Just Walking Around

Nasik –The City of Legends

With winter setting in Mumbai and our eating habits changing with the advent of fresh vegetables and fresh fruits . All one needs to do is walk into the local market and enjoy the visual delight of green , fresh vegetable and abundance of vibrant colored fruits. This is the time when you can pick up those green juicy grapes of the big succulent black grapes from your fruit seller and devour them just like that or put them in a custard and have it as a dessert just after your dinner. But did you know where these juicy grapes come from, its Nashik.

During the early part of last year I had the good fortune to stay in this City steeped in Legends and now developing into a City of the future. The city was honored with 'India's most promising city' award by the First Smart Cities Council . Nashik was among the 20 cities in the country which were nominated for the award instituted by the First Smart Cities Council.

We were there over one weekend in February when the climate was very pleasant with cold winds blowing in the evenings. We decided to visit Sai Sansthan at Shirdi to take the blessing of Sai Baba. The fakir who gave us the moto “Sabka Malik Ek” . He is revered by all , rich –poor , big-small , Hindu-Muslim-Sikh-Christians , one and all. The main temple complex has been renovated over the years and now looks pristine in its pure white avatar. In this complex is installed the marble statute of Shri Sai Baba seated on a golden throne and flanked by the trusts priests . On special occasions like Ram Navmi there is a huge gathering from across India. Many mandals sponsor palkhi’s which are accompanied by devotees who walk along from their respective places to Shrdi , sometimes the walk take nearly 7 days. All the effort and exhaustion gets vanished into thin air once their eyes get locked on the serene moorti. Baba’s gaze and his blessing are always with his devotees. The temple  complex itself has been converted into a world class establishment with wide LED screens at regular intervals and specified places like Dwarka Mai  and Baba ki chawdi .The surrounding area is a buzz with whole lot of small business activities , from local flower vendors to the sweet meat shops selling Dharvadi pedh and brown raisins to the toy shops selling Chinese toys for children to the shops selling photos , pendants and decorative items. Though you could say that Shirdi has become more a commercial town than a temple town of yore, on the flip side it is giving a chance to all the locals who want to earn a decent livelihood . It was a great experience visiting this special place , going back to Nasik we had fond memories in our mind and were taking back the goodwill along with us.

The next day we decided to explore the Nashik town and were ably shown around by our local driver Vishal . He was one of those fellows who knows every nook and corner of his town as if the back of his hand. We went to Panchavati has significant religious attributes for Hindus with a temple complex on the bend of the Godavari river, which includes Kalaram Temple It is a pilgrimage site,with the Kumbha Mela, the largest peaceful gathering in the world – involving over 10 crore people in 2013, taking place here once every 12 years in rotation with Haridwar, Allahabad, and Ujjain.

Panchavati was the name of a section in the huge forest of  Dandakaranya where Rama with the help of his brother Lakshmana built a nice hut they could call a home in what would eventually become the crucial part of their exile in the wilderness. Panchavati literally means "a garden of five banyan trees". These trees are said to have been there during the exile of Lord Rama. There is a place called Tapovan where Lakshmana, the brother of Rama, cut off the nose of Surpanakha, the sister of Ravana, when she attempted to kill Sita. On the hillock near by are installed statues of Rama , Lakshmana and Sita , looking at them one feels their energy permeating the entire holy site.

Close by is the Ram Kund. Ramkund is a holy place for Hindus. Devotees believe that a dip in this tank will fulfil their wishes. According to the epic Ramayana, Lord Rama used to bathe in this tank during his stay in Nashik. Another place of historical importance is the Sita Gufa , said to be the spot from where Sita was kidnapped by Ravana.A narrow staircase leads to the caves. The caves house idols of Lord Ram, Sita and Lakshman as well as a Shivling, said to be the one Sita worshipped. Just opposite is an establishment housing the re-enactment of Sita Apharan by Ravana and the epic fight with Jatayu in the form of a small light and sound show. A great attraction with the tourist visiting this place.

Just outside you can have the local puffed wheat which look like popcorn and tastes awesome. Or if you are a little famished try the hot wada pav sprinkled with spicy Garlic chutney. And wash it down with a tall glass of freshly crushed Sugar cane juice. The cane crushing machine is not motorized but manually operated by the person running this roadside stall. Enjoy the sweet nectar like juice on a sunny morning.

Having seen all this it was as of having travelled through time and experienced the legendary tales which were sounded out to us from generation to generation .

Next  we headed to India’s most famous Vineyard – The Sula Vineyard. They were the valley's first commercial vineyards.The Sula Sauvignon Blanc and Riesling have won countless Indian awards. The vineyards also house a resort to live in the winery and a tasting room in which people can taste different samples and varieties of wines produced at the winery. Sula Vineyards spread over 160 acres of area in Nashik. Wine tasting is the best part of the visit. They let you taste different varieties of wine. The fee for this is included in your entry fee. If you want to spend your holiday experiencing something exotic , do visit the place . Don't miss Sulafest which is full of music , wine , food, fashion which is of course everyone's favorite. Sulafest is held every year at Sula vineyards in the month February. People come in huge numbers from different places and enjoy this event.

On the day of returning back to Mumbai , it was a Sunday and we had time to kill till evening as the train time was around 5pm. So instead of snoozing in the hotel bed , we decided to explore some more of Nasik. A close family friend had recommended we visit Hotel Sanskruti on the outskirts of Nashik. We hired a local rickshaw and went there and were really overjoyed at the site. The hotel has constructed a real village “ Apla Gaon” on its precinct, with mud huts showcasing a simple village life , a well , a tiled roof , a house with an Aangan coated with cow dung. Mannequins of men sitting on cane chairs and women cooking food on the wood fired chulah. Then there are life like figures of Bara Balutedars or the 12 craftmen which every village had. The Lohar ( black smith ), the Carperter , the Cobbler , the Mason , the farmer, the fisherman etc. In between the tour you could get an Astrologer to tell you your future or enjoy a small Magic Show or go for a Horse ride or even a breath taking and a little wobbly Camel ride. Later you could eat at the traditional pangat . A typical Maharashtrian thali with goodies like Shrikhand puri , Puran poli , Alu wadi as appetizer with yummy gree chutney. 2- 3 traditional but tasty subji like Bharleli Wangi (stuffed Brinjal) , Dalimbya Usal or Channa Usal and followed by piping hot steamed rice and waran (yellow dal) topped up with pure ghee. You are sure to lick your fingers and give a welcome burp once you are done. Still the lunch is not complete till you have tall glass of cool Sol Kadi or Chaas (butter milk) to digest the heavy food that you just ate.

Come out and lounge on the khaat or traditional choir string char-pai layered with soft cotton gaddi or on the cane chairs kept outside. You are sure to feel sleepy , but then we had a train to catch.

Hopping on to that train to Mumbai and leaving behind a trail of memories .A great time spent together on small but memorable mini vacation.