Nashik is a city in northwestern Maharashtra, India. It covers 264 sq km (102 sq mi) and has a population of 1.48 million people (2012 estimate), making it the fourth largest city in Maharashtra behind Mumbai, Pune and Nagpur.
Nashik is situated on the banks of the Godavari river in the Western Ghats. It is one of the four sites (besides Allahabad, Haridwar and Ujjain) where the Kumbh Mela Hindu pilgrimage takes place, making it a holy city in Hinduism.
According to Hinduism, Nashik was the home to Lord Rama, the King of Ayodhya, during his fourteen years of exile. Some of the geographic locations in Nashik correspond to those mentioned in the Hindu epic of Ramayana, among them the Sita Gumpha Caves, where Rama's consort Sita was abducted by the demon Ravana.