NASHIK CITY IN PICTURES - DAY TIME

Photo Travelogue :
Read first part - Here!

I have passed by Nashik all though my college years, when I used to shuttle between Bombay and Guwahati in the Dadar Express. But, except for buying vada pavs or other eatables at the station, where my train used to halt ( both up and down journey ); I never really got the chance to visit the city itself. It lies merely three hours from Bombay, so, when the Sinhastha Mahakumbh'15 was going on, I found the perfect opportunity to go to Nashik, atlast. Its a big city, and here are some glimpses of the city as I saw it. I'm sure there's more to it though... Enjoy the pics :-)


welcome to Nashik city...


moving about in the city...


passing by the famous RamKund...Ramkund in Nashik ( 2 km from Central bus stand ), Maharashtra is a sacred bathing ghat located on the bank of the River Godavari, which is also the venue to host the spectacular Kumbh.


some other landmarks...


various roads around the city...


birds eye view of Nashik City
Nashik or Nasik is an ancient holy city in Maharashtra, a state in western India. It’s known for its links to the “Ramayana” epic poem. On the Godavari River is Panchavati, a temple complex. Nearby, Lord Rama was thought to have bathed at Ram Kund water tank, today attended by Hindu devotees. Shri Kalaram Sansthan Mandir is an ancient shrine to Rama, while Rama and Sita are said to have worshipped at Sita Gufaa caves.. ( wiki )

Address : Ramkund, Near Kapaleshwar Temple, Panchavati, Nashik, Maharashtra 422003
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PANDAVLENI CAVES, NASHIK

Photo Travelogue :
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After a fairly productive, enriching and truely overwhelming time at Trimakeshwar Kumbh Mela, on returning, I decided to head for another tourist attraction in Nashik - the Pandavleni Caves. Not sure whats the connection with 'pandavs' as such, but this was a Buddhist site. It was half hour from Nashik city; not far from the city infact, as the bus mostly toured around the city picking up passengers - so can say, it lies on the outskirts of the city, in the suburbs. The bus from Trimbak dropped me off near the Rly station, from where, I had to go to the Central bus stand ( new ) to catch my bus to the caves. The places were not far from each other, so I reached quick enough.


catching a bus, and then, off to the Pandavleni Caves...


spotting the hill where the caves are located, from a distance...


looks tiny from across the road...


gets bigger as one approaches it...


the B.R.Ambedkar Memorial and Artillery Museum at base ~ skipped both...


the rates sign-board...and my ticket ~ its cheap!


entering...wow...trees everywhere, hiding the sun...


climb, climb, climb the stairs ( ooh...there were many, almost 150+ )
climb, climb, climb till you reach the top...phew! some good cardio eh...?

the caves...

tried touching 'em...

#Ancient #Buddhist #Archaeological #Heritage #Pandulena #Caves #Maharashtra #Sahyadris #travelblogger #ttot #lp #wow pic.twitter.com/4c8n4zDzcr

— ? ? NandiniDéka ? ? (@NandiniDeka) November 24, 2015

the hill is in round shape ...and there are more caves along the way...



interesting and elaborate carvings in the various viharas and chaitya...


view from top...Nashik City and the Ambedkar memorial below...


another view from top..another hill stood just opposite...


coming down...the lush greens is what makes one forget the tiring steps...
There's no water or food-stall at the top ( you have to carry your own ), but thankfully, there's a paid washroom at the base with running water. After spending close to an hour exploring the caves, I took a bus and headed to the station to catch my train back home. Oh...what a day it was.....

The Nasik Caves or sometimes Pandavleni Caves, are a group of 24 caves carved between the 1st century BCE and the 3nd century CE by Jain Kings, though additional sculptures were added up to about the 6th century, reflecting changes in Buddhist devotional practices mainly. ( wiki )

Address : Pandav Lene Rd, Buddha Vihar, Pathardi Phata, Nashik, Maharashtra 422010
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TRIMBAKESHWAR TEMPLE, TRIMBAK, NASHIK KUMBH MELA PART 2

Photo Travelogue :
Read first part - Here!

It was the Kumbh Season, and I was at the very famous Trimbakeshwar Temple, Nashik, dedicated to Lord Shiva. The complex ( made of black stone ) has other temples too; a lake, a pond and the river Godavari in the vicinity - all having their own religious significance. I had reached there in the morning and spent few hours observing the place. I didn't go for darshan ( well...not the religious sort, me ), but, definitely watched 'faith' of the masses at full display there, in awe. I managed to click pictures of all things that caught my attention - although, people kept coming in the frame all the time. After all, it was the Kumbh Mela. So, no escaping the people, right? Some pictures below catching the various aspects of the temple premises and more :-)



clicking pic of the temple was hard with someone getting in the frame always...


outsides of the temple...from all sides...


north main ( paid ) entry gate, south ( out ) gate, west and east ( free ) gates...


never ending queue of pilgrims near the free ( east ) entry gate...


lane on its ( south- east ) side, that takes you to the Kushavarta pond for holy dips...


kushavarta pond...


other temples in the complex...


the nandi bull..a must in Shiv related temples...



not sure what these are, but prayers and offering were offered here too...


a lake behind the temple, with picturesque view of the Brahmagiri mountains...


the cute & chatty little boy who took me around the entire complex...
Tryambakeshwar is an ancient Hindu temple in the town of Trimbak, in the Trimbakeshwar tehsil in the Nashik District of Maharashtra, India, 28 km from the city of Nashik and 40 km from nashik road. It is dedicated to the god Shiv and is one of the twelve Jyotirlingas, where the Hindu genealogy registers at Trimbakeshwar, Maharashtra are kept. The origin of the sacred Godavari river is near Trimbak..( wiki )

Address : Shrimant Peshwe Path, Trimbak, Nashik, Maharashtra 422212, India, Asia
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