What makes people visit Trimbakeshwar Shiv Temple, Nashik

It is situated about 28 kilometers from the city of Nashik, Shri Timbakeshwar. The state transport buses are well covered for Trimbakeshwar. Shri Trimbakeshwar Temple is about 28 kilometers from Nashik, Maharashtra, near the mountain Brahamagiri, from which the river Godavari flows. It was constructed on the site of an existing temple by the third Peshwa, Balaji Bajirao (1740-1760). ganpati bappa statue Trimbakeshwar Temple is a religious place that hosts one of the twelve Jyotirlingas. Trimbakeshwar is situated at the foot of Brahamagiri hill, which rises 3000 feet above sea level. Temple Trust looks after Trimbakeshwar Temple. They built Shivprasad Bhakta Niwas, which has 24 rooms (2 bed, 3 bed, 5 bed), a conference hall, a lift, and hot water facilities.

Insights about temple

The temple is surrounded by a 20-25 foot high stone wall. Photography is not permitted; you can not bring a camera inside but can bring a cell phone. They have two cameras/mobile lockers right in front of the temple’s main entrance (basically it’s just a shop that keeps your times). In one shop I paid Rs 10 to put my camera. The shoe stand is located next to the main gate (Rs 1 per pair). There is no need for autos since the temple is just a 10-minute walk from the bus stop. while moving towards the temple, there was this old man blowing and selling a flute and got captured in my cam. The entrance gate will guide you to the queue, which has a logical separation of roughly 6-7 lines. The queue of the main temple runs through the Nandi Temple, constructed before the Shiva temple (as you know Shiva temple always has Nandi Idol where Nandi always faces Shivalingam with an exception of Kapileshwar Temple in Panchavati where Nandi is not present at its place). Nandi Idol is seated on a platform made of white marble that is about a foot or two high. Trimbakeshwar temple entry After passing through the Nandi temple, you enter the Shiva temple. From the inside, you enter a large hall with a dome-shaped roof. The sanctum is small and houses the main Shivlingam as well as three lings that live in a hollow building. We could only see all three miniature lingams through the mirror I described earlier. Shiv Jyotirling at Trimbakeshwar Outside the temple just in front of the entrance gate, one can see few cows self-feeding the grass, there must be some story behind this which I didn’t bother to find out. People were supposed to purchase fodder and need to feed these cows and also there are many smalls temples on roads and poor people’s houses.

Kushavarta

Holy pond Kushavarta at Trimbakeshwar
Holy pond Kushavarta at Trimbakeshwar
A holy pond called “Kushavarta” is just a 5-minute walk away and is where the Ganga begins its journey to the rest of India. I spent the day exploring Trimbakeshwar! It’s a very small town, and I had a great time walking around. The management had done an excellent job, and most areas were nice and clean. There were just a few crowds around the temple and the main Kushavrat ghat. The other routes and places were not at all overcrowded. According to Hindu mythology, taking a bath here purifies one of all sins. According to legend, Sage Gautam forced the river Ganga to halt within the enchanted grass area he created and swore a vow to her. Kushavarta, a holy pond inside the temple grounds, is the source of the Godavari River, peninsular India’s longest river. According to legend, Trimbakeshwar was the birthplace of Lord Ganesh, the ‘Tri-Sandhya Gayatri.’ Trimbakeshwar is also thought to be the home of the revered sage Gautama.

About Kushavarta

Gautama worshipped Lord Shiva at Brahmagiri Mountain for the Ganges’ down-flow in order to be free of the sin of gohatya. The wish was granted, and Goddess Ganges took the form of River Godavari, which flowed from Brahmagiri Mountain’s Kushavarta. This he did in order to take a holy bath in this water to atone for his sin of slaughtering a cow. Sheemant Rao Sahib Parnekar built the temple that stands here today around the stalled water. The walls within the hall are inscribed with various Idols, and there are small temples in each corner.

History of Trimbakeshwar Jyotirlinga

This Shiva temple was built by the Prime Minister of the Maratha Empire, Peshwa Balaji Baji Rao, also known as Nana Saheb, in the mid-18th century. This temple’s reconstruction began in 1755 and was finished 31 years later in 1786.

Mahadev temple_Trimbakeshwar
Mahadev temple
This was the only true ‘baba’ picture I took. I am a very shy photographer. And when I asked their permission before clicking, they were more than happy to comply. Poor Baba at Trimbakeshwar Trimbakeshwar Temple Mahashivratri Darshan Timings:- Trimbakeshwar Temple Mahashivratri Darshan (Open) – 6 AM to 8 PM. Darshan Timings of Trimbakeshwar Temple (normal days):- Visit the Trimbakeshwar temple anytime between 5:30 AM to 9:00 PM.  Different Pooja Timings:- The Special Pooja – 7:00 AM to 9:00 AM The Madhyan Pooja – 1:00 PM to 1:30 PM The Golden Crown of Shiva – 4:30 PM to 5:30 PM Note – 1) Please keep in mind that the Trimbakeshwar Temple’s timings can differ on special occasions and during festivals. 2) While returning from Trimbakeshwar if you are not late and stretch your limits, I would suggest visiting Sula Vineyards.

Top 10 Best Misal Pav Places to be visited in Nashik

In Maharashtra, where Nashik is renowned for its special Misal Pav dishes, everybody loves and eats Misal Pav. Kolhapuri Misal, Nashik Misal, Puneri Misal, Khandeshi Misal, and Nagpuri Misal are some of the Misal pav varieties available, with Nashik Misal being the most popular so far. Nashik is often referred to as the wine & Misal capital.

It is made up of (a spicy curry made of sprouted moth beans) and ate with Pav. The dish is finished off with ‘Farsan’ or ‘Shev,’ onion, lemon, and coriander. This spicy and delicious breakfast dish is often eaten with buttermilk or curd and papad.

In search of the best Misal Pav dishes in Nashik, I’ve as in Nashik Blogger curated a list of the top 10 must-visit Misal Pav places in Nashik.

1) Sadhana Misal: Sadhana Misal which is also known as ‘Chulivarchi Misal’ is a hot spicy Curry with some farsan. It came with the two curries onion and lemon in a single pot, big papad, two sizes of jumbo pav, and very little curd dish. With Curry Extra, I ate Misal, with two more pav’s. The owners told me they were cooking with their own masala, which makes it rare and spicy.
Apart from all these, there is a very beautiful selfie point which is made of open umbrellas on tree branches although they have started Bullock cart ride, camel ride, and horse ride.

Sadhana misal ambience     bullock_cart_sadhnana

Note – The popular Sadhana Misal Nasik is only available until 14:30 from the first half of the day. As a result, schedule your visit accordingly.

2) Grape Embassy & Zatka Misal –

 

Grape Embassy misal           Grape Embassy_Nashik

“India’s First Grape Roof Restaurant. Dining / eating under a grape yard is the most interesting thing about this place.
Amazing place! Missal is too yummy… Spicy & tempting! with misal they also serve fresh Grapes from their yard and sweet dry fruit lassi which I loved the most. Must try the raisin chocolate.
Beautiful & peaceful environment with lots playing activities, farms and most important the joyful tractor ride with drums backside.

3) Shamsundar Misal –

shamsundar misal nashik

Famous Misal located in Nashik in Satpur, the MIDC with a large sitting area. The Misal is delicious, with perfectly balanced spices, chilies, and oil. It’s not very hot and oily. The Pav is served fresh and worked well with Misal to mop up the Tari (gravy) Rassa and Tari are served separately so that you can configure the right portion of spices. The ultimate result is like a tasty firecracker in your mouth.

4) Nikhara Misal Nashik –

Nikhara Misal

Nikhara Misal in Samarth Nagar,  Nashik is a top player in the category Misal Pav Centres in Nashik. The misal is well served in mud pot with smoky coal flavor which gives misal an amazing smoky and authentic taste of Nikhara Misal and Mastani.
Although with misal they also serve fries and jalebi as in dessert and sweet curd.

5) Peruchi wadi

                  peruchi vadi misal    

Newly opened Peruchi Wadi [ चुलीवरची मिसळ ] Nashik, Nashik city in the state of Maharashtra is a famous destination for Misal Pav. The misal tastes really great. This restaurant is worth visiting because it is right in the middle of a guava farm/field.
It’s the perfect combination of nature and food, and the best part is that rabbits can be found roaming around the tables. There is also a play area for children. Also, try its unique guava ice cream which is very good.

6) Tushar Misal –

tushar-foodhub-college-road-nashik-

Hotel Tushar Missal is serving the Nashikkars for the Past 51 years with authentic Maharashtrian Missal Pav. The taste is nice, a little on the spicy side its best for people who love to eat spicy food, but you can leave satisfied. Service is good on weekdays. I also tried another delicious item from their menu i.e. batata wada, rassa, and sev which is eaten with pav.

7) Aamchi maati aamchi mansa (आमची माती आमची माणसं) – Amazing village theme park in Deolali. This is a kind of picnic spot with some kids activities, horse ride, bullock cart ride. They also have made small huts to depict the village theme of life. They have a restaurant which serves delicious food. We had Misal Pav here which was amazing.

8) Hotel Vihar Misal – Hotel Vihar is one of the city’s most famous breakfast spots. In the early hours, it is mostly visited by young people, as well as college and office staff. Families, on the other hand, tend to come on weekends. The misal tastes flawless, the rassa and tarri, served unlimited is a crowd-pulling technique adopted here. Instead of just misal, you can try the Udupi Snacks. It’s really tasty south Indian stuff. Must try the Rava Dosa and the Onion Uttapam.

9) Barbeque Misal –

Barbeque Misal_nashik                     

Barbeque Misal is the Best Place for All Misal Lovers In Nashik City, quality food, and quick service and they are also taking care of all the hygiene protocols.
Talking about misal they serve four types of rassa (Tari) i.e. Nashik Rassa, Pune Rassa, Kolhapuri Rassa, and Green Rassa. The Speciality about bbq Misal is unlimited just for Rs.99/-. I personally liked Nashik and Kolhapur Rassa. They serve unlimited misal including unlimited pav.
The rassa quality is improved. The good thing is that they also have the pocket cafe Tea Bar where we can get various snacks & breakfast items.

10) Anna Misal – If you like spicy, then you must visit this place. Misal offered over this place is very spicy and it tastes great. If you visit, then you must try this misal with tarri. The missal is still best same as from its earlier days. The taste is just great and spicy.

 

Ramshej Fort, amazing historical place to visit in Nashik

Every weekend, I would often just pack my bags and head to a nearby mountain to hike in Sahyadris. This time the visit was to a small fort in Northwest of Nashik city called Ramshej fort. The fort is about 3273 ft on Nashik – Peth road. The base village is Ashewadi.

This time on the weekend I decided to visit Ramshej fort along with 3 friends. we had planned an early morning trek to the place starting on Saturday morning at 6 am by car from Nashik Road. The fort comes in easy grade and not much effort is required to climb it but on reading the history of the fort, It was quite interesting so I was sure the visit would be equally worthwhile. So I was all backpacked on Saturday morning, on my way with my travel buddies to explore and adventure yet another place that had played an important part in our history.

 

Nashik_mountains_ramshej

At the base village of Aashewadi, the Ramshej Fort trek begins. The trail begins with a concrete path, followed towards the end by stone stairs and a steep rocky path. Enjoy the breathtaking views of the lush green area below and the blue sky above while ascending. It takes about an hour for the top of the fort to be reached.

We have finally started our trek to Ramshej. When we began trekking, it was almost 7:00 AM. While trekking, clicking pictures & videos, listening to good music, chitchatting, watching the stunning landscape as we went up and up, we had a lot of fun. Beautiful views of the lakes, dams, temples, trees, and villages around the fort were visible. We shot all the lovely views as we could with our cameras and eyes.

In a large cave near the entrance of the fort, a temple dedicated to Lord Ram is situated. Rest for a little while and immerse yourself in the quiet environment. Potable water is contained in a cistern situated near the temple. Broken steps lead to the top of the fort near the cave temple.

sunrise_ramshej fort

A vast plateau with very little fortification is at the top of Ramshej Fort. You’ll come across a few more temples here, some water cisterns, the old building remains, rock-cut caves, and some ancient ruins. Enjoy the wonderful bird’s-eye views of the picturesque locale surrounding the fort when you are at the top.

The history behind Ramshej Fort

History has it that the fort was besieged by the army of Aurangzeb, and the Maratha kingdom was threatened by his commanders saying that they would conquer the fort in hours, but Sambhaji, the son of Shivaji Maharaj, defied these attacks for 7 years. Thus, the Fort remained with the Marathas for a longer time than the fighting lives of some of the army commanders of Aurangazeb who believed that the fort would be taken down in hours.

Best of the Ramshej Fort Trek

  • The breeze touching your face is stunning, as is the view from the top of Ramshej Fort.
  • For beginner hikers to explore on the weekend, Ramshej Trek is the best fort.
  • Enthusiasts of nature will be delighted to see green farms surrounding the Fort of Ramshej.
  • On the way to the apex, one can find some tamarind trees as well.
  • Exploring Ramshej fort, which goes back to the 17th century, can fascinate history buffs.
  • This holy fort is also known as the location where Lord Rama lived during his exile for a while.
  • One can notice the mountain ranges of Trimbak and Satmala from the top of the Fort.

Best time to visit Ramshej Fort Nashik

 

panorama_ramshej_fort

The best time to visit the Ramshej Fort Trek is at the monsoons’ beginning. The rainy season helps because when it rains, the hillside suddenly bursts into greenery, and during those short dry spells in the monsoons, the soil is firm enough to climb.

How to get there

•One can reach Nashik from Mumbai and Pune.

•Then board an S.T from Nashik’s CBS bus station to Peth and alight at the Aashewadi Phata.

•A walk of some minutes takes us to Aashewadi village, where we can see the Fort.

•The route to Fort goes from the village’s backside by keeping Fort on the left side.

•One can also travel by private vehicle to the base village Ashewadi.