completed its 50^th year in 1997. The officers and soldiers of Indian army are trained here.

Trimbakeshwar Temple:  It is one of the holy places of not only Maharashtra but of the whole India. Trimbakeshwar is one of the twelve Jyotirling  in India.

Saputara: It is one of the famous hill stations of Maharashtra owing all the facilities which are available in some metro city. Different hill points for sunset and sunrise makes this place the best tourist destination of Maharashtra.

Veer Savarkar Smarak – Bhagur: Bhagur is the birth place of the freedom fighter, Swatanrya Veer Savarkar.  Apart from this there is also a beautiful temple of "Bhagur Devi" Bhagur is situated 3 km away from Deolali Camp and 17 km from Nashik road.

 Besides this there are few other historical tourist destinations fascinating tourists through out India towards their attraction.

 Connectivity: Nashik being the place of historical importance is well connected with all the means of transport.

By Air: Nearest airport from Nashik is at Mumbai, 185-km away from the city. From the airport you can take a taxi to reach the bus stand.

By Rail: Nashik is one the major railway stations on the Central Railway division and there are a number of convenient trains that connect Nashik to other cities and towns. The fastest train to Mumbai is the Panchvati Express, which takes only 4 ½ hours.

By Road: Nashik is 185-kms from Mumbai and is well connected by road. Pune-Nashik highway is 220-kms away from the city. There are also several private and state buses available between Mumbai/Thane and Nashik.

Local Transport: Visitors can use taxis, tourist cars, auto-rickshaws and vans, which are easily available.

Distance from Nashik (By road):

• Aurangabad 218km
• Delhi 1222 km
• Mumbai 185 km
• Nagpur 678 km
• Pune 220 km
• Thane 142 km

For more information about Nashik, explore here