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. The city lies in the Nashik Metropolitan Region. It is the administrative headquarters of Nashik district. Nashik is the 4th largest city in Maharashtra after Mumbai, Pune and Nagpur, and the largest city in Northern Maharashtra. It is also one of the fastest developing Tier-2 cities in India.
Nashik is one of the Hindu pilgrimage sites of the Kumbh Mela, which is held every 12 years. 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. 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 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
left|thumb|Nashik has lush mountainous terrain
Nashik lies in the northern part of Maharashtra state, from the mean sea level.
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 (Köppen Aw). 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” (under Category >10L Population cities) 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<nowiki/>after Mumbai, Pune and Nagpur. The projected population of Nashik urban agglomeration (which includes abutting urban areas like Deolali) as of 11 November 2012 is .