Trip to Nasik
During one of my visits to west region was able to visit
Nasik. My visit was coincidence to the start of Kumbh Mela which happens once
in 12 years and the Mela goes on for at least 6 months. Nasik is famous for temples,
all with a interesting history behind it.
I was able to visit Ramkund, in Panchvati. There are 5
banyan trees hence the name Panchavati. Here , Lord Rama is believed to have
taken a bath here hence, it is named
Ramkund. Lord Rama along with Sita and Lakshman have stayed here so the place
Panchavati has gained holy importance.
In the evening, I
visited Kalaram Temple. The
specialty of the temple is that it was built with black stones and dedicated to
Lord Rama. It is probably the most important Hindu shrine in the city.It also
has statues of Sita and Lakshman and Hanuman. The main entrance has a Lord Hanuman deity which is
black.
I was able to cover up Anjaneri Phata, Nashik which is on the main road connecting Nasik
to Trimbakeshwar. This is a relatively new
Hanuman Temple at Anjaneri Phata with a tall hanuman murti in a sitting
posture. Anjaneri is the birthplace of Lord Hanuman and named after Hanuman's
mother Anjani. One can see the scenic backdrop of Anjaneri Hills covered in
mist as I was travelling during the monsoon worth clicking snaps. One
should visit Anjaneri temple, Anjani
Mata temple and the Sita caves which is all close to each other which I could
not do so unfortunately.
Another place of holy importance is Trimbakeshwar temple which is some 30 km away from Nasik. This
place has the 10th sacred Jyotirlinga. The unique thing about this
temple is that it has three faces embodying Brahma, Vishnu and
Shiva. And also because river Godavari originates from this place. There is
always a huge crowd to see the temple and one needs to stand at least 2-3 hours
in the queue to be inside the temple. I also stood in the queue for at least an
hour but as I was hard pressed for time had to leave in between without seeing
for which I did feel bad. But this place is definitely in my list in my next
visit.
