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=== Origins ===
According to [[Hindu mythology]], [[Vishnu]] dropped drops of [[amrita]] (the drink of immortality) at four places, while transporting it in a ''[[kumbha]]'' (pot). These four places, including Nashik, are identified as the present-day sites of the Kumbh Mela. The age of the Nashik-Trimbak Simhastha is uncertain, but its association with the ''kumbha'' myth is relatively recent, dating back to the 20th century. The ''Nasik District Gazetteer'' published during the 19th century does not mention the term "Kumbh Mela" to describe the local Simhastha fair.<ref name="Kama_2008"/>{{rp|89}} The earliest extant texts that contain the name "Kumbha Mela" are ''Khulasatu[[Khulasat-tut-Tawarikh]]'' (1695 CE) and ''Chahar Gulshan'' (1789 CE). Both these texts use the term "Kumbh Mela" to describe only the [[Haridwar Kumbh Mela]], although they mention the Simhastha fair at Nashik.<ref>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=WT2odZ7_d7MC&pg=PA32 |title=South Asian Religions on Display: Religious Processions in South Asia and in the Diaspora |editor=Knut A. Jacobsen |chapter=The Kumbh Mela Festival Processions |author=James G. Lochtefeld |publisher=Routledge |year=2008 |page=70 }}</ref> It appears that the Nashik Simhastha adapted the ''kumbh myth'' and the 12-year cycle from the Haridwar Kumbh Mela.<ref name="Kama_ET_2010">{{cite news |url=http://articles.economictimes.indiatimes.com/2013-02-10/news/37008284_1_kumbh-mela-prayag-haridwar |title=Kumbh mela dates back to mid-19th century, shows research |date=2013-02-10 |newspaper=Economic Times |author=Vikram Doctor }}</ref> The [[Ujjain Simhastha]], in turn, is an adaptation of the Nashik-Trimbak Simhastha: it began in the 18th century, when the [[Maratha Empire|Maratha]] ruler [[Ranoji Shinde]] invited ascetics from Nashik to [[Ujjain]] for a local festival.<ref name="KAJ_2008">{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=WT2odZ7_d7MC&pg=PA32 |title=South Asian Religions on Display: Religious Processions in South Asia and in the Diaspora |author=Knut A. Jacobsen |publisher=Routledge |year=2008 |pages=32-34 }}</ref>
=== Maratha era ===
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