NASIK  , a

town and district of British India, in the central division of Bombay . The town is on the Godavari river, connected by a tramway (5 m.) with Nasik Road railway station, 107 M . N.E. of Bombay . Pop . (1901) 21,490 . It is a very holy place of Hindu pilgrimage, being 30 M. from the source of the Godavari . Shrines and temples line the river banks, and some stand even in the river . In the vicinity there are a number of sacred caves, among which those of Pandu Lena are the most noteworthy . They are ancient Buddhist caves dating from the 3rd century before Christ to the 6th century after . There are numerous inscriptions of the highest historical value . Nasik has manufactures of cotton goods, brass-ware and mineral waters . The DISTRICT of NASIK has an area of 5850 sq. m .

With the exception of a few villages in the

west, the whole district is situated on a tableland from 1300 to 2000 ft. above sea-level . The western portion is hilly, and intersected by ravines, and only the simplest kind of cultivation is possible . The eastern tract is open, fertile and well cultivated . The Sahyadri range stretches from north to south; the watershed is formed by the Chander range, which runs east and west . All the streams to the south of that range are tributaries of the Godavari . To the north of the watershed, the Girna and its tributary the Mosam flow through fertile valleys into the Tapti . The district generally is destitute of trees, and the forests which formerly clothed the Sahyadri hills have nearly disappeared; efforts are now being made to prevent further destruction, and to reclothe some of the slopes . The district contains several old hill forts, the scenes of many engagements during the Mahratta wars . Nasik district became British territory in 1818 on the overthrow of the peshwa . The population in 1901 was 816,504, showing a decrease of 3 % in the decade . The principal crops are millet, wheat, pulse, oil-seeds, cotton and sugar cane . There are also some vineyards of old date, and much garden cultivation .

Yeola is an important centre for weaving silk and cotton goods . There are flour-mills at Malegaon, railway workshops at Igatpuri, and cantonments at Deolali and Malegaon . At Sharanpur is a Christian village, with an orphanage of the C.M.S., founded in 1854 . The district is crossed by the main line and also by the chord line of the Great Indian Peninsula railway .