It is rightly said, 'It doesn't matter where you are going, it's who you have beside you.' On one of the long Christmas weekends me and my friend decided to put this to good use and after much back and forth since we had less time to spend on travel we decided on Nashik.
In the Northern region of the State of Maharashtra, situated on the banks of river Godavari is the City of Nashik. A name derived from a Sanskrit term 'nasika' which literally means nose. It was also known as Gulshanabad during the Mughal era. Nashik is dubbed the Napa Valley of India as more than half of India's vineyards & wineries are located here. Nashik holds a lot of history for Hindu mythologists and a lot of devotees. It is a place where Ram, Lakshmana, Sita made their abode. It is a place where Pandavas carved their caves. And after every 12 years city witnesses a huge gathering of devotees to witness the magic of 'KUMBHMELA.'
Since we were exploring this city for the first time, of course we made mistakes. We booked our stay near Nashik station which will not serve your purpose if you want to explore the city. You should book the stay in Panchavati as it is a area situated in the middle, so you have all the temples & local market by walk.
We boarded train from Thane around 4.45 pm and reached Nashik around 7.30pm. The weather was pleasant, slight chilly than Mumbai. After reaching our hotel and quickly freshening up we headed out to explore the city. A friend suggested to visit 'MUKTIDHAM TEMPLE', and it was walking distance from our stay.
MUKHTIDHAM TEMPLE -
Founded in 1971 is a marble temple complex honoring various Hindu gods. An attraction of these temple is the replicas of 12 Jyotirlingas. A devotee is also fascinated by depiction of Mahabharata & 18 chapter of Geeta are written on the wall. After we exited the temple we headed for dinner and called it a night.
Early next morning we grabbed a quick breakfast and boarded a bus to Trimbakeshwar, one of the 12 Jyotirlingas.
The Shiv temple sits near the Brahmagiri hill from which the Godavari river flows. It was constructed by Peshwa Balaji Bajirao on the site of an old temple. Unfortunately, we did not anticipate the crowd. Being the long weekend the queue was 6-7 hours long. During regular days you can also pay Rs.200/- and get darshan within 30 to 60 mins. But even this entry was close due to surge in devotees. We realized that spending an entire day in the queue would not serve our purpose. With a heavy heart we decided to pray with our hearts from outside the temple and move on with our other itinerary. We roamed the Trimbak village. It is full of shops selling various idols & jewelry.
The place is famous for a number of Hindu religious rituals[vidhis]. To avoid an hour long journey you can stay in Trimbakeshwar a day prior to your darshan. That way you can skip the commute have an early darshan & explore the rest of the city. Since, we were unable to get the darshan we explored the Trimbak village and headed to see the caves.
PANDAVLENI CAVES- A hidden gem or Nashik's ancient heritage.
A group of 24 rock cut caves that were carved into the sprawling hill of Trirashmi leni. They show the exquisite craftmanship of the Buddhist monks who carved these masterpieces in 3rd century BCE. These are also known as Pandava caves as it is believed that Pandavas took shelter in this caves during their exile. You can see how the craftmanship evolved over the period of centuries as earlier caves dates back to 1st century BCE and later during 4th to 9th Century, caves show elaborate carvings, sculpture and designs.
Interestingly, studies have revealed that some of these caves have jain inscriptions and sculptures. This only adds to the beauty of religious diversity that was prevalent during that time. Personally, whenever I visit historical places that holds centuries of history I am amazed to learn what events must have taken place in the ground. How were they able to build such a strong structure out of a rock. This is a must visit when in Nashik.
Another, such place that holds mythological importance is Sita Gufa. Where it is believed that, it was a very place where Sita Ma worshipped Lord Shiva during their exile. It is also said that, this is the very place from where Ravana kidnapped Sita Ma.
Panchavati, is a hub for various temples. One of the prominent of them is Kalaram Temple. This Temple is dedicated to Lord Rama. The original temple was very old and believed to be of Rashtrakuta period. Once inside its incorporated in an all black exterior. We visited this temple in the evening it had such a calming effect on us under the moon light. It held such a positive aura in that place that I cannot explain in words. The buzz of positivity that land holds one need to experience it. The atmosphere is calm and soothing like a balm to your restless soul.
By the time we came out of the temple it was almost 8pm. We decided to grab a quick dinner and head to our hotel. Rickshawala's here offer you a ride around the area where they take you to all the temples for a fixed rate.
Our trip also almost came to an end with this day. We only had half a day to explore before we headed home.
How can you be in Nashik and not try the Zanzanit Misal. We really wanted to try Sadhana Chulivarchi Misal, but instead went to The Grape Embassy. We all love a rooftop restaurant, the charm of dinning with a view is unparallel. But how about a view and ambience of eating in a vineyard. The Grape Embassy take things up a notch higher with grape rooftop view.
They serve you Misal, but you can plat your own misal as per your spice level. They give you the 'tarri' separately. This is served with chopped onions, papad, tea/coffee lassi. You also get snacks and dessert. The place is also aesthetically good for your instagram feed.
We spent an hour or so inside the embassy and headed towards the local market near panchavati. After random window shopping we decided to head to Mumbai.
Overall, if you do not wish to travel and are looking for a short gateway, Nashik is good place to be in. Budget friendly, food is not very expensive and even the stay if you can get good discounts. The weather is great very pleasant. There are cabs available from Nashik from a point named Mumbai Naka to Karjat.
This Trip earned me a friend and lots of memories and even lots of laughter.
"Its not the destination where you end up but the mishaps and memories you create along the way."- Penelope Riley
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