About District

About Nashik

Nashik District is located between 18.33 degree and 20.53 degree North latitude and between 73.16 degree and 75.16 degree East Longitude at Northwest part of the Maharashtra state, at 565 meters above mean sea level. The District has great mythological background. Lord Rama lived in Panchvati during his vanvas. Agasti Rushi also stayed in Nashik for Tapasya. The Godavari river originates from Trimbakeshwar in Nashik. One of the 12 Jyotirlingas also at Trimbakeshwar. Nashik has to its credit many well known and towering personalities like Veer Sawarkar, Anant Kanhere , Rev. Tilak, Dadasaheb Potnis, Babubhai Rathi, V.V. Shirwadkar and Vasant Kanetkar just name few. Nashik is also known as Mini Maharashtra, because the climate and soil conditions of Surgana, Peth, Igatpuri resembles with Konkan. Niphad, Sinnar, Dindori, Baglan blocks are like Western Maharashtra and yeola, Nandgaon, Chandwad blocks are like Vidarbha Region. Nashik, Malegaon, Manmad, Igatpuri are some of the big cities situated in the Nashik District.

Nashik district is the third largest district in Maharashtra in terms of Population of 61,09,052 and area occupying an area of 15,582 square kilometres in the north Maharashrta region. It is bounded by Dhule district to the north, Jalgaon district to the east,  Aurangabad district to the southeast, Ahmadnagar district to the south, Thane district to the southwest, Valsad and Navsari districts of Gujarat to the west, and The Dangs district to the northwest.

The Western Ghats or Sahyadri range stretches from north to south across the western portion of the district. With the exception of the westernmost few villages, the western portion is hilly, and intersected by ravines, and only the simplest kind of cultivation is possible. The western slope of the Ghats is drained by several rivers, including the Daman Ganga River, which drains westwards to the Arabian Sea.

The larger eastern portion of the district, which lies on the Deccan Plateau, is open, fertile, and well cultivated. The Satmala-Chandwad Range, which runs east and west, forms the chief divide of the plateau region. Peninsular India’s largest river  Godavari originates in the district in the Trimbakeshwar Range and continues its soujourn eastwards through the district. The Satmala-Chandwad Range forms a watershed, such that, the rivers emerging to its south drain into the Godavari. These include the Kadva and Darna both of which are tributaries of the Godavari. To the north of the Satmala-Chandwad Range, the Girna River and its tributary, the Mosam, flow eastward through fertile valleys into the Tapti River.

The Trimbakeshwar Shiva Temple is located in Trimbak, one of the twelve Jyotirlingas, where the Hindu genealogy registers at Trimbakeshwar, Maharashtra are kept. The origin of the sacred Godavari river is near Trimbak.

Nashik is an ancient city in the northwest region of Maharashtra in India. Situated on the banks of Godavari river Nashik is best known for being one of Hindu pilgrimage sites, that of Kumbh Mela which is held every 12 years. The city located about 190 km north of state capital Mumbai, is called the “Wine Capital of India” as half of India’s vineyards and wineries are located in Nashik Nashik formerly it was known as Gulshanabad and it is important historically, mythologically, socially and culturally city. Known for the temples on the banks of the Godavari and it has historically been one of the holy sites of the Hindu and Muslim religion. It is one of the four cities that hosts the massive Sinhastha Kumbh Mela once every twelve years.

Geography

Nashik is the third largest city of Maharashtra after Mumbai & Pune. Nashik lies in the northern part of Maharashtra state at 700 m (2,300 ft) from the mean sea level which gives it ideal temperature variation, particularly in winters. Nashik lies at altitude of 700m above sea level and has lush mountainous terrain. The river Godavari originates from the Brahmagiri Mountain, Trimbakeshwar about 24 km (15 mi) from Nashik and flows through the old residential settlement, now in the central part of the city. Due to high pollution created by factories in proximity of the city the river was dying at an alarming rate. It has since been successfully cleaned. Other than Godavari, important rivers like Vaitarana, Bhima, Girana, Kashyapi and Darana flow across Nashik. Nashik lies on the western edge of the Deccan Plateau which is a volcanic formation. Trimbakeshwar is about 30 km (19 mi) from the city, it is where from river Godavari originates. The land area of the city is about 259.13 km2 (100.05 sq mi). Anjaneri near Nashik is the birth place of lord Hanuman. The city’s tropical location and high altitude combine to give it a relatively mild version of a tropical wet and dry climate.Temperatures rise slightly in October, but this is followed by the cool season from November to February. The cool season sees warm temperatures of around 28 °C during the day, but cool nights, with lows averaging 10 °C, and extremely dry air.

Name origin

The origin of the name of Nashik is linked with the epic of Ramayana. According to this epic, Laxman cut off the nose of Shurpanaka of Ravana’s sister. So this place was called ‘Nasik’. The Government of Maharashtra changed it to Nashik.The Godavari river flowing through the two parts of Nashik and Panchavati flows through the nine hills, ie the flowing from the ‘Nav Shikhan’. The Sanskrit word shikha means hill. This means that ‘Nav Shikha’ has become Nashik from the city. From ancient times, Nashik city and surrounding area were known by different names. There are five such names, such as Janasthan, Trikantak, Gulshanabad, Nasik and Existing Nashik. Historical period has been considered as a religious place of Nashik. It is mentioned that Shriram was staying at ‘Panchavati’ in the Ramayana in Nashik area. Mahakavi Kalidas and Bhavabhuti have expressed their respect for Nashik. During the Mughal empire, Nashik was known as Gulshanabad, the city of Gulab, as ‘Gulshananabad’. There are two opinions about how the city was named “Nashik”. There is such an opinion that “Navishi is a city of nine peaks” and later Deshbas Nashik. And there is another reference to Ramayana. When Ram, his wife Sita and brother Lakshman lived in Panchavati area of Nashik, they cut the nose of Ravana’s sister (‘Nasika’ in the Sanskrit language) at this place in Shurancha. It has also been called Nasik or Nashik. This opinion is more popular. There is a possibility that Nasik should be named as Nasik, hence it is called as Nasik. Nashik is the main center of the Ambedkar movement. Dadasaheb Gaikwad was born in this land. In the four Kumbh Mela of India, the area of ??Simhastha Kumbh Mela is in Nashik. Every 12 years, the Kumbh Mela is filled here. The temples here and the Godavari river are famous. There are warehouses that are excavated around AD Sun 1200. Godavari river is called South Ganges in Nashik.