The descriptions of the monuments are condensed from the ASI's information on the monuments under its Aurangabad Circle. Three of them are in Nashik district, among them the Trimbakeshwar temple; the other four are in Chh. Sambhajinagar district, a longer journey that is best planned as a separate trip. The tourist places and important places of Nashik district are from the Nashik District Administration’s website.
Roads are at their busiest around the Amrut Snan days, so plan sightseeing for other days; check the Snan calendar. For the temples and ghats of Nashik and Trimbakeshwar, see the Temple Register and Significance and the Ghat Register and Significance.
Near Nashik
Pandav Leni Caves, Nashik
- Where: Nashik, on the hill its inscriptions call Trirashmi
- Period: 2nd century BCE to 3rd century CE
- Known for: 24 Buddhist rock-cut caves with Satavahana and Kshatrapa inscriptions
Known locally as Pandav Leni, this group of twenty-four excavations is cut in a long line into the north face of a hill that its inscriptions call Trirashmi. The caves represent rock-cut architecture of the 2nd century BCE to the 3rd century CE. Almost all are early, excavated by the Hinayana sect, with no images of the Buddha as an object of worship, and their many inscriptions from the reigns of the Satavahanas and the Kshaharatas, or Kshatrapas, are of great historical significance. Cave 18, a chaityagriha (prayer hall), is the earliest; the rest are viharas (monasteries). The largest, Cave 3 or Gautamiputra's Cave, has the inscriptions of Gautami Balashri, mother of the most powerful Satavahana king.
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Gondeshvar Temple of Mahadev, Sinnar
- Where: Sinnar, Nashik district
- Period: early 12th century CE
- Known for: a Nagara-style panchayatana temple of Shiva, among the best preserved in the Deccan
Said to have been built by the Yadava prince Rav Govinda at the beginning of the 12th century CE, this is one of the most complete and best-preserved Nagara-style temples in the Deccan. It is a panchayatana: the main shrine, dedicated to Shiva, is flanked at the four corners by shrines of Vishnu, Ganapati, Surya and Parvati, all on a raised platform within a walled enclosure, with a separate pavilion for the Nandi. The outer walls carry scenes from the Ramayana and figures of gods and goddesses, dancers and apsaras. As the ASI puts it, the temple's real beauty lies in the symmetry of its forms and the grandeur of its scale.
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Trimbakeshwar Temple, Trimbak
- Where: Trimbak, Nashik district
- Period: 18th century
- Known for: one of the twelve Jyotirlingas of Shiva
Dedicated to Lord Shiva, the Trimbakeshwar temple is one of the twelve Jyotirlingas in India. It was built by the third Peshwa, Balaji Bajirao, and renovated by Ahilyabai Holkar of Indore, both in the 18th century. It stands in a stone-paved courtyard within a rampart wall with four entrances, with a carved Nandi mandapa and a dipmala (tower of lamps) before it. Built of basalt, with marble used in selected places, the temple is richly carved with human figures, animals, flowers and scrollwork. The linga here has a hollow pit, under which water oozes out drop by drop. The temple represents the class and elegance of Maratha architecture under the Peshwas.
Tourist places of Nashik district
The Nashik District Administration lists these tourist places on its website.
All Religion Temple, Tapovan
The all-religion temple in the Tapovan area of Panchavati, which has been sanctified by Lord Ramachandra’s stay, is now attracting the attention of devotees from all quarters. Lord Rama, Lakshman and Sita spent most of their 14 years of exile in the Godavari region, and some of the events of his life are depicted in this temple through a Ram Darbar. The temple is next to the site marked as the place where Lakshman cut off the nose of Shurpanakha, near the confluence of the Godavari and Kapila rivers. It is the centre of attraction for every devotee who comes to the famous religious place of Tapovan, and the footfall is increasing day by day.
We are all human beings before we become Hindus, Muslims, Sikhs, Christians or Parsis. The message that humanity is our true religion is the symbol of all religions in the temple. Scenes such as the cutting off of Shurpanakha’s nose, the abduction of Sita, Shabari feeding berries to Lord Ramachandra and his younger brother Bharat carrying Lord Rama’s padukas (sandals) attract people’s attention. Besides these, the idols of Shri Ganesh, Durga, Radha Krishna, Lakshmi Narayan, Vitthal Rukmini, Saint Mauli Dnyaneshwar, Guru Nanak Devji, Jagadguru Saint Tukaram Maharaj, Gautam Buddha, Mahavir Swami, Jagannath Dham, Shri Hansji Maharaj and Mata Raj Rajeshwari Devi, along with Kodandadhari (bow-bearing) Shriram and the joyful idol of the mighty Rambhakta Hanuman, draw the attention of devotees.
Mangi Tungi Temple
- By air: The nearest airport, Nashik International Airport at Ozar, is about 24 km from the city centre.
- By train: The nearest railway station is Nashik Road, about 130 km away.
- By road: Well connected by road; about 125 km from Nashik city.
Mangi Tungi Temple is 125 km from Nashik, in Satana taluka. Mangi is the western pinnacle, 4,343 ft above sea level, and Tungi the eastern pinnacle, 4,366 ft above sea level.
Mangi Tungi is a famous holy place of pilgrimage. It is a Siddha Kshetra where Ram, Hanuman, Sugriva, Nal, Neel, Mahaneel, Gava, Gavaksha and many others, 99 crore ascetics in all, attained salvation, full and final freedom from the world, and went to Siddha Shila or Moksha, from where no one returns to the world and the soul enjoys inner spiritual bliss for infinite time. The holy place is also associated with Lord Ram and Sita, and with Lord Krishna and his elder brother Balram. Bhilwadi is the base village of Mangi Tungi.
Panchavati
- By air: The nearest airport, Nashik International Airport at Ozar, is about 24 km from the city centre.
- By train: The nearest railway station is Nashik Road, about 10 km away.
- By road: Well connected by road; 3 km from the Nashik Central Bus Stand.
Panchavati is on the left bank of the sacred Godavari river in Nashik city.
Close to the Kalaram temple stand some very old, lofty banyan trees, believed to have sprung from the five banyans that gave Panchavati its name: ‘Panchavati’ comes from panch, five, and vati, banyan tree. This is also the site of the Sita Gumpha, or Sita’s Cave. The Kalaram temple, Kapaleshwar temple, Ganga Godavari temple, Sundar Narayan temple, Talkuteshwar temple, Nilkantheshwar temple, Goraram mandir, Murlidhar mandir, Tilbhandeshwar mandir, Balaji temple, Sandvyachi Devi temple, Vitthal temple, Pataleshwar temple, Naroshankar temple, Ramtirth, Kartikswami temple, Dutondya Maruti, Katya Maruti temple, Panchmukhi Hanuman temple, Bhadrakali temple and the Kapurthala monuments are in and around Panchavati. With its many temples, Nashik has earned the name of the Banaras of western India.
Shree Saptashrungi Gad, Vani
- By air: The nearest airport, Nashik International Airport at Ozar, is about 24 km from the city centre.
- By train: The nearest railway station is Nashik Road, about 75 km away.
- By road: Well connected by road; about 65 km by road from Nashik to the Saptashrungi temple.
Shree Saptashrungi Gad is 60 km from Nashik, in Kalwan tahsil.
The temple stands 4,659 feet above sea level, on a hill surrounded by seven peaks. It is considered the half Shaktipeeth of the three and a half Shaktipeeths of Maharashtra. The figure of the goddess, about eight feet high, is carved in relief out of the natural rock; she has eighteen hands, nine on each side, each grasping a different weapon. Saptashrunga Gad is where Goddess Bhagawati dwells; Saptashrunga means seven horns, or mountain peaks. Nanduri village lies at the foot of the Gad. The Saptashrungi hill has a variety of plants of medicinal value, and there are several kunds, such as Kalikund, Suryakund and Dattatreya Kund. Opposite Saptashrunga, to the east, across a deep ravine, is the Markandeya hill, said to have been the abode of the sage Markandeya, who in his lifetime recited the Puranas for the Devi and wrote the Durga Saptashati. Large fairs are held during the Chaitra and Ashwin Navratris.
Shree Someshwar Temple
- By air: The nearest airport, Nashik International Airport at Ozar, is about 24 km from the city centre.
- By train: The nearest railway station is Nashik Road, about 15 km away.
- By road: Well connected by road; about 6 km from the Central Bus Stand.
This temple is on the way to the Gangapur dam, 8 km from the Central Bus Stand. It is a temple of Lord Shiva and Lord Hanuman on the banks of the Godavari. The area is green, with a pleasant climate, and visitors enjoy swimming and boating in the river. Someshwar has been a favourite location for many film shoots. On the way to Someshwar is a village named Anandwalli, so named because the Peshwas Anandibai and Raghobadada lived there for some time; they built the Navasha Ganpati temple.
Ramtirth, Nashik
- By air: The nearest airport, Nashik International Airport at Ozar, is about 24 km from the city centre.
- By train: The nearest railway station is Nashik Road, about 10 km away.
- By road: Within the city, 3 km from the Nashik Central Bus Stand.
Ramtirth is on the bank of the Godavari, 2 km from the Central Bus Stand.
It is the holiest spot in Nashik, believed to be the place where Lord Rama used to bathe. It contains the bone-dissolving Asthivilaya Tirth. It was built in 1696 by Chitrarao Khatav, a landholder of Khatav in Satara, and repaired by Gopikabai, the mother of Madhavrao, the fourth Peshwa. People bring the ashes of their departed relatives and immerse them in the Asthivilaya Kund; the ashes of eminent personalities such as Pandit Nehru, Indira Gandhi and Y. B. Chavan have been immersed at Ramtirth.
Dhammagiri Vipassana Centre
- By air: The nearest airport, Nashik International Airport at Ozar, is about 24 km from the city centre.
- By train: Igatpuri railway station, about 4 km from Dhammagiri.
- By road: Igatpuri is on the Mumbai–Agra National Highway.
It is in Igatpuri town in Nashik district; Igatpuri is also a taluka headquarters. Igatpuri is on the Nashik–Mumbai road, 45 km from Nashik.
Kushavarta Tirth, Trimbakeshwar
- By air: The nearest airport, Nashik International Airport at Ozar, is about 24 km from the city centre.
- By train: The nearest railway station is Nashik Road, about 40 km away.
- By road: About 30 km from Nashik by road; well connected by road.
Kushavarta Tirth is in the heart of Trimbakeshwar town, 400 m from the Trimbakeshwar Jyotirlinga temple.
This 21-ft-deep kund, fed by natural springs, was built in 1750. It is said to be the place where the sacred Godavari re-emerges after disappearing at the Brahmagiri hills, and hence the special holiness of this tirtha.
Shree Kalaram Mandir
- By air: The nearest airport, Nashik International Airport at Ozar, is about 24 km from the city centre.
- By train: The nearest railway station is Nashik Road, about 10 km away.
- By road: Within the city, 3 km from the Nashik Central Bus Stand.
Kalaram Mandir is in the Panchavati area of Nashik city, 3 km from the Central Bus Stand.
City buses and auto-rickshaws run to the temple from all parts of the city. The temple is believed to stand on the spot where Lord Ram lived during his exile. It was built in 1782 by Sardar Rangrao Odhekar on the site of an old wooden temple; the work is said to have lasted twelve years, with 2,000 people employed daily. It is one of the finest modern temples of Ram in western India. A seventeen-foot wall of plain dressed stone surrounds a well-kept enclosure 245 feet long and 105 feet wide. The temple has a separate sabhamandap, 75 × 31 × 12 feet, open on all sides. The standing images of Lord Rama, Sita and Lakshmana are of black stone, about two feet high. The Ramnavami festival is celebrated in Chaitra (March–April).
Important places
The Nashik District Administration also lists these important places.
Artillery Centre, Nashik Road
The Artillery Centre is near Nashik Road. Nashik also has the Deolali Cantonment Board, CAT and an artillery museum. It is the biggest artillery centre in Asia. The artillery centre was shifted from Pakistan in 1947. Indian Army officers and soldiers are trained here, including training on the Bofors gun.
Coin Museum, Anjaneri
It is on the Nashik–Trimbakeshwar road, about 20 km from Nashik city. The museum has a fine collection and well-documented research on the history of Indian currency. It was established in 1980 under the Indian Institute of Research in Numismatic Studies, and is the only museum of its kind in Asia. The surroundings of the museum are picturesque.
Dadasaheb Phalke Smarak
It is in Nashik city on the Mumbai road (NH 3), about 8 km from the Central Bus Stand. Dadasaheb Phalke was the legendary, progressive spirit behind the century-old Indian cinema. Born at Nashik on 30 April 1870, he produced the first Indian film, Raja Harishchandra, in 1913, and went on to produce 95 films and 26 documentaries in a studio set up at Nashik, until 1932. This memorial is a tribute to that great visionary; the Dadasaheb Phalke Smarak is committed to edifying, devout and rational development. The building has a place for meditation, a main conference hall and an exhibition centre, and the Smarak displays the works of Dadasaheb Phalke. The memorial spreads across 29 acres and also has a Buddha Smarak, a garden and dancing fountains.
Gargoti Mineral Museum, Sinnar
The Gargoti Mineral Museum is in the Malegaon industrial area of Sinnar, 28 km from Nashik city. Sinnar is a small, bustling town, known for this award-winning museum. It is one of the best museums in the world, with a large collection of zeolites, micro-porous crystalline solids with well-defined, rich structures like those of diamonds and other precious stones. Its awards include Pride of India, the Saraswati Puraskar and Sinnar Gaurav. Gargoti is the only museum in India that displays the mineral treasures of the earth: rocks, minerals and crystals of many kinds, shapes, colours and uses. The exhibits include specimens of diamonds, cut stones, light green cubical apophyllite, crystals of yellow calcite, blue-green aquamarine, cavansite and rare foreign minerals, displayed in two galleries: Minerals from the Deccan Plateau on the first floor and the Prestige Gallery on the ground floor. A souvenir shop at the museum sells necklaces, mineral specimens, lapidary items, postcards and posters.
Dudhsagar Waterfall
This waterfall is a popular picnic spot close to the Someshwar temple, 8 km from Nashik. The 10 m cascade of creamy white water offers a breathtaking view; it is this white water that earned it the name Dudhsagar, ‘ocean of milk’. Steps are carved into the rock, so the top is easy to reach.
Dugarwadi Waterfall
The Dugarwadi waterfall is 10 km from Trimbakeshwar on the Jawhar road, about two km off the road, and is one of the finest natural sights in Nashik. Adventure and nature lovers enjoy a day’s outing at Dugarwadi to feel the vibrant spirit of the monsoon, the best season to explore its beauty. The dense forest, the waterfall and the fresh air are all attractive, and make one forget the hustle and bustle, stress and tensions of city life.
Shirdi and Shani Shingnapur
Shirdi
Shirdi, a town in the Ahilyanagar district of Maharashtra, is a place where the divine spirit of Sai Baba has left an indelible mark on millions of souls. Revered by followers of all faiths, Shirdi is home to the iconic Shirdi Sai Baba Temple, a sacred site that has become one of the most visited pilgrimage destinations in India. Every year, people from across the world flock to Shirdi to experience the profound spirituality and miraculous blessings of Sai Baba, whose teachings of love, compassion, and unity continue to inspire generations.
How to reach
- By rail: Shirdi has its own railway station, Sainagar Shirdi, which is connected to major cities.
- By air: Shirdi Airport (Kakadi) is about 14 km from Shirdi, with flights from Mumbai, Delhi and Hyderabad.
- By road: Shirdi is easy to reach by road and bus from Nashik (approx. 90 km), Pune (approx. 185 km) and Mumbai (approx. 240 km).
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Shrikshetra Shani Shingnapur Temple
Deep in the heart of Maharashtra’s Ahilyanagar district lies the awe-inspiring Shrikshetra Shani Shingnapur Temple, a one-of-a-kind pilgrimage site dedicated to Lord Shani, the celestial deity associated with the planet Saturn. Unlike any other temple in India, this sacred place stands out for its open-air shrine. A visit to Shrikshetra Shani Shingnapur isn’t just about seeking blessings—it’s about experiencing a divine legend that has defied the test of time and continues to leave visitors spellbound.
How to reach
- By rail: The nearest railway station is Ahilyanagar (approx. 35 km), which is connected to major cities.
- By air: The nearest airport is Shirdi Airport (Kakadi, approx. 80 km). You can also fly into Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar (approx. 90 km) or Pune (approx. 160 km).
- By road: Shrikshetra Shani Shingnapur is easy to reach by road and MSRTC bus from Ahilyanagar (approx. 35 km), Shirdi (approx. 70 km) and Pune (approx. 160 km).
In Chh. Sambhajinagar district
Ajanta Caves
- Where: near the village of Ajintha, Chh. Sambhajinagar district
- Period: 2nd century BCE; most caves mid-5th to mid-6th century CE
- Known for: 30 Buddhist caves and their paintings; a UNESCO World Heritage Monument
Named after the nearby village of Ajintha, the Ajanta Caves are among the finest surviving examples of Indian art, particularly painting. Thirty caves were cut into a horseshoe-shaped bend of rock overlooking the Waghora stream; five are chaityagrihas and the rest viharas. The earliest belong to the Hinayana phase, Cave 10 dating from the 2nd century BCE, but most were excavated under the Vakatakas, contemporaries of the Imperial Guptas, between the mid-5th and mid-6th centuries CE. The best examples of their paintings, in Caves 1, 2, 16 and 17, depict Jataka stories, the life of the Buddha and the social life of the time. UNESCO has inscribed the caves as a World Heritage Monument.
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Ellora Caves
- Where: Ellora (Verul), Chh. Sambhajinagar district
- Period: about 6th to 11th century CE
- Known for: Buddhist, Brahmanical and Jain caves, among them the Kailas; a UNESCO World Heritage Monument
Ellora, the Elapura of Rashtrakuta inscriptions, has caves hewn out of the basalt of the Deccan trap from about the 6th to the 11th century CE. Of the 34 caves most visited, Caves 1 to 12 are Buddhist, 13 to 29 Brahmanical and 30 to 34 Jain. Cave 10, the Vishwakarma Cave, houses a huge seated Buddha. Cave 16, the great Kailas, made under the Rashtrakuta king Krishna I, was carved from top to bottom out of a mass of rock first cut free from the hill. The Jain caves include the Chhota Kailas, Indra Sabha and Jagannath Sabha. UNESCO lists Ellora as a World Heritage Monument for its spectacular architecture, sculptural exuberance and religious harmony.
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Daulatabad Fort
- Where: Daulatabad, Chh. Sambhajinagar district
- Period: founded by the Yadavas as Deogiri
- Known for: a hill fort with two moats and three lines of walls, the Chand Minar and the Dark Passage
Founded by the Yadavas as Deogiri, ‘the Hill of Gods’, the fort was annexed to the Delhi Sultanate by the Khiljis. Muhammad-bin-Tughluq renamed it Daulatabad, ‘Abode of Wealth’, and for a time moved his capital here from Delhi. It later passed to the Bahmanis, to the Nizam Shahis of Ahmednagar, who made it their capital, and to the Mughals, and was briefly held by the Marathas before the Nizams of Hyderabad took control. Built on a conical hill, it was one of the most powerful forts of the medieval Deccan, with two moats and three fortification walls. Within are stepped wells, the Chand Minar, Chini Mahal, Rang Mahal, a baradari on the hilltop and the Andheri, or Dark Passage.
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Grishneshwar Temple
- Where: Chh. Sambhajinagar district
- Period: the present temple, 18th century
- Known for: one of the twelve Jyotirlingas of Shiva
Grishneshwar is one of the twelve Jyotirlingas of Shiva in India. The temple is generally believed to have been restored by Malojiraje Bhosle, an ancestor of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, in the early 17th century CE; the present temple was built by Ahilyabai of Indore in the 18th century. It is an example of Nagara temple architecture with leanings towards the Maratha style, built on a star-shaped plan in red basalt, with brick and stucco above. A sunken garbhagriha houses the Shivalinga, and four elaborately carved central pillars support the dome of the mandapa. The stucco shikhara rises as a single tower of miniature shikharas, its lowest band adorned with dancing figures and apsaras.
About this information
The information on the monuments is courtesy of the Archaeological Survey of India, Aurangabad Circle. Visiting hours and tickets for these monuments are set by the ASI; please check them before you plan your visit.
The tourist places and important places of Nashik district are from the Nashik District Administration’s website, nashik.gov.in (opens in a new tab).