Nashik

Nashik, Maharashtra, India: ghats along Godavari River

Nashik, Maharashtra, India

Nashik, also spelled Nasik, city, northwestern Maharashtra state, western India. It lies in the Western Ghats along the Godavari River and is situated along major road and rail routes at a point about 110 miles (180 km) northeast of Mumbai (Bombay).

Nashik is an important religious centre and attracts thousands of pilgrims annually because of the sanctity of the Godavari River and because of the legend that Rama, the hero of the Ramayana epic, lived there for a time with his wife Sita and his brother Lakshmana. The main part of the city lies on the right (south) bank of the river. Panchavati, a quarter on the left bank, has several temples. The city’s riverbanks are lined with ghats (stepped bathing places). Nashik is the site of the Pandu (Buddhist) and Chamar (Jain) cave temples dating to the 1st century ce. Of its many Hindu temples, Kala Ram and Gora Ram are among the holiest. Tryambakeshvar, a village 14 miles (22 km) from Nashik, is the site of a Shaivite Jyotirlinga temple, the most important of the pilgrim sites.

By the second half of the 20th century, the city had become industrialized. Silk and cotton weaving and sugar and oil processing are important. Ozar is a suburban township. Nashik has several colleges affiliated with the University of Pune. The area in which Nashik is situated is drained by the Girna and Godavari rivers, which flow through open, fertile valleys. The chief crops grown in the region are wheat, millet, and peanuts (groundnuts). Sugar is an important irrigated cash crop. The region is also known for its viticulture. Regional industries consist primarily of sugar and oil processing and cotton spinning and weaving. A military aircraft factory is nearby. Pop. (2001) city, 1,077,236; (2011) city, 1,486,053.