Nashik
Nashik, formerly Nasik, is a city in the northern region of the Indian state of Maharashtra situated on the banks of the river Godavari, about northeast of the state capital Mumbai.
Nashik is one of the Hindu pilgrimage sites of the Kumbh Mela, which is held every 12 years.
According to the Ramayana, Nashik is where Lakshmana cut off the nose of the demoness Shurpanakha on the banks of the Godavari River. It is also called Panchavati.
It was known as "Gulshanabad" during the Mughal period.
History
Mythology
Nashik 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 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.According to Hindu tradition, Nashik is associated with the epic Ramayana: it is the place where Lakshmana severed the nose of the demoness Shurpanakha on the banks of the Godavari River during the 14-year exile of Rama, Sita, and Lakshmana. The area around Panchavati is considered sacred and features several temples and holy sites.
Nashik Tram
The 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 kilometres, and the stretch used to be covered with dense jungle at the time. In the article ‘Nashik-then’, poet Kusumagraj wrote: "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, the Indian Freedom Fighter, Sri Vinayak Damodar Savarkar along with his brother, founded a secret society named Abhinav Bharat in Nasik under the name "Mitra Mela" which was one among many in Maharashtra. On 21 December 1909, Anant Kanhere, a Abhinav Bharat member and 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 the Andaman Islands; Savarkar's elder brother, Babarao Savarkar, also received the same punishment and others received varying degrees of imprisonment. ICS officer Jackson's assassination created a sensation in Poona, Nasik and Bombay. The case and subsequent imprisonment made Savarkar famous.In 1930, the Nashik Satyagraha was launched under the leadership of B. R. Ambedkar for the entry of Dalits in Kalaram Mandir. In 1931, a meeting of the Bombay Province Charmakar Parishad was organised in Nashik to work out the Chambhars' position concerning the Second Round Table Conference in which Ambedkar was going to participate. In 1932, he organised his temple entry movement for the abolition of untouchability in Nashik.
Geography
Nashik lies in the northern part of Maharashtra state, from the mean sea level.The river Godavari originates from the Brahmagiri Mountain, Trimbakeshwar, about 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 from the city, it is where from river Godavari originates. The land area of the city is about.
Climate
The city's tropical location and high altitude combine to give it a relatively mild version of a tropical wet and dry climate ''. Temperatures rise slightly in October, but this is followed by the cool season from November to February. The cool season sees warm temperatures of around during the day, but cool nights, with lows averaging, and extremely dry air.Nashik has been ranked 19th in the “National Clean Air City” rankings according to 'Swachh Vayu Survekshan 2024 Results'
Demographics
Nashik is the fourth largest city in Maharashtra in terms of population after Mumbai, Pune, and Nagpur. According to the Census of India, 2011, Nashik had a population of 1,486,053. Males are 782,517 in number and females 703,536. The Metropolitan Nashik population was 1,561,809, of which 821,921 were males and 739,888 were females. Nashik city had an average literacy rate of 89.85%: male literacy was 93.40%, and female literacy was 85.92%.The sex ratio is 894 per 1,000 males for Nashik city. The child sex ratio is 865 girls per 1,000 boys. 11.42% of the population is under 6 years of age. In the census year 2001, the Nashik Urban Agglomeration had a population of. Thus, it was the fourth largest urban area in Maharashtra
At the time of the 2011 census, 76.69% of the population spoke Marathi, 11.80% Hindi, 3.26% Urdu, 2.16% Gujarati and 1.26% Marwari as their first language.
Governance and politics
Civic administration
Nashik city is governed by the Nashik Municipal Corporation. Nashik is the district headquarters of the Nashik District, away from Mumbai. The city has developed on both banks of the Godavari, which divides the city into almost equal halves.The ward committee consists of councillors representing the electoral wards within the territorial area of the ward committee. There are six ward committees namely Nashik, Nashik, Nashik Road, Panchavati, CIDCO and Satpur. The main function of the committees is to approve the cost of works for the wards, incorporate the expenses in the budget among others.
Civic services
The Nashik Municipal Corporation is planning to start major civic projects in 2020. The municipal corporation will prioritise new smart roads, 800 CCTVs, and LED streetlights. It will also implement a smart parking system and the Goda beautification project. For water infrastructure, two new water treatment plants will be built and existing sewage treatment plants will be upgraded.Solid waste management
In the Nashik Municipal Corporation area about 225 MT of solid waste is generated per day. Unlike other Indian cities, this garbage is collected by vehicles titled 'Ghantagadi' : a system which has resulted in smaller versions of the ghantagadi plying in the congested old city areas. A plant has been set by the Nashik Municipal Corporation near Pandavleni Caves to process the garbage and convert it into compost.Digital services
The NMC provides an online website for various civic services like birth certificate registration, medical services, taxes, development services, etc.Economy
Agriculture
In early 1925, the table grape revolution was started in Ozar, a small town near Nashik, by Raosaheb Jairam Krishna Gaikwad. Today, table grapes are exported to Europe, the Middle East, and Asia.The total cultivatible area in Nashik district is 864,000 hectares, of which the average Kharif crop area is 663,200 hectares, and the average Rabbi crop area is 136,500 hectares. The sown area is 658,763 hectares and the forest land is 340,000 hectares. The uncultivable area is 23,000 hectares.
Industry
The Igatpuri-Nashik-Sinnar investment region is an important node in the US$90billion Delhi Mumbai Industrial Corridor Project.Nashik is a defence and aerospace manufacturing hub. Hindustan Aeronautics Limited has an aircraft manufacturing plant located in Ozar, where aircraft for the Indian Air Force are manufactured and overhauled. The Currency Note Press and India Security Press are on Nashik Road, where Indian currency and government stamp papers are printed respectively.
Industrial areas in Nashik district are Satpur, Ambad, Sinnar, Igatpuri, Dindori and Vinchur. The proposed additional areas are Sinnar, Malegaon and Rajur Bahula.
Industries in Nashik district include Atlas Copco, Robert Bosch GmbH, CEAT Limited, Crompton Greaves, ThyssenKrupp, Epcos, Everest Industries, GlaxoSmithKline, Hindustan Unilever Limited, Kirloskar Group, Dabur, KSB Pumps, Larsen & Toubro, Mahindra and Mahindra, United Spirits Limited, Mahindra Ugine Steel, Samsonite, Shalimar Paints, Siemens, VIP Industries, and Indian Oil Corporation.
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's BPO promotion scheme. WNS, Accenture and TCS have set up Digital Impact Square, or DISQ, 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.