Nasik

Nashik (नाशिक)
Nashik city Suburbs view from Pandav Leni
Nashik (नाशिक) Location of Nashik (नाशिक) in Maharashtra and India
Coordinates	20°01′N 73°30′E / 20.02°N 73.50°E / 20.02; 73.50
Country	India
State	Maharashtra
District(s)	Nashik
Nashik Municipal Corporation	Established 1982
Mayor	Rohan Tokekar
Legislature (seats)	Municipal Corporation (108)
Population • Density	1,620,000 (2008[update]) • 5,400 /km2 (13,986 /sq mi)
Official languages	Marathi
Time zone	IST (UTC+5:30)
Area • Elevation	300 km2 (116 sq mi) • 570 m (1,870 ft)
Codes • Pincode • 422 0XX • Telephone • +0253 • Vehicle • MH15
Footnotes Populations of Urban Agglomerations

Nashik (Marathi: नाशिक) ( pronunciation (help·info)) or Nasik Marathi: नासिक) ( ^[1] is a city in Maharashtra, India. Nashik is located in the northwest of Maharashtra, 180 km from Mumbai and 202 km from Pune. Nashik is the administrative headquarters of Nashik District and Nashik Division. Nashik, which has been referred to as the "Wine Capital of India"^[2], is located in the Western Ghats, on the western edge of the Deccan peninsula on the banks of the Godavari called Ganga locally. In addition to supplying the name to the famed Nassak Diamond,^[3] the city is known for its picturesque surroundings and pleasant climate. The Godavari River flows through Nashik from its source, which lies to the southwest of the city, in Trimbakeshwar also called as Trimbak by locals. Nashik Urban Agglomeration (Nashik UA) has a (projected year 2008) population of 1,620,000^[4] and a total area of 264.23 km²^[5] which makes it the fourth largest urban area in Maharashtra in terms of population. Nashik is the third most industrialized city in Maharashtra after Mumbai and Pune.^[6].

History

Raam, Lakshman, Seeta at a Nashik Temple.

Raam kund, where the people put the ash of their dead dear ones to let them get "Mukti".

Hindu religion has it that Lord Rama, the King of Ayodhya, made Nashik his home during his 14 years in exile. At the same place Lord Laxman, by the blessing of Lord Rama, cut off the nose of Shurpnakha and thus this place was named as "Nasik"(From Sanskrit word 'Nasika'). Several other references to the Ramayan era can be found in Nashik, which includes the Sita Gumpha caves, from where Sita, Lord Rama's wife, was abducted by Ravana. Nashik in 150 BC was believed to be the country's largest marketplace.^[7]

From 1487 to 1818, the city was under Mughal rule and was known as Gulshanabad (City of Gardens).^[7]

The city got its present name in 1818 when the Peshwas got control of the city.^[7] The Peshwa rule however, did not last long and the British captured Nashik in the very same year. In 1840, one of the first modern libraries of Maharashtra (then, the Presidency of Bombay) was founded at Nashik.

Some of the major events in history of Nashik in the 1860s are-

• 1862  : Nashik Road railway station was built.
• 1864  : Nashik Municipality formed
• 1869  : Nashik district formed.

Nashik also participated in the freedom struggle of India. On December 21, 1909, 17-year-old Anant Kanhere shot the Collector of Nashik, Jackson in a theatre named Vijayanand theatre, where he had gone to see a play Sharada.^[7] He died on the spot. The people involved in the incident, Anant Kanhere, Krishnaji Karve and Vinayak Ramchandra Deshpande were sentenced to death by hanging and were hanged soon after.^[8]

In 1914, Karmveer Ravsaheb Thorat, Bhausaheb Hire, Annasaheb Murkute, founded the Nashik District Maratha Vidya Prasarak Samaj (NDMVP), prominent educational institute in Nashik. The founders name was later give to K.T.H.M. college. The K.R.T. Arts, B.H. Commerce & A.M. Science College, Nashik (Popularly known as KTHM College) was established in 1969. The College is situated on magnificent campus on the bank of river Godavari.^[9]

In 1930, the Nashik Satyagraha was launched under the leadership of Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar for the entry of Dalits in Kala Ram temple. In 1931, a meeting of the Bombay Province Charmkar Parishad was organised at Nashik to work out the Chambhars' position with regard to the Second Round Table Conference in which Babasaheb was going to participate. In 1932, Babasaheb organized his temple entry movement for the abolition of untouchability in Nashik.

Balkrishna Moonje, a close associate of Veer Sawarkar, established the Central Hindu Military Education Society at Nashik which created the Bhonsala Military School in 1937.^[10]

During the Partition of India in 1947, many Sindhi families migrated to Nashik.^[11]

On October 31, 1955, the Government of India inaugurated a press at Nashik for printing government stationery.

From long time due to large production of grapes, Nashik is known as Grape City. Now with large number of wine factories,it becomes Wine Capital of India.

Geography

Nashik is located in northern Maharashtra at 565m (1854 ft)^[12] from the mean sea level.
The river Godavari originates from Trimbakeshwar (24 km from Nashik) and flows through various parts of the city. The river forms the northern boundary of the city in some areas and then flows through the old residential settlement in the city. Several small tributaries like the Nasardi and Waghadi merge with Godavari at Nashik. Nashik lies on western edge of the Deccan Plateau which is a volcanic formation^[13]. The soil here is primarily black which is favorable for agriculture. Prashant Koli, India's renowned Agricultural Scientist said;" It's the best in North Maharashtra Region due to its iconoelasticity"

The total land area of the city (Municipal Limits) is about 259.13 km^{2 [5]} which makes it the third largest urban area of Maharashtra after Mumbai Metropolitan Region and the Pune and Pimpri Chinchwad Urban Region (together as Second).

Nashik is located amidst high mountains.

Climate

Nashik has a mild climate for most of the year apart from the hot summers which last from March to mid-June. The period from June to September is the (South West) Monsoon Season, which sees about 620 mm (25 inches) of rain. The city experiences a mild, dry winter from November to February, with warm days and cool nights, although occasional cold waves can dip temperatures. The maximum temperature ever recorded in the city was 44.8 °C (108.3 °F) on 12 May 1960 in Nashik. The lowest temperature recorded was 0.6 °C (33.1 °F) on 7 January 1945 in Nashik. [1]

Environment

Solid Waste Management Project from the Nashik Municipal Corporation^[14]
In the entire 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 into a 'garbage dump free' city. 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 (Pandav Caves) to process the garbage and convert into compost.
Rain water harvesting enforcement by the Nashik Municipal Corporation^[15]
The Nashik Municipal Corporation has made it mandatory for new constructions in the city to install a rain water harvesting system without which a completion certificate is not granted to the construction. This measure is expected to help recharge the aquifers and augment the ground water level in the city.

Cityscape

Wada: street facade of the traditional courtyard house in old Nashik

The older quarters of the city are peculiar to many similar cities of Maharashtra such as Pune, Satara(A town) and Kolhapur(A Big town). It is characterized by the wadas (a housing typology, wada would mean a courtyard house), narrow, shaded, winding streets, peculiar projections onto the street, streets swelling into a chowk (public courtyard) and the vibrant and active bazaar (market) streets leading towards the river (in many cases). Streets are identified by the goods they sell and still attract large number of buyers from the city and more so from adjoining towns and villages.
www.nasikonline.com gives detail idea about Nashik city with photos and helpful to search any requirement in a city.

The planned areas of CIDCO

About 396 Ha of land area of the city has been planned and developed by City and Industrial Development Corporation (CIDCO). This area (originally a part of Morwadi and Untwadi villages) abuts the two industrial areas of the city viz. This is going to be the new nashik area on the outskirts of this big city. Satpur and Ambad and is home to a large number of residents who work in the industries. Since the area is planned as a single exercise it has a peculiar visual character and a unique community mix.

New development: Sprawling single residences and apartments

Areas like College Road, Mahatmanagar, Savarkar Nagar, Gangapur Road, Jail Road, Indira Nagar, Pipeline Road, Ashok Nagar and Trimbak Road could loosely be categorized as the newly developed outer areas of Nashik. Quite a few prominent educational institutions are located in these areas and so are the modern day restaurants, coffee shops and hangouts of the young. Most of the construction in this zone has happened in the past 3 to 4 decades and comprises individual houses and multistory apartments. Almost all retail malls and multiplexes in the city are located in this zone.

Architecture

Sarkarwada: The administrative headquarters during the Peshwa Rule

Ravivar Karanja: The main old Nashik city junction

• Rock-cut architecture
  Rock-cut caves called Pandavleni Caves relating to Hinayana Buddhism are located near Ambad, about 10 km from the city center. The caves are believed to be carved out between 1st century BC and 3rd century AD. There are 22 caves which comprise chaitya and vihara with varying levels of carving and detail.
  Chambharleni is another location of Jain rock-cut caves near Mhasrul, about 8 km from the city center.
• Temples of Nashik
  The city is home to hundreds of temples and shrines notably at the Ghats near Ramkund (which is the stretch of the river considered holy as it changes its course from westward to southward). The Kalaram Temple, The Naroshankar Temple and the Sundernarayan Temple are most significant architecturally, all built in black basalt stone. Trimbakeshwar temple is 30 km from Nashik.
• Traditional Wada typology of old Nashik
  The old city's hosing quarters primarily comprise of the wada typology. These are built-to-edge courtyard houses with rooms built a central (multi-activity) courtyard opening onto a street. This typology is a fine example of climate control and resulted into the peculiar urban form of narrow shaded streets and public courtyards.
• Contemporary Residential Architecture
  The urban form of outer Nashik used to be dominated by (generally) well-designed two story independent houses. As land costs soared these have been replaced by either row houses (houses with common side walls) or multistory apartments. The last decade has witnessed a trend of clusters of multiple buildings with a mix of typologies served by common amenities like a club and a swimming pool.
• Contemporary Institutional and Public Architecture
  There are a few architecturally notable public buildings in Nashik like The Nashik Municipal Corporation Administrative Headquarter, The Kusumagraj Smarak and The Dadasaheb Phalke Memorial at the foothills of Pandavleni Caves. Some of the recent projects comprising educational campuses and corporate buildings have demonstrated reasonable architectural flair at par with national and international architectural trends.

Parks and public spaces

• Dadasaheb Phalke Memorial
• Shivaji Garden
• Shagun Water park (Largest water park in Nasik)
• Jawaharlal Nehru Udyan
• Various Neighborhood Parks developed and run by the Nashik Municipal Corporation
• Goda Park
• Various Jogging Parks developed and run by the Nashik Municipal Corporation
• Dongre Vastigruha Ground
• Zilla Parishad Stadium Complex
• CIDCO Stadium
• Phalke Smarak
• Pramod Mahajan Udyan, Gangapur Naka
• Shambhaji Stadium, Ashwin Nagar.

Culture and Contemporary Life

"Goda Park"

Media, entertainment and performing arts

Auditoriums and Drama Theatres

• Mahakavi Kalidas Natyamandir
• Parshuram Saikhedkar Natyagriha
• Dadasheb Gaikwad Sabhagriha
• Paluskar Sabhagriha

Cinema theaters and multiplexes

City Radio

There are 3 FM radio Stations in Nashik. All India Radio's Akaswani is aired on FM 101.4 MHz and Radio Mirchi & Red FM are on 98.3 and 93.5 FM.
Print Media
Newspapers
Gavkari^[16], Deshdoot^[17], Lokmat^[18]Sakal^[19]

Tourism

Godavari River Ghats, as seen through an arch of the Victoria bridge.

Nashik has been on the tourist map of India especially Hindu religious tourism because of the legend that Lord Rama lived here during his exile. Gangapur Road, College Road and Trimbak Road form the lifelines of the suburbs. For many, Nashik is just a pit-stop en route to Shirdi or Trimbakeshwar. If one decides to stop and look around the city and its outskirts, there's plenty to see. The Gangapur Dam is a beautiful site. The Dudhsagar Fall near the village of Gangapur is worth a look in the rains. A few kilometers away from Gangapur village is a Stone Age site. On the road to Trimbakeshwar is the state's only Museum of Numismatics. Anjaneri Parvat near Trimbakeshwar is well known for waterfalls during monsoon season. Pandav Caves, the 4th Century BC caves of Buddhist origin, a Bird Sanctuary "Nandur-Madhyameshwar" popularly know as "Bharatpur of Maharashtra", which was started in 1950s, is a little ways from the city and is a mesmerizing place for nature and bird lovers.

Shopping and retail

Retail Shopping Malls in Nashik

• The Nasik City Centre Mall
• Big Bazaar, College Road
• Big Bazaar, Nashik Road
• Big Bazaar, Nashik City Centre Mall
• Pinnacle Mall, Golf Club
• Vishal Mega Mart ,Mumbai Naka
• Nashik Central , Trimbak Naka
• R L Mall(Rajmal Lakhichand) (under construction) with 4 star hotel
• East End, Mumbai-Agra Highway
• Mall by Western India Properties at Satpur (on hold)
• Mall by Raheja in Amabad MIDC (on hold)
• Kakade Magnum Mall (proposed)
• Prozone Mall (proposed)
• Pantaloons, Nashik City Centre Mall

Cuisine

Nashik traditionally boasts of a Maharashtrian cuisine with influences from Khandesh, Rajasthan and Gujrat. The modern city however offers a range of restaurants with cuisines ranging from Punjabi, South Indian to Chinese and continental cuisines. The excellent hotels in Nashik city provide food ranges from Nashik's local spicy food to high class international food at various 5 star hotels to road side Restaurants

Sports

Cricket is the most popular sport in Nashik. The old city also patronizes traditional Maharashtrian sports like Kabbaddi and Kho Kho. There Are many big stadiums in Nashik City like Raje Sambaji Stadium,Golf Ground ,YCMOU ,RYK College The Nashik Gymkhana is the principal place for playing formal sports and also to get formal training.

Healthcare

• Regional Super Speciality Hospital (100 beds) run by the Government of Maharashtra^[20]
• Apollo Hospital
• Life Line Hospitals
• Wockhardt Hospitals
• Sanjivan Hospital Orthopedic and Pediatric Hospital
• NDMVP's Medical College's Hospital, Adgaon

and Many Big :- Small Hospitals

Pharmacy Colleges

1. Mahatma Gandhi Vidya Mandir's College of Pharmacy, Panchavati (Offering Diploma, Bachelor and Masters course in Pharmacy)
2. N.D.M.V.P's Pharmacy College, Gangapur Road (Offering Bachelor and Masters course in Pharmacy)
3. Institute of Pharmaceutical Technology (N.D.M.V.P's), Adgaon (Offering Diploma Course in Pharmacy)

Key areas of Nashik

Economy

Overview

Nashik today is one of the fastest growing cities of India and has even been identified as a tier-2 metro. The city's economy is driven chiefly by the engineering and manufacturing industry (which has been around since the seventies) as well as the progressive agriculture in area surrounding the city. Auto majors such as Mahindra & Mahindra, BOSCH and Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) such as VIP, Samsonite, CEAT etc. have their plants here and have spawned a huge network of auto component suppliers and engineering ancillary services. It is also a pharmaceutical hub with presence GlaxoSmithKline and Fem. In recent years, Nasik has also carved a niche for itself as India's "Napa Valley" and locally established wine brands such as "Sula" have attained international acclaim.
Modern efforts are on to promote the growth of an export-oriented rose farming and wine industry in the district. It is home to an important thermal power plant (Eklahare) and a National Treasury Printing Press (India Security Press at Nashik Road). There are five "Industrial Zones" in the Nashik area and its outskirts (Satpur, Ambad, Sinnar, Igatpuri and Dindori). Nashik has a number of sugar mills. It is also chief exporter of white onions and pomegranates.

Industry

Private industries

The HAL plant is an aircraft manufacturing plant located 10 miles (16 km) from Nashik employing about 7000 people, so making Nashik a hub with good prospects for aircraft manufacturing. World-renown manufacturers who have set up plants in the Nashik MIDC area are: Bosch India (leader in auto ancillaries), Crompton Greaves Limited, ABB Ltd, Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd, Kirloskar Oil, Ceat Tyres, Schnider, Jyothi Structure, Shanmukha Laboratories, VIP Ltd, Graphite India Ltd,'Surya Murphy', Glaxo Pharma, Coca Cola, and Victor Gasket Ltd. As well, IT sectors have s entered, but growth is slow due to the lack of infrastructure and technical support.
Nashik is now popular for the wine industry, with around 60% of Indian wine production at Nashik. Nasik Wine Park is a grape wine park administered by the Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation (MIDC).
Many renowned Indian and MNCs have established themselves in Nashik:

IT Parks

Recently the government has decided to prepare IT parks in the city of Nashik. The V-Tech park is one of the largest IT parks of Maharashtra. Nashik is also emerging as a BPO/IT destination and is in list of the selected Tier II cities for BPO/IT companies; companies like Datamatics, WNS and GloStream have presence in Nashik.

Government-run industries

The Indian Security Press – The India Security Press (the National Treasury Press) was the biggest employer in Nashik for many decades until the late eighties when a service-based economy started to thrive. The existence of the India Security Press is very beneficial to Nashik citizens. It has provide employment to thousands of residents for the past few decades, and has stimulated the surrounding economy and protecterd the green canopy of the city. There is an adjoining Gymkhana and a large playground, which is a favorite games/exercise spot for both children and adults. Hindustan Aeronautics Limited has a presence at Ojhar Township in the Nashik District of Maharashtra State, where it is designs, manufactures and overhauls a variety of aviation products from basic trainers to highly sophisticated supersonic fighters, helicopters, transport aircraft, engines, accessories and systems.

Agriculture

Nashik is very famous for grapes, onions and tomatoes, all of which are grown in huge quantities. The wine culture is growing at an alarming speed for both growers and wine makers.

Nashik was famous for its table grapes for a very long time. In early 1925, the Table Grape revolution was started in Ojhar, a small town near Nashik, by Shree Raosaheb Jairam Krishnaji Gaikwad who is known to have been the first person to commercially grow table grapes in Maharashtra. He is known as the Father of Indian grapes and revolutionized not only grape growing, but also many other crop cultivation practices. Today, table grapes are being exported in great quantities to Europe, the Middle East and Asia. They are used to make raisins and juices. Nashik also exports a reasonable quantity of onions. Agriculture contributes greatly towards the Nashik's economy.

Urbanisation and development

New Residential Areas of Nashik, dominated by multi-floor apartments

Nashik has transformed from a small pilgrimage town to a modern mid-sized city in the last two decades or so. The growth of industries brought about a major growth in population resulting into expansion of the footprint of the city into the hinterland and resulted into growth of suburbs along the periphery of the city. The natural benefits of geography and climate and abundant availability of water catalyzed this growth. The retail revolution in India also left an impact on Nashik with multiple medium and large sized retail malls opening up in the city after the year 2002. Stand-alone branded apparel stores and food chains followed the trend and have opened up outlets to cater to the growing urban population. Some of the other statistics are given below:

• The literacy rate in Nashik is 85.67%.
• People living below poverty line: 5.6%
• Literacy rate: 85.67%
• Human Development Index (from 2001-2008): 90.00%
• Infrastructure Development: 80%

Demographics

According to the Census of India, 2001, Nashik had a population of 1,076,967. Males constitute 54% of the population and females 46%. Nashik had an average literacy rate of 74%, higher than the national average of 64%; male literacy was 80%, and female literacy was 66%. In Nashik, 14% of the population is under 6 years of age. In the same year (census year 2001) the Nashik Urban Agglomeration had a population of 1,152,326^[21] and 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 1st of January 2009 is 16,20,000 ^[4] .

Administration

Nashik is the headquarter of Nashik District and is also the headquarter of Nashik Revenue Division of Maharashtra. The city is administered by the Nashik Municipal Corporation which came into existence in 1982 by combining Nashik Municipality and surrounding civic bodies e.g. Nashik Road Municipality. A planned area was introduced in Nashik which was designed and executed by CIDCO which is now administered by the Nashik Municipal Corporation.

The two industrial areas viz. Satpur and Ambad were developed by Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation which now fall under the Nashik Municipal Corporation for administrative purpose.

Deolali, which is also a part of the Nashik urban agglomeration, has a separate civic body called the Deolali Cantonment Board.

Education

Main article: Education in Nashik
Nashik has been the educational hub of North Maharashtra. The city has two state-run universities viz. The Yashawatrao Chavhan Maharashtra Open University (YCMOU) (located near Gangapur village on the outskirts of Nashik) and the Maharashtra University of Health Sciences located near Mhasrul (a suburb of Nashik). HPT Arts and RYK Science College (run by the Gokhale Education Society), set up in 1925 was the first degree college in the city. BYK College (Commerce faculty), KTHM College, Bytco College, LVH College, BMC College are the names of few of the significant degree colleges imparting education in Arts, Science and Commerce faculties.

Rasbihari International School (PYP, IGCSC), MET's Institute of Engineering and MET campus, KK Wagh Engineering College, NDMVP's College of Engineering, Sir Visvesvaraya Memorial College of Engineering, NDMVPS's College of Architecture, MGM's Medical College, NDMVP's Medical College, JDCB Institute of Management, Brahma valley education Society are some of the notable institutes imparting professional education.

The city has several government run and private run schools offering quality education in Marathi and English medium such as Fravashi Academy, Nirmala Convent High School (N.C.H.S.), Boys' Town Public School, Rachana Vidyalaya, Pethe Vidyalaya, Sarda Kanya Vidyalaya, Saint Philomena Convent High School, Rungta High School and the Barnes School at Deolali are few of the oldest schools set up in the city. Many schools imparting international education have come up over the years, like Ryan International School-known for its excellence in all fields, Rasbihari International School, Fravashi International School and Wisdom High School.

The Leprosy Mission Vocational Training Centre, Panchavathi, Nasik is on the oldest vocational training centre in India rendering free training for the Leprosy affected students and families. Symbiosis School and Rasbihari is the only school that provides IB education & offers the Primary Years Program. Symbiosis School is known for its CBSE Excellence. Symbiosis Institute of Operations Management under Symbiosis International University (SIU) offers a World Class MBA program with emphasis on Operations Management.

Transportation

Nashik has been a major transport node given its road and rail connectivity and geographic location.

Roads

Nashik is one of the major road junctions of India. The Mumbai-Agra national highway(NH3) runs through Nashik. Nashik is also connected to Pune with NH-50. Nashik is a major road junction of major state highways. It is well connected to Surat, Aurangabad, Mumbai, Pune, Ahmednagar, Dhule and many other cities. It has been seeing reasonable grown in terms of road infrastructure in the past few years or so. Map of Nashik Taluka

A privately built and tolled expressway is nearing completion between Mumbai and Nashik.^[22] The National Highway Number 3 (NH3) is being converted into a multi-lane tolled road. The stretch from Mumbai to Bhiwandi is already a four-lane road. Work is in progress for the four-laning of the stretch between Bhiwandi and Gonde. This stretch passes through the Kasara Ghat Section (known as Thalghat traditionally). It is understood that the stretch between Gonde and Pimpalgaon Baswant (near Ozar Airport), which actually passes though Nashik city, is proposed to be a six-laned highway with multiple flyovers at key intersections. The work of the road beyond the one described above (Pimpalgaon Baswant to Dhule) is nearing completion. The NH50 to Pune is a traditional two-laned road up to Rajgurunagar (Pune District) and four laned further till Pune.

Intercity travel

Mahamarg Bus Stand

Buses: MSRTC (State Run) Efficient and punctual buses are run by the Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation to various cities, towns and villages around Nashik. They operate services from multiple bus terminals (New and old Central Bus Stand or CBS, Mela Sthanak, Mahamarg Bus Stand and Nimani Bus Stand) primarily based on geographic locations of the destinations. The new CBS (also known as Thakkar Bazaar) is the principal bus terminal from where one can get to travel to Mumbai, Pune, Kolhapur, Satara, the Konkan Region, Aurangabad and so on. Semi-luxury buses are available to some of the important locations. Nashik to Pune is a special semi-luxury service which runs decently built buses at half-hour intervals from 5.30 in the morning to 12.30 in the midnight. The Mahamarg bus stand caters to services departing for Ahmednagar, Solapur, Kasara and Shirdi. Other bus stands cater to district level traffic to small towns and villages.
Private Buses
Several private bus operators run services with good quality buses (Air-conditioned buses in many cases) although to large cities around like Mumbai, Pune, Nagpur, Ahmedabad, Surat, Vadodara, Indore, Kolhapur etc.
Air conditioned Taxis
Popularly knows as cool cabs (blue and silver colored), these services are available to Mumbai, Thane, Shirdi, Pune and a few other locations. These serve as a good option in case of unplanned travel decisions and available round-the-clock at stipulated taxi-stands located conveniently in the city. Taxis could be hired fully or on seat-basis. One could walk up to the taxi stand or call for the taxi at desired location although at an additional cost.

Railways

Nashik Road Railway Station, Early morning crowd waiting for the Panchvati Express to Mumbai.

Nashik Road Railway Station is an important railway station on the Mumbai-Kalyan-Manmad-Bhusaval (and further to Delhi or Kolkata) sector of the Central Railway Division of Indian Railways which was the first ever electrified section in India. The railway station is about 11 km away from the city center (and hence called Nashik Road instead of Nashik). Most of the trains halt at Nashik Road station although generally for a short duration (2 to 5 minutes).

Deolali is another station (about 10 minutes train travel towards Mumbai) which serves the population residing in the Deolali Cantonment Area and the adjoining towns like Bhagur etc. Interestingly, a horse-drawn tram used to ply between Nashik Road Station and the Nashik City between 1889 and 1933.^[23]
More than 50 trains pass through this station daily and it is thus connected to Mumbai, Aurangabad, Nanded, Hyderabad, Bhopal, Agra, Delhi, Nagpur, Kolkata, Guwahati, Jammu, Madgaon, Mangalore and so on.

Although the station connects to most northern and eastern parts of the country, major passenger traffic is between Mumbai and Nashik. Fast-moving intercity trains like the Panchvati express and the Godavari Express connect this station to Mumbai. These trains originate from Manmad and principally cater the large number of business travelers from Manmad and Nashik to Mumbai and suburban area.

Airways

Kingfisher Airlines runs only one daily flight in the evening at 18:50 hrs to Mumbai from Nashik's Ozar Airport located at some 24 km from the city center. Deccan Airways also used to operate a flight to Mumbai from Ozar airport a couple of years ago which was later taken off due to lack of passengers. Nashik has another airport at Gandhinagar with a shorter runway and hence unfit for modern-day passenger aircraft. The government run Vayudoot used a operate a service to Mumbai from this Gandhinagar Airport during the 1980s.

Intra-city travel

City Bus, run by MSRTC.

Nashik has been having a reasonably reliable and punctual bus based intra-city transport system which is operated by the state run MSRTC. The principal operating hub is at Panchavati. Other key city bus nodes are Nashik Road (Railway Station), Satpur, Central Bus Stand and Shalimar. Buses ply to almost all parts of the city.
The MSRTC has been requesting the Nashik Municipal Corporation^[24] to take over the bus service but that has not happened till date.
Peculiarly painted Taxis (Black and Yellow) are available for point to point (unmetered) travel to destination within the city and to nearby tourist attraction like Trimbakeshwar and Someshwar or the Railway Station.
Metered and unmetered auro-rikshaws ply in the city and are available with reasonable ease.^[25]

References

External links

• Nashik travel guide from Wikitravel
• Nasik Online
• Nashik Map
• Nashik @ Information Technology - Publish News of Nashik and Directory.
• Yellow Pages of Nashik
• Nashik City
• Overview of Nashik on Wikimapia
• Nasik district Gazetteers
• About Nashik City

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