Category Archives: Tourist places

Jaiba Palace Jawhar Nashik Tourism

Jai Vilas Palace Jawhar

The Jai Vilas palace or the Raj Bari was built by Raje Mr.Yashwant Rao Mukane in near by 1940. The name Jai Vilas is derived from the one of the raje of Jawhar Mr. Jaiba Maharaj Mukane. The stone used for this is syenite which was brought from sakhara which is 12km away from its location.It is said that when the work of palace was completed, the quarry from which the stone was extracted was broken down and now the Geological Department of Government of India has taken up to locate the quarry .The palace is a master piece of pink stone.There is a beautiful garden with a dense forest like foliage, having trees of cashewnut everywhere.

Jawhar is a hill station located at an altitude of 518m. It is about 80 km from Nashik and 145 km away from Mumbai. Situated in newly formed Palghar district, Jawhar is known for its picturesque setting and a vibrant cultural heritage. It is also known as the ‘Mahabaleshwar’ of Thane district but now in Palghar district. It is one of the very few tribal regions of Maharashtra and is famous for its vibrant Warli paintings that are a characteristic landmark of this place.

Inside the palace, the hall has some lovely portraits of the Mukane clan. Upstairs is the children’s nursery, drawing room, some intricate antique furniture items, the royal bedroom, the obligatory stuffed tigers, loos the size of bedrooms and a huge lobby. The guest section is locked but the guide informs us that every now and then important guests come and stay here. For instance, Akshay Kumar and his team camped here for 10 days during the shooting of Khiladi. The palace is a popular location for film shoots. The palace has close to 50 rooms; the terrace affords a great view of Jawhar.

Jai Vilas Palace jawhar

Jai Vilas Palace jawhar

Jai Vilas Palace jawhar

Jai Vilas Palace jawhar

Jai Vilas Palace jawhar

Jai Vilas Palace jawhar

Jai Vilas Palace jawhar

Jai Vilas Palace jawhar

Patta-Fort-Trek-Vishramgad-Pattewadi

Vishramgad – Patta Fort

Patta Fort, or Patta Killa, also known as Vishramgad, is a fort situated between Nasik and Ahmadnagar in Maharashtra. Shivaji Maharaj once visited and rested there. The residents of Patta Killa are known as Pattekar, meaning “residents of Fort Patta”. The height of Patta Fort from sea level is approximately 1,392 Meters (4,566 feet).

This fort was in the Bahamani empire. In 1490 when the Bahamani Empire was torn into pieces, this fort was captured by Nizam of Ahmednagar. In 1627 this fort was won by Moghuls. In 1671 Moropant Pingale captured this fort but, it was again recaptured by Moghuls in 1672. In 1675 this fort was captured again by Moropant Pingale. Patta used to be at the border of the Swarajya. Shivaji Maharaj arrived at this fort in November 1679 after winning Jalnapur, the Mughal army trapped him from three sides. It was because of the skill of Bahirji Naik, head of the detective department that Maharaj, that he was able to reach Patta safely. On 11 January 1688, this fort was captured by Moghul army headed by Matabarkhan. He appointed Govindsingh of Bhagur as the chief of the fort. This fort was captured by Peshwas. In 1818 this fort was won by the British.

This fort is very easy to climb. There is a Rajwada near the site of the fort, but has fallen into disarray and ruin as a result of a lack of care. The Pattai Devi Mandir is constructed by villagers on the fort. The Trymbak Darwaja is also in good condition. Patta Fort also has a shrine of Shri Laxmangiri Maharaj in the caves near the village of Pattawadi. On the day of full moon (Poornima), the disciples of Laxmangiri Maharaj gather at these caves. The ‘Ambarkhana’ is a big hall newly reconstructed. It can accommodate about 200 visitors for night stay. There is a rock cut cistern near Ambarkhana. The forest department with the help of villages has developed the pathways, steps and gazebo on the fort. There are many windmills on the way to Pattewadi constructed by Enercon.

Shree Someshwar Temple, Gangapur, Nashik

Shree Someshwar Temple, Gangapur

Someshwar is On the way to Gangapur dam, tourists are fascinated by the beautiful nature spot called “Someshwar”. There is a temple of Lord Shiva and Lord Hanuman on the banks of the river Godavari. The area is covered with greenery all over, with a pleasant climate. Tourists can take pleasure of swimming and boating in the river.Someshwar has been a favourite location for many a filmshootings. On the way to Someshwar, there is a village named Anandwalli. It is so named because Peshwas – Anandibai and Raghobadada, lived there for some time. The temple – Navasha Ganpati was built by them.

Shree KalaRam Mandir, Nashik

Shree KalaRam Mandir

Kalaram mandir Another important temple is that of Kala Ram. This temple was built by Peshwas. There are great processions and utsav on Ramnavami, Dasara and Chaitra Padwa (Hindu new year day). The specialty of the temple is that it was built with black stones.The stones were brought from Ramshej 200 years ago. It took 23 lakhs of rupees and 2000 workers to build the temple in 12 years. The apex of the temple is made up of 32 tons of gold. In 1930, Dr. Ambedkar performed Satyagraha, to allow the entry of Harijans into the temple.

Ramkund, Nashik

Ramkund

The most important place in Panchavati is Ramkund. It is so called because Lord Rama is believed to have taken bath there. Mortal remains (Asthi) immersed in this kunda, are immediately absorbed in the water. A dip in this sacred kunda is considered very pious. Situated nearby is Gandhi Lake (Talav) having a memorable monument made out of white marble, in memory of the Father of the Nation. The ashes were dropped in Ramkund after Gandhiji passed away on 30th January 1948. Mr. Nehru was also present on this occasion.

Naroshankar Temple, Nashik

Naroshankar Temple

Situated in Panchavati area, on the bank of river Godavari – fondly called as anga by Nasikites – isNaroshankar Temple of Rameshwar built by Naroshankar Rajebahaddur in 1747. The architectural style of the temple is called “Maya” style. It is one of the most beautiful pieces of temple architecture of the 18th century. The main temple is on a platform. Rather than inside of the temple, sculpture on the outer part is stunning. It has rows of striking designs. One layer is of decorative lacework. The next one is that of peacocks holding bead garlends. In four directions are statues of the saints in Padmasana – one holding rosary, the other one a holy book – they are all scholars. Some of the statues are deformed – their hands are broken. There is also an assembly of animals – tigers, monkeys,elephants etc. This depicts that Hindu culture is not limited only to human beings but also has relation with birds, animals, trees, and nature in general.

Sundarnarayan Temple, Nashik

Sundarnarayan Temple

Sundarnarayan temple is situated at the corner of Ahillyabai Holkar Bridge. The story goes like this : Vrinda Devi was a very pious and faithful wife of Jalandar – a wicked demon. Jalandar, a mighty crook, was the devotee of Lord Shiva. Pleased with his prayers and impressed by Jalandar’s wife’s chastity, Lord Shiva gave him a boon that made him immortal. With this boon, Jalandar became vicious and started creating havoc on earth. He not only troubled human beings, but also disturbed the Gods. He even ventured to pick up a quarrel with Lord Shiva himself. It became necessary to eliminate him which was contrary to the boon given by Lord Shiva. The only way out was to suspect Vrinda Devi’s chastity. For this task Lord Vishnu duplicated himself to look like Jalandar and lived with Vrinda Devi. Thus her chastity was suspected and the boon given to Jalandar was withdrawn and he was destroyed. When Vrinda Devi came to know of the trick played by Lord Vishnu, she got furious and cursed Lord Vishnu. His attractive body turned black due to the curse. Lord Vishnu took a holy bath in the river Godavari and regained his complexion. Since he became beautiful again, – the Lord is named as Sundarnarayana. Sundar in Marathi means beautiful.

Sita Gumpha, Nashik

Sita Gumpha

The Gumpha (i.e. Cave) is near the five Banyan trees in Panchavati. One can enter the cave with the help of a very narrow staircase. The cave has the idol of Shree Ram, Laxman and Sita. To
the left, one can enter into the cave having the Shiva Linga. Devotees believe that Ravan kidnapped Sita from the same place.

Panchavati, Nashik

Panchavati

River Godavari flows through Nashik and its Northern part is called as Panchavati. It is said that lord Shri Ram and Sita along with Laxman stayed at Panchavati for some time. Thus Panchavati has gained holy importance. There are five Banyan (Vad) trees and hence the area is called Panchavati.Nearby is Sita Gumpha (cave) where Sita is said to have stayed for some time.