Renowned Artist Milind Misal Elevates The Free Press Journal's Nashik Edition With Striking Illustration Of Trirashmi Caves

The striking illustration accompanying the masthead of the Nashik edition of The Free Press Journal is a masterpiece gifted by illustration specialist Milind Misal. Holding a Master of Fine Arts (MFA) degree with a specialisation in illustration and boasting over two decades of experience, Misal has contributed his creative talents to enrich the newspaper's visual appeal.

Additionally, Misal has dedicated his expertise as an art teacher across several schools and institutes. Over the last 13 years, he has successfully operated his own institute, where he imparts art and painting skills to both children and adults hailing from Pune's Pashan and its neighbouring areas.

What does the illustration depict?

Beyond its renowned wine and onion market, Nashik is celebrated for the Trirashmi Caves. Situated approximately 8 km south of Nashik city along the Mumbai-Agra national highway, the Trimbak-Anjaneri hill range concludes with three isolated hills, ranging from six to 1,100 feet above the plain. The highest peak, standing at 1,061 feet above the plain and 3,004 feet above mean sea level, hosts a collection of Buddhist caves.

These 24 caves, intricately carved from black basalt rock between 250 BCE and 600 CE, adorn the north face of the hill about halfway up. The three hills, characterised by their steep and pointed nature, form a triple fire-tongue shape, inspiring the name 'Trirashmi' (triple sunbeam) inscribed in the caves. Popularly known as Pandu Caves or Pandav Leni, this historic site gained recognition as part of the Indian Railway Calendar 2019, becoming an iconic representation of Nashik.

Currently, this archaeological treasure is under the protective wing of the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI).