Skip to content

Nashik–Trimbakeshwar Simhastha · Places

Sita Gufa, Panchavati, Nashik

KumbhMela.info Editorial TeamChecked on Fri 16 Oct 2026

Sita Gufa is a small cave shrine in Panchavati, Nashik, a short walk from the Kalaram temple. According to tradition, Sita stayed in this cave, and it was from here that Ravana carried her away.

EvergreenChecked on Fri 16 Oct 2026

Place facts are from Maharashtra Tourism, the Ministry of Tourism's Incredible India site, the Nashik district and the 1883 Bombay Gazetteer. The Ramkal Path project is a proposal reported by PTI. No official source we found gives opening hours or entry rules, and arrangements for 2027 are not announced.

Gufa, also written gumpha, means cave. Sita Gufa is a place of darshan, not a Simhastha bathing centre.

Sita Gufa at a glance

QuestionAnswer
WherePanchavati, Nashik city, a short walk from the Kalaram temple (Maharashtra Tourism)
Known forThe tradition of Sita’s stay at Panchavati and of her abduction by Ravana
InsideA small sanctum with idols of Rama, Sita and Lakshmana (Maharashtra Tourism)
Other namesSita Gumpha, Sita’s Cave
Nearest railway stationNashik Road (Incredible India)
Role in the SimhasthaNot a bathing centre. The bathing centre in Nashik is Ramkund.
2027 arrangementsNot announced

Sita Gufa in tradition

According to tradition, Rama, Sita and Lakshmana lived at Panchavati during their exile. Sita Gufa is believed to be the cave where Sita stayed when Rama and Lakshmana were away, and the place from where Ravana carried her off, the Ministry of Tourism’s Incredible India site and Maharashtra Tourism note.

The 1883 Bombay Gazetteer records the same story: that Rama hid Sita in this cave when he had to leave her, and that Ravana, disguised as a religious beggar, took her from here. It also records a belief that an underground passage, by then blocked, once led from the cave to Ramsej hill, north of Nashik.

These are matters of faith and memory. They are not findings of archaeology.

Inside the cave

Maharashtra Tourism describes Sita Gufa as a small cave with a dimly lit sanctum that holds idols of Rama, Sita and Lakshmana.

In 1883, the Gazetteer described a front room hidden behind a rest-house, and inner rooms reached by a short flight of steps. A shrine held images of Rama, Lakshmana and Sita in a niche, and beyond it, through a narrow opening, was a small shrine of Mahadev (Shiva) with a linga. The cave may have been altered since then, so the description may not match what you see today.

The five banyans of Panchavati

The Nashik district says that close to the Kalaram temple stand some very old, tall banyan trees, believed to have sprung from the five banyans that gave Panchavati its name, and that this is where Sita Gufa is. Pancha means five and vati means banyan.

The 1883 Gazetteer placed the cave north-east of the Kalaram temple, beside these trees. See our pages on Panchavati and the Kalaram temple.

Sita Gufa and the Simhastha

There is no Kumbh bath at Sita Gufa. The Simhastha bathing in Nashik is at Ramkund, on Monday 2 August, Tuesday 31 August and Saturday 11 September 2027, according to the Kumbh Mela Authority’s plan of 15 June 2026. Amrit Snan days usually draw the most pilgrims; follow police and mela instructions on the day.

The proposed Ramkal Path project, about ₹99.14 crore, names Seeta Gumpha among the places it is meant to present, along with Ramkund and the Kalaram temple, PTI reported in November 2025. It includes renovation and conservation of structures. A proposal is not a finished work.

  • Not announced: opening hours and entry on Amrit Snan days
  • Not announced: whether the Ramkal Path work will change the approach to the cave
  • Not announced: road closures and walking routes in Panchavati

Where it is

Panchavati: Ramkund and the temples near itGodavari12345500 mN
Panchavati: Ramkund and the temples near it
  1. 1RamkundGhat
  2. 2Kalaram TempleTemple
  3. 3Sita GufaTemple · This page
  4. 4Kapaleshwar Mahadev TempleTemple
  5. 5Sundar Narayan TempleTemple

A guide to where places are, not a route plan. During the mela, roads and ghats open and close by the official plan; follow police and mela directions.

Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL). Some temple locations from Wikidata (CC0). openstreetmap.org/copyright

Also in this area

Also hereAnjaneri, Near TrimbakeshwarAnjaneri is a hill on the Nashik–Trimbakeshwar road, held by tradition to be Hanuman's birthplace. Old temples, its…OpenAlso hereBrahmagiri and Gangadwar, TrimbakeshwarBrahmagiri is the hill above Trimbakeshwar where, by tradition, the Godavari rises. Gangadwar, its shrines and what is…OpenAlso hereKalaram Temple, Panchavati, NashikThe Kalaram temple in Panchavati, Nashik, is named after its black stone idol of Rama. History, the 1930…OpenAlso hereKushavarta, TrimbakeshwarKushavarta is the Simhastha bathing kund in Trimbakeshwar, where by tradition the Godavari reappears. Amrit Snan days, monsoon…OpenAlso hereNaroshankar Temple, NashikThe Naroshankar temple is a Shiva temple of 1747 on the Godavari in Panchavati, Nashik, known for its…OpenAlso herePanchavati, NashikPanchavati is Nashik's temple quarter on the Godavari: Ramkund, the Kalaram temple and Sita Gufa. Simhastha 2027 notes…OpenAlso hereRamkund, NashikRamkund is the Simhastha bathing centre in Nashik, on the Godavari in Panchavati. Amrit Snans 2 Aug, 31…OpenAlso hereTapovan, NashikTapovan is a riverside area of Nashik linked by tradition with Rama's exile. The 2027 sadhugram is reported…OpenAlso hereThe Godavari Ghats of Nashik Beyond RamkundNashik has many ghats and kunds besides Ramkund. The old kunds, the 12 existing and 10 proposed ghats…OpenAlso hereTrimbakeshwar TempleTrimbakeshwar is a Jyotirlinga temple about 30 km from Nashik, near the Kushavarta bath. Darshan hours, crowds, monsoon…Open

Questions people ask

Where is Sita Gufa?

In Panchavati, Nashik, a short walk from the Kalaram temple. Ramkund is a few minutes from the temple.

What is the story of Sita Gufa?

According to tradition, Sita stayed in this cave when Rama and Lakshmana were away, and Ravana carried her off from here. This is a belief held by devotees, recorded by Maharashtra Tourism, Incredible India and the 1883 Bombay Gazetteer.

Will Sita Gufa be open during the Kumbh?

Arrangements for 2027 are not announced. Check locally before you go, and follow police and mela instructions on Amrit Snan days.