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Panchavati

Located at the northern side of Nashik, Maharashtra, Panchavati is a densely populated town which has a huge spiritual and religious significance among Hindus. Along the Godavari River, this town has a huge temple complex which even includes the Kalaram temple. This place is considered very sacred among Hindus and people from all places of India come visit this place every year to take a dip in the Godavari River for purification of their sins.

The largest peaceful gathering of the world, the mela of Kumbh is also organized here every 12 years, with rotation with Ujjain, Allahabad, and Haridwar. In this mela, over a 100 million people participate. The popularity of this place among Hindus is on the account of the Hindu theology.

History

As depicted in the holy book of Hindus i.e. Ramayana, Panchavati used to be a part of the Dandakaranya forest. This was the place where the Rama built his abode with his brother Laxman and wife Sita when he was sent to an exile of 14 years.

The literary meaning of Panchavati is “a garden of five trees”. And this place has these five trees, which are believed to exist here since the time of Rama’s exile. Near to Panchavati is another popular religious place called Tapovan. According to Hindu theology, here Lakshmana, the brother of Rama cut off the nose of Surpanaka, the sister of Raavan when she tried to kill Sita. The whole Aranya Kanda, the book of forest is set in Panchavati itself.

Sita Gufa

Located at the western end of the Kalaram Temple the Sita Gufa (cave) is the place where Sita is believed to be kidnapped by Ravan. It is said that she was resting here before the demon kind Ravan came and tricked her and eventually abducted her.

Inside this cave one can see the idols of Ramayana trinity - Rama, Sita, and Lakshmana. There is a staircase which leads to Shiv Linga, which is the exact place people believe Ravan abducted Sita from.

Kalaram Temple

The Kalaram temple was built by the Peshwas and here the black colored deities of Ram, Sita and Lakshmana are present which are decked with knick-knacks. The temple is about 70 feet high and has a gold plated dome which is made from copper. There are many additional sculptures in this temple which represent the architectural beauty of that era.

The Kalaram temple is one of the most popular temples of Nasik, and during special festivals like Dasara, Sita Ramnavami and Chaitra it is thronged with hundreds of devotees. One striking feature of this temple is that it is all made from black stones. The construction of the temple took about 12 years.

Ramkund

Ramkund is the place where Lord Rama is believed to have taken bath during the time of his exile. And so, many devotees come visit this place to take a holy dip in it. Owing to the holy importance that this place possesses people also immerse the mortal remains (ashes) of the deceased for the peace of their souls. Even the ashes of Mahatma Gandhi were immersed here on 30th January 1948, after he passed away. Many of his followers, including Nehruji were present at the moment.
During the mela of Kumbh millions of people visit Ramkund to have a holy dip.

Ganga Ghat

Nashik is a religious hub and a lot of devotees participate in various kinds of activities here which are mainly centered about the banks of Godavari River. Alongside this holy river are many temples and ghats which the people visit a lot. The ambience and the view of the Ganga ghat at the time of dusk are really spectacular and spellbinding. People pay respect to the lords by placing leaves containing lit oil lamps and flowers over the river water and chant scared verses and prayers aloud.

Other Major Attractions

Panchavati has many other famous attractions which include Godavari Temple, Sundarnarayan Temple, Naroshankar Temple, etc.
Popular places nearby Panchavati include Shri Kailash Math, SwamiNarayan Mandir( popularly known as Akshardham) , and Tapovan.