Gangadwar Shrine

Halfway up the forested flank of Brahmagiri, the hill that towers over Trimbak west of Nashik, a flight of stone steps climbs to Gangadwar — literally "the gate of the Ganga." Here, by long tradition, the Godavari is believed to first show herself, seeping and dripping from a fissure in the rock into a small stone tank before continuing her long journey across the Deccan to the Bay of Bengal.

• Pilgrims revere the Godavari as the Gautami Ganga, and Gangadwar is one of the most atmospheric points on the sacred landscape that surrounds the Trimbakeshwar Jyotirlinga in the valley below.
• The shrine is set within a rock overhang, sheltering a modest sanctum where the river-goddess Godavari is honoured; a small Ganga-devi image and lamps mark the spot where the water is said to emerge.
• Reaching it means a steady climb of several hundred stone steps from the base near Trimbak town — a walk of roughly half an hour to an hour depending on your pace, shaded in parts and rewarded by widening views over the temple town, the Kushavarta tank, and the ridgelines of the Western Ghats.
• For the truly devout, Gangadwar is a staging point on the longer, steeper ascent to the summit of Brahmagiri, regarded as the true source of the river.
• Come early in the morning for cool air and soft light, or in the weeks after the monsoon when the hillside is green and the trickle at the shrine runs strongest.
• The climb is a genuine effort, so unhurried footwear and water help; the mood at the top is quiet and contemplative rather than crowded, except during the Simhastha Kumbh years when the whole valley fills with pilgrims.
• Photographers love the framing of the sanctum against the rock and the panorama on the descent.
• For food, plan to eat down in Trimbak, as there are no reliable options on the hill itself.
• The lanes around the Trimbakeshwar temple are lined with simple pure-vegetarian bhojanalayas serving unlimited Maharashtrian thalis, and roadside stalls turn out sabudana khichdi, poha, hot bhajis and cutting chai — sattvic, temple-town fare ideal after the climb.
• Many kitchens here also prepare a Jain option; if you keep strictly Jain or pure-veg, simply ask before ordering to confirm.