Trimbakeshwar temple
Trimbakeshwar temple
This temple situated in
Trimbak, 30 km West of Nasik, contains one of the
twelve Jyotirlingas (naturally occuring Lingas) in India. The temple has
beautiful carvings. There is a belief that anybody who visits Trimbakeshwar attains salvation.
It is considered to be the holiest place to perform Shraddha
ceremony as mentioned in 'Nirnaya Sindhu' - a religious book of
Hindus. Non Hindus are not allowed inside the temple but one can get a
clear view from outside.
The river Godavari rises here from a hill
called Brahmagiri. Nearby there is the 'Gangasagar bathing tank'
into which the Godavari river dribbles in, from its source. A bath in these
waters is supposed to wash away sins.
Sundarnarayan Temple
Sundarnarayan temple stands on the
elevated west bank of the Godavari. There are small carvings of Hanuman,
Narayana and Indra on the walls. This Vaishavite temple has three black
Vishnu images. The hall is entered
through three porches, some damaged, each with balcony seating, lobed
arches and slightly bulbous domes. The doorways inside the porches are
headed by angled eaves and serpentine pediments.
Kumbh Mela
The Kumbh Mela, purportedly the largest religious gathering of on
earth, attracting a huge crowd of devotees, alternates between Nasik,
Allahabad, Ujjain and Haridwar every
three years. The one celebrated at Allahabad is the largest and holiest of
them. The Mela is noted for the huge number of Hindu holy men, especially
the naked sadhus it attracts. The next Kumbh Mela is to be held here.
The legend goes thus- the gods and the demons fight for a pot of
nectar (Amrit Kumbh): the nectar of immortality. Lord Vishnu,
disguising himself as an enchantress (Mohini), seized the nectar
from the demons. While fleeing from the evil ones, Lord Vishnu passed the nectar on to his winged mount,
Garuda. The
demons finally caught up with Garuda and in the ensuing
struggle, a few drops of the precious nectar fell on Allahabad, Nasik,
Haridwar and Ujjain. Since then, the Kumbh Mela has been held in all these
places, alternatively, every 12 years.
Deolali Camp
Deolali Camp is an important Indian military center. Deolali camp which is one of the oldest in India, is located 16 km away from
Nasik. The center was set up by the British in 1861. An officer of the rank of Major General holds the position of the head of the Artillery school
here.
In the days of the British Raj, soldiers who cracked up under the stresses and strains of life in British India were invariably packed off to a military psychiatric hospital
here to recover. Its name became synonymous with nervous breakdown; hence the English idiom "to go
doolally", meaning to become insane or eccentric.
Deolali market is famous for shopping. In the Temple Hill nearby, there is a famous temple of
Lord Khandoba.
Kalaram Mandir
This
simple, large temple was built in 1782 by Sardar Odhekar of Peshwa. The idol of lord Ram
here, is of black colour, hence the name Kala Ram Mandir. The building stands in the middle of a
walled enclosure with 96 pillars and entered on the east through an arched portal.
The temple is made of black stones, and has a 25 m high 'Sikhara'. The stones
were brought from Ramshej 200 years ago. There are great
processions and festivities during Ramnavami, Dushera and Chaitra
Padwa.
Nearby is the Sita Gupha cave where Sita, wife of Rama is said to
have hidden from the Demon Ravana. There is a grove of large Banyan trees
near the cave.
Around Nasik
Pandu Lena
About 8km south of Nasik, close to the Mumbai road, is a group of 24
rock cut Hinayana Buddhist caves dating from around the 1st century BC.
Some of them have excellent carvings on the doorways. Of them, caves 3, 10
and 18 are noteworthy. Cave 3 and cave 10 are viharas with some interesting sculptures.
There is a carved Buddha in Cave 10. Cave 18 is a Chaitya, well sculptured
with an elaborate facade which is particularly noteworthy.
Someshwar
On the way to Gangapur dam, there is a beautiful nature spot called
Someshwar. There is a temple of Lord Shiva and Lord Hanuman on the banks of the river
Godavari. The area is covered with greenery all over, with a pleasant climate. Tourists can
can enjoy swimming and boating in the
river.
Museums
The Secretary, Museum of Sarvajanika Vachanalaya, Nashik 1 (Dist - Nashik)
The Curator, Regional Museum, Nashik