History of Nashik - Nashik During The British Rule

Nashik During The British Rule

In 1869, the region came to enjoy unbroken peace. Nashik was made a full-fledged district with its present talukas. With the return of peace Nashik flourished into prosperity. Reasons, political, religious, and commercial, led to its rapid development. With the construction of the railway, going from Bombay to north-east, from very near the city, religious minded devotees came to be attracted to the town in increasing numbers where they made their purchases of various artistic and useful articles. This made Nashik a great trade center where artisans skilled in manufacturing utensils and smiths excelling in workmanship in silver and gold crowded to ply their trade. Already Nashik was a highly flourishing town even under later Maratha rule and some time during that period the sow car families like Barves, Vaishampayans and Gadres of the locality started their financial activity. Under Maratha rule, they advanced sums to finance military campaigns of feudal Sardars and in their later times their Pedhis gradually began to finance the flourishing trade in metalware and fabrics as well as in grapes and onions.

However, the revolutionary activities at Nashik continued. It was during this time that 'Abhinav Bharat ' was formed. The young Nashikites were influenced by the speech of Lokmanya Tilak given on the 26th of August 1906. Vinayak Damodar Savarkar, through 'Abhinav Bharat', successfully organized underground movement against the British rule. With the murder of Curzon Wylic by Madan Lal Dhingra, who was a member of Abhinav Bharat and a stanch follower of Savarkar, Abhinav Bharat and Savarkar came under the scanner from the British Government and they started harassing the associates and family members of Savarkar. Vinayak Damodar Savarkar's elder brother Babarao Savarkar was arrested and charged of participating and helping revolutionaries and revolutionary activities and was sentenced to transportation to life by the then collector of Nashik, Mr. Jackson. This infuriated some young revolutionaries like Anant Laxman Kanhere, Krishnaji Gopal Karve, Vinayak Ramchandra Deshpande and others. The members of Abhinav Bharat planned to assassin Mr. Jackson. A young Brahmin student from Aurangabad named Anant Laxman Kanhare took the responsibility of execution of Jackson. In 1909, Jackson got his transfer orders. To bid him farewell, a drama, 'Sharada', was staged by Kirlosker Natak Mandali in the local Vijayanand theater on Tuesday 21 December 1909. On the night of 21 December 1909 when Jackson had come to see the drama, Ananat Laxman Kanhare fired on him. The collector died on the spot. This set a whole chain of government inquiry into vigorous activity and it was found that there was a deep-laid, widespread conspiracy to overthrow British Government in India, by means of an armed rebellion or revolution, and to overawe the government established by law by force or show of criminal force. The result was that around 38 people connected with underground activities in the name of Mitra-Mela and Abhinav Bharat, including Savarkar, were arrested, tried, and sentenced to severe punishments. A special tribunal was set up for trying the persons involved in this conspiracy. During the probe, that British investigators found Savarkar and the Abhinav Bharat associates' hand in sending the revolver with which Jackson was killed. Vinayak Damodar Savarkar was brought to India under and extradition warrant for this trial and was sentenced to transportation for life and forfeiture of all his property by the special tribunal. Three revolutionaries involved in the incidence, Anant LaxmanKanhere, Krishnaji Gopal Karve, and Vinayak Ramchandra Deshpande were sentenced to death. The murder of Jackson challenged the British Rule and the embers of revolution flared. In those days, Marathi songs, full of patriotic fervor, were written by various writers, prominent among whom was G.T. Darekar, popularly called 'Govind Kavi'. His poem 'Who could ever win freedom without fight?' and his prayer to God Rama, saying 'When, O Rama, wilt thou be pleased to satisfy our burning desire for freedom' became very popular.

"If Italy be free, why not India ?
If Ireland be free, why not India ?
If America be free, why not India ?"

The tempo in singing such songs in congregation is used to enliven the audience and strengthen their determination to face the struggle. Subsequently, government banned all such songs and suppressed all underground activities with a heavy hand. The government had become very sensitive and even an utterance or display of an objectionable picture led to extreme government action.

Shri Khare, a pleader in Nashik, was accused to have said the following a few days before the murder of Jackson: "Today 4 crores of people rule over 33 crores and they have destroyed Indian industries. It is the business of the white to ruin us black people. Europeans are like the demon ghost Putana, who was fair outside but poisonous within. The time for action has come. How many of you ae ready to go to jail or to die?" Shri Khare was asked to submit a personal bond failing which the High Court recommended that his sanad should be suspended till such time that the order to furnish security continues in force Another interesting case was that of Shridhar Waman Nagarkar of Nashik who was sentenced to three years of rigorous imprisonment for drawing and publishing a picture containing a mythological representation of the slaying of demon Mahish by the Goddess Durga, framed with portrails of certain persons, notorious for sedition. The government took the view that the picture is likely to excite disaffection towards His Majesty or the government established by law in British India. Similar was the case against Devising Mohansing & Shankar Gir Hanumantgir of Nashik for publishing a seditious picture under the title 'Rashtra Purusha'. The former was sentenced to three years of rigorous imprisonment.

Some of the major events in history of Nashik are-

• 1840 : Sarvajanik Vachanalaya established.
• 1854 : Sharanpur Colony formed.
• 1861 : Deolali Cantonment formed.
• 1862 : Nashik Road railway station was built.
• 1864 : Nashik Municipality formed
• 1869 : Nashik district formed.
• 1894 : Saint Andrew Church built.
• 1894 : Construction work for Victoria Bridge started
• 1910 : Police Training School established.
• 1922 : Distillery started at Nashik Road.
• 1927 : Security Press formed at Nashik Road.
• 1941 : Artillery Center migrated to Nashik Road from Quetta in Pakistan.
• 1964 : Bosch Limited started Diesel Injector plant