Nashik: Smart Signboards To Guide Visitors To Roads, Religious Sites, Tourist Attractions Ahead Of Simhastha

Nashik: Traffic in the city increases significantly during the Simhastha Kumbh Mela. Visitors from outside often face confusion due to unfamiliarity with the routes. To address this issue, large gantry signboards will be installed at major city entry points, intersections and crowded areas, allowing drivers to clearly read the information from a distance.

Currently, there is a chaotic mix of signboards in various shapes and colours across the city. The new system will use distinct, standardised colour schemes for highways, religious sites and tourist attractions. The signs will be made of durable, weather-resistant materials, ensuring they remain useful for Nashik residents and tourists for many years, even after the 2027 Kumbh Mela.

The system will consist of two primary components. The City Signage category will provide information on highways, major city roads and local tourist attractions. The Kumbh Signage category will provide specific directions to the main bathing ghats, the Kumbh precinct, religious sites and locations of importance to pilgrims.

Key Features

The scheme's key features include lettering and directional indicators that will be clearly visible even at night, designs reflecting Nashik's rich cultural heritage and the consolidation of city signage under a unified system to reduce confusion.

The signage system will provide information on major city roads, highways and routes leading to various areas; prominent temples, ghats and other religious sites; key tourist attractions within the city and its vicinity; the Kumbh Mela zone, main ghats and locations significant to pilgrims; as well as directional boards at major intersections and thoroughfares. The system will also use distinct colours based on the type of information to facilitate easier navigation.

The Kumbh Mela is considered a major opportunity for Nashik in terms of its religious identity and tourism potential. Against this backdrop, effective guidance along routes leading to religious sites, historical landmarks and tourist attractions will make it easier for visitors to navigate the city. Kumbh Mela Authority Commissioner Shekhar Singh said the proposed City Signage and Kumbh Signage systems would also benefit Nashik's tourism development in the future.