Temples of Nashik - Kalaram, Goraram and Panchvati

Arti January 09, 2011
Shri Kalaram Temple

Situated in the Panchvati area of Nashik near the banks of Godavari River, the Kalaram temple is dedicated to Lord Ram and is among one of the largest, prominent and the most captivating temples in the city. Spread in a sprawling campus, the most amazing feature of the temple is that it is totally black.

Entrance to the Kalaram Temple in Nashik
[ Entrance to the Kalaram Temple in Nashik ]

Magnificient Kalaram Temple made from black stones in Nashik
Wonderfully carved Kalaram Temple dedicated to Lord Ram in Nashik
[ Magnificient Kalaram Temple made from black stones ]

Beautifully carved Kalaram Temple in Nashik

One of the gates to the temple
[ Beautifully carved Kalaram Temple in Nashik ]

Built in 1790 by Sardar Odhekar of Peshwa, the entire temple is constructed in black stones which were especially brought from the Ramshej Mountains. It took 12 years, 23 lakhs of rupees and 2000 workers to build this beautiful temple. The only hint of any other color is provided by the gleaming spire of the temple which is capped with 32 tonnes of gold. The main sanctum houses black stoned idols of Lord Rama, His wife Sita and His brother Laxman. Since the image of the Lord is in black color, the temple has come to be known as ‘Kala Ram’ meaning ‘black Ram’.

Right across the sanctum is the idol of Lord Hanuman which is similarly black in color and enshrined in such a way that He faces His beloved Master, Lord Rama.

The porch of the temple is decorated with pillars and arches. Idols of Lord Vithala and Lord Ganesha can be spotted in the surrounding courtyard.

Kalaram Temple - Nashik, Panchvati
The large Kalaram Temple courtyard - Nashik
[ The large Kalaram Temple courtyard ]

Lord Ganesha idol in the courtyard of the Kalaram temple - Nashik
[ Lord Ganesha idol in the courtyard ]

The festivals of Ram Navami, Dusshera and Gudi Padwa are celebrated here.

Goraram Temple

This temple is situated in the Kalaram temple lane. Unlike Kalaram, Goraram is a much smaller temple and has idols of Lord Ram, Laxman and Sita in fair hue; which is how the temple gets its name.

The Goreram Temple in Panchvati - Nashik
[ The Goraram Temple in Panchvati ]

Idols of Lord Ram, Laxman and Sita in the Goreram Temple in Nashik
[ Idols of Lord Ram, Laxman and Sita in the Goraram Temple ]

Sita Gumpha

Adjoining the Goraram temple is the Sita Gumpha. The cave is approximately 4 ft in height and is believed to be the place from where Ravana had abducted Sita during the 14 year exile. The cave complex has figures depicting the account of the incident.

The entrance to the Sita Gupha in Panchvati - Nashik
[ The entrance to the Sita Gumpha in Panchvati ]

The entrance to the Sitaharan and Marichivadh cave in Nashik
[ The entrance to the Sitaharan and Marichivadh cave ]

Outside the cave is a large grove of 5 very old Banyan trees, after which the area is named, Panchvati.

One of the five vat trees after which the area is called Panchvati - Nashik
[ One of the five vat trees after which the area is called Panchvati ]

The place has an uncanny similarity to KabirVad in Gujarat  which is also named after a Banyan tree.
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Arti

Posted by Arti

Hi there! I am Arti - constantly on the road, both figuratively and literally, unwrapping my unique gift called life. My blog, which focuses on spiritual journeys, is all about my love of sharing, exploring and learning; a continuous journey where I strive to seek the truth, discover myself, the world, my place therein and experience the real treasures of life along the way. I hope to help those planning to make a trip to these places or simply provide a virtual tour to the rest. If you have any queries, do leave a comment, I will be pleased to help! You can also contact me at - 22arti@gmail.com

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39 Comments

  1. SridharanJanuary 9, 2011 at 6:29 PM

    Superb Post..Arti. When was the Kalaram temple built?. I did not visit this temple when I visited Nasik about 10 years or so back.Wondering if this has been built recently.

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  2. TeamgsquareJanuary 9, 2011 at 6:35 PM

    Amazing photos , nice info . Must visit these places some time .

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  3. KarthickJanuary 9, 2011 at 10:10 PM

    kalaram temple looks just awesome... 32 tonnes of gold... unbeleivable... one of the most wonderful temples, i guess... photos are also good and they give me an idea of the whole temple!!!

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  4. Art with LizJanuary 9, 2011 at 10:42 PM

    I always find your posts so interesting - so many different beliefs and cultures make such an interesting world.

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  5. Ginny HartzlerJanuary 10, 2011 at 1:45 AM

    What a huge difference in the temples! The black stone, it does look black in that one picture, not in the others. Maybe the lighting was darker in the one picture. It actually looks a different color in almost every picture, interesting, maybe it is the way the black takes on the light.

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  6. María Pilar Bernal MayaJanuary 10, 2011 at 5:07 AM

    such a beautiful post and blog. Thanks for visiting my blog.
    kss from Spain
    ;-)

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  7. chitraJanuary 10, 2011 at 8:51 AM

    Very interesting temples of Kala and Gora ram. Is there proper lighting inside that cave?
    The courtyard and the black stoned temple is magnificent.

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  8. SatyaJanuary 10, 2011 at 9:21 AM

    pachavati is my favorite ... loved crawling into the cave : )..kalaram mandir also was very captivating...

    Satya
    http://www.superyummyrecipes.com

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  9. magiceyeJanuary 10, 2011 at 10:07 AM

    that was an amazing post! was not aware of the kalaram and goraram temples!

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  10. AnonymousJanuary 10, 2011 at 7:40 PM

    Magnificent! Totally evocative.
    Thanks for this great post.

    All the best, Boonie

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  11. ArtiJanuary 10, 2011 at 9:12 PM

    @ Sridharan
    As mentioned in the post, the temple was built in 1790 :)

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  12. ArtiJanuary 10, 2011 at 9:15 PM

    @Ginny
    Yes, the colors indeed look different in each of the photo, i noticed it just now after you pointed it out, Great observation! The temple is black, might be the lighting effect...

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  13. ArtiJanuary 10, 2011 at 9:18 PM

    @Chitra
    It is almost dark inside the cave. Just a hint of artificial light. Have you been there?

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  14. ArtiJanuary 10, 2011 at 9:21 PM

    @Satya
    Me too :)

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  15. RachanaJanuary 10, 2011 at 10:13 PM

    Such an amazing post. I didn't know about kalaram and goraram temples.

    Thanks for the great post.

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  16. Maude LynnJanuary 11, 2011 at 3:26 AM

    Amazing pictures!

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  17. chitraJanuary 11, 2011 at 8:30 AM

    I have not visted it Arti, I have visited only Pandarpur, Alandi and some Mumbai temples in Maharashtra.

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  18. radhaJanuary 11, 2011 at 2:04 PM

    The Kalaram temple is beautiful.

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  19. SridharanJanuary 11, 2011 at 7:27 PM

    Wow..1790..! Sorry I missed it in the post.. I was kind of in a hurried trip when I last visited Nasik.. Should make it a point to visit this next time I visit Shirdi/Nasik.

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  20. Ushnish GhoshJanuary 11, 2011 at 8:18 PM

    Dear Arti
    How are you? I am just back from my Calcutta trip and read all your postings in one breathe. I am book marking the summary , so that I can read all the postings at will.
    I have gone to Nasik many times ( like going in the morning and back in evening ), never knew there were so many things to see.
    Enjoyed reading every line.
    Have a nice week

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  21. TrotterJanuary 12, 2011 at 5:09 AM

    Hi Arti! Magnificent temple, wonderful pictures, fantastic post!!!

    Thanks for your visit and first time comment at Blogtrotter Two! Look forward to reading you there more often!! For the time being the Temple of Philae is waiting for you... Enjoy!

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  22. Felicity Grace TerryJanuary 12, 2011 at 5:31 PM

    I've never before seen anything quite like this - those black stones could make the building so dark and oppresive and yet they don't. The only time we see buildings looking anything like this colour it is down to polution.

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  23. Sushma MallyaJanuary 12, 2011 at 9:32 PM

    Beautiful temples...

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  24. AnonymousJanuary 12, 2011 at 11:03 PM

    Wonderful shots. That black temple is amazing!

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  25. JoytiJanuary 13, 2011 at 4:46 PM

    How beautiful. What a great way to begin the year, to visit those ancient and holy sites...

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  26. AbhishekJanuary 13, 2011 at 5:54 PM

    Incredible Temple The Kalaram.
    Temples assigned to Lord Ram are very less in India.
    Good to see a Temple with splendid arhitechture.

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  27. MartinaJanuary 13, 2011 at 8:12 PM

    So beautiful, this Karalam temple - and it looks huge! To think of how much effort it takes, to make such a building ... Have a lovely day Arti!

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  28. PriyaJanuary 29, 2011 at 5:55 PM

    Hi Arti,
    I visited these places in October last year.
    Nice post n nice photography.

    As per suggestion, I requested for a review of my blog. Can I request you to visit my blog and comment if u like them....

    http://www.thefadedpetals.blogspot.com
    http://www.priyaamishra.blogspot.com

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  29. Geeta SinghApril 18, 2011 at 12:40 PM

    Amazing clicks :) Jai shri Ram

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  30. Rama Mohan AApril 19, 2011 at 7:08 AM

    Thanks for sharing this. I love travel to holy places. But I am very poor in practical.

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  31. AnonymousApril 19, 2011 at 4:58 PM

    I visited these temples when I was about 6. I don't remember Kala Ram and Gore Ram, but I do remember Sita's gupha. Thank you for bringing back the memories, Arti. Yes, I do have them even after all these years, but they are of the inside of the cave, where you descend some steps to enter the place. Is that so, or is my memory tricking me?

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  32. DefiantApril 19, 2011 at 7:46 PM

    Wow.. amazing foto's !! nd thnx for d info arti :)

    Day by day.. ur becoming a photographer rather dan a traveller :D :P lol.. :P

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  33. DeguideApril 20, 2011 at 8:17 AM

    Gr8 exposure and description of Kalaram and Goraram temples in Nasik. Even though i visited Nasik, i did not concentrate on its architecture and history, and i am talking about 95 to 98 times. thanks for bringing out the history Arti

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  34. RajeshApril 20, 2011 at 10:40 AM

    Beautiful shots of the temples. I has been to this city as a kid. This definitely needs another visit.

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  35. The MentorApril 21, 2011 at 6:41 AM

    Woderful post. Eye Catching and very good reading. Want to visit this temple.

    I have posted about some temples.
    Temples of India

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  36. Mohini PuranikApril 21, 2011 at 5:59 PM

    Hi Arti! Thanks dear! The pics so wonderful, I live near to Nashik but don't know when I have visited all these temples, may be in childhood. I didn't know all this history too. Whenever I visit your blog I feel I am on the pilgrimage, It's great, coz we it's hard to visit all these places. :)

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  37. hemantDecember 22, 2013 at 8:04 PM

    thank u for posting such a wonderful account of ur journey.

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  38. AnonymousDecember 14, 2014 at 3:20 PM

    Its one of good place for peace of mind .

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  39. AnkushJune 28, 2016 at 1:37 PM

    Lovely travel you do and lovely experience you had.

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