Ramkund

Ramkund is a sacred bathing ghat located on the banks of the Godavari River in the Panchavati area of Nashik, Maharashtra. Built in 1696 AD and later restored by Gopikabai Peshwa, it is believed to be the spot where Lord Rama bathed during his exile. The site serves as a primary venue for the Kumbh Mela held every twelve years and is considered the holiest spot in Nashik for ritual bathing and ash immersion.

Visitors can expect a deeply spiritual atmosphere with devotees performing holy dips, daily rituals, and evening aarti ceremonies on the stone steps leading to the Godavari River. The rectangular tank features ancient architecture and is surrounded by temples and ghats within the Panchavati precinct. Visitors may witness priests conducting pind daan ceremonies and observe the immersion of ashes, particularly during auspicious periods or festivals like Ram Navami and Maha Shivaratri.

Ramkund was built in 1696 AD by Chitrarao Khatarkar, a landholder from Satara, and was later restored by Gopikabai, mother of the fourth Peshwa Madhavrao. According to Hindu tradition, this is the spot where Lord Rama bathed during his 14-year exile and performed funeral rites for his father Dasharatha. The site has been a center of pilgrimage for over 500 years and hosts the Kumbh Mela every twelve years.

Ramkund is considered the holiest spot in Nashik and is known as Asthivilaya Tirtha (Bone Immersion Tank) because Hindus believe immersing ashes here grants salvation to departed souls. Notable figures including Mahatma Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru, Indira Gandhi, Rajiv Gandhi, and Dr. Rajendra Prasad had their ashes scattered here. It serves as the main bathing ghat during the Nashik Kumbh Mela and is central to Hindu death rites and ancestral worship.