Nashik, Maharashtra, India

🇮🇳 Nashik is an ancient city and the largest city in the northern region of the Indian state of Maharashtra. Situated on the banks of river Godavari, Nashik is the fourth largest city in Maharashtra. Nashik is well known for being one of the Hindu pilgrimage sites of the Kumbh Mela, which is held every 12 years. The city is called the "Wine Capital of India" as more than half of India's vineyards and wineries are located here. Around 90% of all wine produced in India comes from the Nashik Valley.

Nashik is one of the Hindu pilgrimage sites of the Kumbh Mela, which is held every 12 years.

Etymology The name, Nashik, is derived from the Sanskrit word 'nāsikā' which literally means 'nose'.

According to the Ramayana, Nashik is the location on the banks of the Godavari River where Lakshmana cut the nose of the demoness Surpanakha, hence the name "Nashik". It is also known by the name Panchavati.

It was known as "Gulshanabad" during the Mughal period.

History Nashik was known by many names. It was known as "Padmanagar" during the Satya Yuga, "Trikantak" during the Treta Yuga, "Janasthana" during the Dvapara Yuga, and finally "Navashikh" or "Nashik" during the Kali Yuga, according to Hindu traditions. Nashik is significant in mythology, history, social life, and culture. The city is located on the banks of the Godavari River, making it a sacred site for Hindus around the world. During his 14-year exile from Ayodhya, Rama, the king of Ayodhya, is said to have made Nashik his home.

Nashik Tram Nashik Tram was started from the Old Municipal Building on the main road to Nashik Road railway station around 1889. The tram served the people of Nashik for almost 44 years. The tram station was at the Main Road, and the tram reached the Nashik Road railway station via the present Main Road, Bhadrakali Market, Ghasbazar, and Phalke Road. It covered a distance of about eight to ten km, and the stretch used to be covered with dense jungle at the time. In the article ‘Nashik-then’, poet Kusumagraj has written passionately about trams. He writes, "If the carriages were full, the tram would leave. It would ring the bell and drive out of the village to the main road and then to the grass market.

Revolutionary activities In the 1900s Vinayak Savarkar along with his brother founded a secret society Abhinav Bharat in Nasik Mitra Mela which was one amongst many in Maharashtra. On 21 December 1909 a member of Abhinav Bharat, Anant Kanhere a student from Aurangabad assassinated Nashik's governor A. M. T. Jackson while he was watching a play in a theatre. Kanhere was arrested on the spot and after investigation, police arrested Vinayak Savarkar and others for conspiring against the government to instigate an armed rebellion. The case was known as the "Nasik Conspiracy Case - 1910". In the court trial in Bombay, police alleged Savarkar was the brain, moving spirit and inspiration of the conspiracy extending over many years. Bombay court sentenced him to life imprisonment, and transportation to notorious Cellular Jail at Andaman; Savarkar's elder brother Babarao Savarkar also received the same punishment and others received varying degrees of imprisonment. ICS officer Jakson's assassination created a sensation in Poona, Nasik and Bombay, the case and subsequently imprisonment made Savarkar famous. In 1930, the Nashik Satyagraha was launched under the leadership of Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar for the entry of Dalits in Kalaram Mandir (Temple). In 1931, a meeting of the Bombay Province Charmkar Parishad was organised in Nashik to work out the Chambhars' position concerning the Second Round Table Conference in which Babasaheb was going to participate. In 1932, Babasaheb organised his temple entry movement for the abolition of untouchability in Nashik.

Geography Nashik lies in the northern part of Maharashtra state at 584 m (1,916 ft) from the mean sea level which gives it ideal temperature variation, particularly in winters.

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 the high pollution created by factories in proximity to the city, the river was dying at an alarming rate. It has since been successfully cleaned.

Nashik lies on the western edge of the Deccan Plateau, an ancient 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).

Economy Nashik is one of the fastest-growing cities in India. It has been a major industrial centre in automobile hub. The city houses companies like Atlas Copco, Robert Bosch GmbH, CEAT Limited, Crompton Greaves, Graphite India, ThyssenKrupp, Epcos, Everest Industries, Gabriel India, GlaxoSmithKline, Hindustan Coca-Cola, Hindustan Unilever Limited, Jindal Polyster, Jyoti Structures, Kirlosker Oil Engines, KSB Pumps, Larsen & Toubro, Mahindra and Mahindra, Mahindra Sona, United Spirits Limited, Perfect Circle Industries, Mahindra Ugine Steel, Samsonite, Shalimar Paints, Siemens, VIP Industries, Indian Oil Corporation, XLO India Limited and Jindal Saw etc.

Economy: Agriculture In early 1925, the table grape revolution was started in Ojhar, a small town near Nashik, by Raosaheb Jairam Krishna Gaikwad. Today, table grapes are exported to Europe, the Middle East, and Asia.

The average Kharip crop area is 663,200 hectares while the average Rabbi crop area is 136,500 hectares. The sown area is 658,763 hectares (99%) and the forest land is 340,000 hectares (21.75%). The uncultivable area is 23,000 hectares (1.48%).

Economy: Industry The Igatpuri-Nashik-Sinnar investment region is an important node in the US$90 billion Delhi Mumbai Industrial Corridor Project.

Nashik is a defence and aerospace manufacturing hub with Hindustan Aeronautics Limited aircraft manufacturing plant located at Ozar. The Currency Note Press and India Security Press are on Nashik Road, where Indian currency and government stamp papers are printed respectively.

Existing industrial areas in Nashik district are Satpur, Ambad, Sinnar, Igatpuri, Dindori and Vinchur. The proposed additional areas are Sinnar, Malegaon and Rajur Bahula.

Large-scale industries present in Nashik district are Atlas Copco, Robert Bosch GmbH, CEAT Limited, Crompton Greaves, Graphite India, ThyssenKrupp, Epcos, Everest Industries, Gabriel India, GlaxoSmithKline, Hindustan Coca-Cola, Hindustan Unilever Limited, Jindal Polyster, Jyoti Structures, Kirlosker Oil Engines, KSB Pumps, Larsen & Toubro, Mahindra and Mahindra, Mahindra Sona, United Spirits Limited, Perfect Circle Industries, Mahindra Ugine Steel, Samsonite, Shalimar Paints, Siemens, VIP Industries, Indian Oil Corporation, XLO India Limited and Jindal Saw.

Apart from manufacturing, Nashik is an emerging investment destination for Information Technology companies. Tata Consultancy Services has invested in Nashik under the government of India BPO promotion scheme (IBPS). Also WNS, Accenture, TCS has set up Digital Impact Square, or DISQ, which is a social innovation center.

Nashik has a textile industry. National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development has selected Yeola Block for development of Paithani Cluster. To facilitate exports, a container freight station was started at MIDC Ambad by the Central Government.

Wine industry Nashik has been described as "The Wine Capital of India" the Nashik region reportedly produced 10,000 tonnes of grapes per year.

In 2013, there were 22 wineries in Nashik, out of 46 wineries throughout India. The largest vineyard in Nashik is the Sula Vineyards.

In the harvest season, Nashik is home to several wine festivals, such as the India Grape Harvest and SulaFest.

Transport 1 Roadways – Nashik is connected to others cities in India by road.

2 Railways -- Nasik Road railway station is city railway station along with Deolali which lies within the city boundary.

3 Airways

Airways – Nashik has its airport located at Ozar and an old airport at Gandhinagar which connected Nashik to Mumbai. The Gandhinagar Airport is now reserved for the military. Nashik Airport is domestic airport and it is connected to Ahmedabad, Pune, Hyderabad, Bangalore, Belgaum and Delhi under the UDAN scheme. SpiceJet, Trujet, Star Air and AirIndia provide services from Nashik Airport.

4 Public Transport – In city people often mostly prefer auto rickshaw to travel. Citilinc-Nashik City Bus Service is operated by Nashik Mahanagar Parivahan Mahamandal Limited(NMPML).

5 Metro – Greater Nashik Metro is proposed by Maharashtra Metro Rail Corporation Limited. It will be operational in 2024.

Education The city has two state-run universities: the Yashwantrao Chavan Maharashtra Open University and the Maharashtra University of Health Sciences. There are several engineering, medical, pharmacy, law, and management colleges within the city.

Sport Since June 2023, Nashik-based cricket franchise 'Eagles Nashik Titans' has participated in Maharashtra Premier League, Rahul Tripathi is leading it in the ongoing season. Nasik Gymkhana, formerly known as King Edward Club was established in 1911 during the British Raj. During the last 108+ years, it has witnessed numerous historical events in the country in all walks of life and more so in the field of sports. Located in the heart of Nashik in a 5-acre campus it boasts of state-of-the-art stadia and infrastructure catering to multidisciplinary sports viz. Badminton, Lawn Tennis, Table–Tennis, Basketball, Cricket, Chess, Billiards & Snooker as well as a Shooting Range.