Wikipedia

"Nasik" redirects here. For places in Iran, see Nasik, Iran (disambiguation).

Nashik ( ())[4] is an ancient holy city in the northern region of the Indian state of Maharashtra. Situated on the banks of river Godavari, Nasik is well known for being one of Hindu pilgrimage sites, that of Kumbh Mela which is held every 12 years.[5][6] It is the fourth largest city in Maharashtra after Mumbai, Pune and Nagpur.

The city located about 190 km north of state capital Mumbai, is called the "Wine Capital of India" as half of India’s vineyards and wineries are located in Nashik.[1][7]

Contents

Etymology

As per Ramayana, Nashik is the location on the banks of Godavari river where Laxman, by the wish of Lord Rama, cut the nose of Shurpanakha and thus this city was named as "Nashik".[6]

History

Main article: History of Nashik

Geography

Nashik lies in the northern part of Maharashtra state at 584 m (1,916 ft)[8] from the mean sea level which gives it ideal temperature variation, particularly in winters.[1]

The river Godavari originates from the Brahmagiri Mountain, Trimbakeshwar about 24 km (15 mi) from Nashik and flows through the old residential settlement, now in the central part of the city. Due to high pollution created by factories in proximity of the city the river was dying at an alarming rate. It has since been successfully cleaned.[9] Other than Godavari, important rivers like Vaitarana, Bhima, Girana flow across Nashik.[10]

Nashik lies on the western edge of the Deccan Plateau which is a volcanic formation.[11]

Trimbakeshwar is about 30 km (19 mi) from the city, it is where from river Godavari originates. The land area of the city is about 259.13 km2 (100.05 sq mi).[12] Anjaneri near Nashik is the birthplace of lord Hanuman.[citation needed]

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 28 °C during the day, but cool nights, with lows averaging 10 °C, and extremely dry air.

Climate data for Nashik Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year Record high °C (°F) 35.5
(95.9) 36.5
(97.7) 40.3
(104.5) 42.4
(108.3) 43.1
(109.6) 40.4
(104.7) 35.4
(95.7) 34.3
(93.7) 36.5
(97.7) 38.5
(101.3) 34.7
(94.5) 32.8
(91.0) 43.1
(109.6) Average high °C (°F) 25.0
(77.0) 27.1
(80.8) 33.3
(91.9) 35.5
(95.9) 35.9
(96.6) 32.1
(89.8) 28.2
(82.8) 28.0
(82.4) 28.6
(83.5) 30.9
(87.6) 29.0
(84.2) 28.7
(83.7) 30.2
(86.4) Average low °C (°F) 8.0
(46.4) 11.6
(52.9) 17.4
(63.3) 21.1
(70.0) 23.2
(73.8) 23.1
(73.6) 22.0
(71.6) 21.5
(70.7) 20.7
(69.3) 19.2
(66.6) 14.0
(57.2) 11.0
(51.8) 17.7
(63.9) Record low °C (°F) 0.4
(32.7) 0.6
(33.1) 5.7
(42.3) 8.9
(48.0) 13.5
(56.3) 18.3
(64.9) 17
(63) 17
(63) 13.5
(56.3) 9.8
(49.6) 4.4
(39.9) 2.2
(36.0) 0.4
(32.7) Average

precipitation mm (inches) 0.0
(0.0) 0.0
(0.0) 1.5
(0.06) 0.1
(0.00) 5.1
(0.20) 235
(9.3) 386.7
(15.22) 255.9
(10.07) 230.9
(9.09) 56.5
(2.22) 18.9
(0.74) 0.4
(0.02) 1,191
(46.92) Source: Climate data

[1]

[13]

[14]

Civic administration

See also: Nashik division and Nashik district

Nashik city is governed by the Nashik Municipal Corporation.[15]

Court

The Nashik Court Building is built in black stone in British Regime and the new building was inaugurated on 18 September 2005. There are 73 courts including taluka court.[16][17]

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' (meaning the vehicle with a bell): a system which has resulted in a Smaller versions of the ghantagadi ply in the congested old city areas. A plant has been set by the Nashik Municipal Corporation near Pandav Leni (Pandavleni Caves) to process the garbage and convert into compost.[18]

Demographics

Nashik is the fifth largest city in Maharashtra in terms of population after Mumbai, Pune, Nagpur and Thane. According to the Census of India, 2011, Nashik had a population of 1,486,053. Males constitute 782,517 of the population and females 703,536. Metropolitan Nashik population was 1,561,809 in 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%.[19]

The sex ratio is 894 per 1000 males for Nashik city. Child sex ratio is 865 girls per 1000 boys. In Nashik, 11.42% of the population is under 6 years of age.[20] In census year 2001 the Nashik Urban Agglomeration had a population of 11,52,326. Thus it was the fourth largest urban area of Maharashtra State after Mumbai, Pune and Nagpur. The projected population of Nashik urban agglomeration (which includes abutting urban areas like Deolali) as on 11 November 2012 is 15,62,769.[21]

Religions in Nashik City

[22]Religion Percent

Hindus 85.21%

Muslims 8.90%

Buddhist 3.18%

Jains 1.10%

Christian 1.00%

Sikhs 0.39% Others† 0.22% Distribution of religions
†Includes not stated and others.

Art and culture

Main article: Art and Culture, Nashik

In February 2016, The Statue of Ahimsa, a 108 ft idol of first Jain tirthankara Rishabhdev carved in monolithic stone was consecrated at Mangi Tungi. It is recorded in the Guinness Book of World Records as the tallest Jain idol in the world.[23]

Pandavleni Caves

The Pandavleni Caves, or Nasik caves, are a group of 24 caves carved between the 1st century BCE and the 2nd century CE,[24] representing the Hinayana Buddhist caves and. Most of the caves are Viharas except for the 18th cave which is a Chaitya.[25] The location of the caves is a holy Buddhist site and is located about 8 km south of Nashik.

Dams

• Gangapur Dam is on the river Godavari near Gangawadi village and it is earthen dam, Nashik.[26]
• Chankapur dam which is on the Girna river is one of the big dams built by the British in the 19th century. It is 3 km from the village Abhona in Kalwan tehsil and 60 km from Nashik.
• Kashypi Dam is on the Kashypi river near Rajapur, Nashik.
• Girna Dam is an earthfill type of dam on river Girna near Nandgaon, Nashik District.
• Darna Dam is a gravity dam on Darna river near Igatpuri, Nashik district.

Culture

The culture of the city of Nashik, in northwestern Maharashtra, is centred around Hindu customs and festivals, and the Jain Statue of Ahimsa.

Main article: Culture of Nashik

Kumbh Mela

Main article: Nashik-Trimbakeshwar Simhastha

The Kumbh Mela is celebrated every six years at Haridwar and Allahabad and Maha Kumbh takes place every twelve years at four places in Allahabad, Haridwar, Ujjain, and Nashik. According to the Puranas, it is believed that Kumbh derives its name from an immortal pot of nectar, which the devtas (Gods) and demons fought over. The four places where the nectar fell are at the banks of river Godavari in Nashik, river Kshipra in Ujjain, river Ganges in Haridwar and at Triveni Sangam of Ganga, Yamuna and invisible Saraswati River in Allahabad.[27][5]

Economy

Agriculture

In early 1925, the table grape revolution was started in Ojhar, a small town near Nashik, by Raosaheb Jairam Krishna Gaikwad. Today, table grapes are exported to Europe, the Middle East, and Asia.[28]

The average Kharip crop area is 663,200 hectares while the average Rabbi crop area is 136500 hectares. The sown area is 658,763 hectares (99%) and the forest land is 340,000 hectares (21.75%). The uncultivable area is 23,000 hectares (1.48%).[29]

Rainwater harvesting

The Nashik Municipal Corporation has made it mandatory for new constructions in the city to install a rainwater harvesting system without which a completion certificate is not granted. This measure is expected to help recharge the aquifers and augment the groundwater level.[30]

Industry

The Igatpuri-Nashik-Sinnar investment region is an important node in the US$90 billion Delhi Mumbai Industrial Corridor Project.[31][32]

Nashik is a defense and aerospace manufacturing hub with Hindustan Aeronautics Limited aircraft manufacturing plant located at Ozar.[33] The Currency Note Press[34] and India Security Press are on Nashik Road, where Indian currency and government stamp papers are printed respectively.[35]

Existing industrial areas in Nashik district are Satpur, Ambad, Sinnar, Igatpuri, Dindori and Vinchur. The proposed additional areas are Sinnar, Malegaon and Rajur Bahula.[36]

Large-scale industries present in Nashik district are Atlas Copco, Robert Bosch GmbH, CEAT Limited, Crompton Greaves, Graphite India, Schneider Electric, ThyssenKrupp, Epcos, Everest Industries, Gabriel India, GlaxoSmithKline, Hindustan Coca-Cola, Hindustan Unilever Limited, Jindal Polyster, Jyoti Structures, Kirlosker Oil Engines, KSB Pumps, Larsen & Toubro, Mahindra and Mahindra, Mahindra Sona, United Spirits Limited, Perfect Circle Industries, Mahindra Ugine Steel, Samsonite, Shalimar Paints, Siemens, VIP Industries, Indian Oil Corporation, XLO India Limited and Jindal Saw.[37]

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 BPO promotion scheme (IBPS). Also WNS, ACRESS, Accenture, ICOMET technoloies[38] TCS has set up Digital Impact Square, or DISQ, which is a social innovation center.[39]

Nashik has a textile industry.[8] National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development has selected Yeola Block for development of Paithani Cluster.[8] To facilitate exports, a container freight station was started at MIDC Ambad by the Central Government.[40]

Wine industry

Main articles: Nashik grape and Nashik valley wine

Nashik has been described as "The Wine Capital of India" the Nashik region reportedly produced 10,000 tonnes of grapes per year.[41]

In 2013, there were 22 wineries in Nashik, out of 46 wineries throughout India.[42] The largest vineyard in Nashik is the Sula Vineyards.[1]

In the harvest season, Nashik is home to several wine festivals, such as the India Grape Harvest and SulaFest.[43][44]

Education

Main article: Education in Nashik

The city has two state-run universities: the Yashwantrao Chavan Maharashtra Open University and the Maharashtra University of Health Sciences.

International relations

See also: List of twin towns and sister cities in India

Twin towns and sister cities

Transport

Notable people

References

‏Source en.m.wikipedia.org