Nashik

Nashik’s story stretches from epic legend to modern “Wine Capital of India.”

In ancient times the area was known as “Nashikya/Trikantak” and is closely linked with the Ramayana. The forest belt of Panchavati on the banks of the Godavari is where Lord Ram, Sita and Lakshman are believed to have spent part of their exile; the story of Lakshman cutting off Surpanakha’s nose (nasika) is often given as the origin of the name “Nashik.”

Historically, Nashik lay on key trade routes between the Deccan and western coast. Under the Mauryas and later the Satavahanas, the region became a thriving centre of commerce and Buddhism, reflected in the rock-cut monasteries now called the Pandav Leni (Nashik Caves), dated roughly between the 1st century BCE and 3rd century CE. Over the medieval centuries it passed successively under Western Kshatrapas, Rashtrakutas, Yadavas of Devagiri, and then the Delhi Sultanate/Deccan sultanates.

In the 17th century, Nashik became a contested zone between the Mughals and the rising Marathas; Aurangzeb even briefly renamed it Gulshanabad. With British victory in the Anglo–Maratha wars, it became a district headquarters in the Bombay Presidency.

In independent India, Nashik grew through industry, agriculture and, from the late 20th century, a flourishing grape and wine industry, while remaining a major Kumbh Mela and pilgrimage city on the Godavari.