Nashik

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Nashik (nä´shĬk) or Nasik (nä´sĬk), town (1991 pop. 725,341), Maharashtra state, W central India. It is a center of textile manufacturing and sugar- and oil-processing. The ancient town of Panchavati, it is holy as the site of the Ramayana exile of the Hindu god Rama and Sita, his wife. Thousands of pilgrims visit the town annually. Nashik is a district administrative headquarters. The Indian Currency Note Press and Military and Police Training College are there. Nearby are ancient Jain and Buddhist caves.