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Nasik
Pop:
790,000 Area Code: 0253
Nasik
is an important holy city located about five hours northeast of Mumbai
(187km). Lord Rama stayed here for some time during his exile, and Ravana
carried off Sita from this place. Nasik is on the banks of the holy
Godavari River, which flows to the Bay of Bengal.
Laksman,
Rama’s younger brother, cut off Surpanakha’s nose here.
(Surpanakha is Ravana’s younger sister). It was this event that
gave this place its name. Kumbha-mela takes place here every twelve
years.
Nasik
is a fairly large city, although it does not appear to be. Few foreign
tourists come here, and it is a relatively hassle-free place. Coming
from Mumbai, you can easily stop here on the way to the Ellora and Ajanta
Caves or while traveling by train between Delhi and Mumbai.
Information
The Maharashtra Tourism Office (70059) is near the
golf club on Old Agra Rd.
You
can change money at the State Bank of India,
on Swami Vivekananda Rd, by the City bus stand.
Lifeline
Hospital (578-418) is one of the best in town.
Nasik
Darshan Tour
There is a daily “Darshan Tour” (7.30 am to 5 pm, Rs 40),
which is a good way to see some of the sites in the area. The tour takes
all day, and visits the Pandava Lena caves, Sita Gupha, Kala Rama Mandir,
Tapovan, Trimbakeswara Temple, and other sites. It is a good value.
You find the bus by asking for the “Darshan Tour” bus. You
should book this tour at the City Bus Stand in advance, as it is quite
popular. The counter to book your ticket is to your right as you enter
the station.
Ram
Kund Area
This interesting area by the Godavari River is the
main pilgrimage site in Nasik. It is easy to spend a few hours wandering
around this area. Ram-kund is the place where Rama and Sita used to
bathe, so this tank is considered especially sacred. Lord Rama is said
to have performed his father’s funeral rites in this kund. It
is also known as Asthi Vilaya Tirtha (Bone Immersion
Tank), because bones dropped in this water dissolve. In recent years
the following people’s bones were dropped in the Asthi Vilaya
Tirtha after they had died: Mahatma Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru, Indira
Gandhi, her son Rajiv Gandhi, and Dr Rajendra Prasad. A concrete viewing
tower surrounds it.
The
Sundara Narayana Temple, built in 1756, is architecturally
interesting. It contains 1m (3 ft) tall Vishnu and Lakshmi Deities.
This temple is across the river from Ram Kund by the bridge.
The
Naro Sankara Mandir is a Siva temple built by the Marathas
in the 18th century. It is also known as the Rameswara Mandir. It has
an enormous church bell which was taken from the Portuguese at the battle
of Vasai (Bassein) in 1739.
Near
Ram Kund is the 600-year-old Kapileswara Temple, “God
of the Skull,” dedicated to Lord Siva. It is up fifty steps.
Nasik Kumbha-mela
Kumbha-mela is held in Nasik every twelve years. It also takes place
at Allahabad, Haridwar, and Ujjain. This is one of the places where
the drops of nectar fell when the demigods and demons fought during
the churning of the Milk Ocean.
It is said that if one takes bath in the Godavari River while the nectar
is falling, one accumulates merit equal to bathing in the Ganges for
60,000 years. About 3.5 million people attended the 1991 mela. The next
Kumbha-mela will be held in August-September, 2015.
Sita
Gumpha & Kala Rama Temple
Sita Gupha is said to be the place where Ravana came
to abduct Sita. It is a small cave by the Kala Rama Temple. To see the
Deities of Sita, Rama, and Laksman, visitors must crawl into the cave
entrance.
Nearby
the Kala (Black) Rama Temple (1782) has jet-black Deities
of Sita, Rama, and Laksman. The tower over the temple is 25m (83 ft)
high. There is no restriction on who is permitted into the temple.
Tapovan
It is said that at Tapovan, Laksman cut off the nose of Ravana’s
sister, Surpanakha. Rama lived here during his exile. Great sages and
rishis used to practice austerities at this place, which was then part
of the Dandakaranya forest. It is fairly close to Sita Gupha.
Pandava
Lena Caves
These Hinayana Buddhist rock-cut monasteries and temples, built in the
1st century AD, are located 10km from Nasik on the road to Mumbai. They
are similar to the Ajanta Caves. There are twenty-four Buddhist caves,
the most interesting being numbers 3, 8, and 15.
The
most straightforward way to get to the caves is by auto-rickshaw or
the Nasik Darshan tour bus. There are infrequent and crowded buses that
pass the caves. It is a steep, ten-minute walk to the caves, and some
people find the climb too difficult.
Where to Stay—Central
Bus Stand
Most of the hotels in town are in the middle level, so it is not easy
to find a decent budget place. The budget places are by the Central
bus stand and fill up early, and they are more expensive than average.
Raj Mahal Lodge (572-880; fax 571-096), Sharampur Rd,
has rooms with hot water and TV for Rs 225/300 up to Rs 450/500. It
fills up early. It is about the best value of all the budget places.
Padma (576-837), Sharampur Rd, opposite the Central
bus stand, is clean and has rooms with hot water for Rs 300/400.
Basera (575-616), Shivaji Rd, is a good value. It has
rooms with bath and hot water for Rs 300/400 and with A/C for Rs 450/500.
Holiday Plaza (573-521) is a popular place with Indian
businessmen. It has rooms for Rs 450/600 and Rs 650/750 with A/C. It
has a vegetarian restaurant.
Hotel Midtown has small singles with common bath for
Rs 275 and good clean doubles for Rs 400.
Hotel Samrat (578-211; fax 581-246), Old Agra Rd, is
a good, small, centrally located place. Rooms with TV and hot water
go for Rs 450/600 and Rs 700/750 with A/C. I would recommend it, but
it is slightly overpriced.
Hotel Panchavati Yatri (571-273; fax 572-293), just
behind the Hotel Panchavati, has rooms with bath for Rs 350/500 and
Rs 600/700 with A/C. It is an older version of the hotel in front of
it, and at this price is recommended.
The two-star Hotel Panchavati (575-771; fax 571-823),
430 Vakilwadi, has A/C rooms for Rs 800/1100 and other rooms for Rs
650/800. It is one of the best places in town.
Where to Stay—Other
Places
Hotel Krishna, near the Ahilyabai Holkar Bridge, by
Ram Kund, is a nice place with hot water for Rs 300/450.
Greenview (572-231; fax 579-754), 1363 Trimbaka Road,
is a modern place with rooms for Rs 650 /700 and Rs 900 /1000 with A/C.
It has a nice garden.
Hotel Dwaraka Tourist (594-241; fax 593-028) Deolali
Naka, is a Western-style hotel with rooms for 350/500 and with A/C for
Rs 600.
VIP, on Old Agra Road, has modern rooms for Rs 400/500
and Rs 600 with A/C.
Hotel Sachin, on the Mumbai-Agra highway 3km outside
of Nasik, is a good place but is inconveniently located.
Hotel Siddharth (554-288), on the Nasik-Pune Road by
the airport, is a good place. The good-sized, well-maintained rooms
are Rs 350/450 and Rs 450/550 with A/C.
The two-star Wasan’s Hotel (577-881; fax 594-202),
Old Agra Rd, is a good place with rooms for Rs 600/800 and Rs 800/1000
with A/C.
Where to Eat
Pangat, in the Hotel Panchavati, Vakil Wadi, is a good
vegetarian restaurant with reasonable prices.
Suruchi, beneath the Basera, Sivaji Rd, serves good South Indian and
snacks.
Hotel Holiday Plaza, Shivaji Rd, Shalimar Chowk, has
a vegetarian restaurant.
Centre Point Restaurant, on the main road near Hotel Panchavati,
is a good, medium-priced place, which serves good macaroni and cheese
and vegetable biryani. Recommended, but it is not cheap.
The best place in town is the Woodlands Restaurant,
across the road from the Hotel Siddharth on the Nasik-Pune Rd. It serves
excellent South Indian meals and thalis. The service is good, and it
is reasonably priced.
Travel
Air The nearest airport is in Mumbai, 182km
away.
Train
The railway station is at Nasik Road (8km southeast of town). It is
on both the main Mumbai-Delhi and Mumbai-Calcutta line of the Central
Railway. Train tickets can be booked at the city-booking counter off
MG Road (Mon to Fri 10 am to 5 pm).
There
are regular trains to Mumbai (twelve daily, 5 hr). The Panchavati Express
departs at about 7.20 am (4 hr). It is best to reserve this train in
advance. The Punjab Mail #2137 (10.30 pm) is the best train to Delhi
(21 hr) and Agra (17½ hours). There are also trains to Bhopal,
Calcutta, and Varanasi. Aurangabad Tapovan Exp #7617 (10.07 am, 5 hr);
Bhopal Punjab Mail #2137 (11.10 pm, 10 hr).
Bus
Most buses depart from the City bus stand in the center of town close
to the hotels and restaurants. There are regular buses to Pune (5 hr,
210km) and Aurangabad (5 hr).
You
get buses to Mumbai at the Mahamarga Bus Stand, a ten-minute auto-rickshaw
ride from the center of town. There are four luxury buses a day to Mumbai
(4 hr to Dadar Station). Tickets for these buses must be booked in advance
at the reservation counter of the City bus stand.
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