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Nanded city forms a part of east central Maharashtra
and lies along the Godavari River. Nanded is situated 650-km away from
Mumbai and 270-km
from Hyderabad .
It is also spelt "Nander" and derives its name from "Nanda
Tat" ("Nanda border"), a term that refers to the boundary
of the Magadha kingdom during the 7th century BC.
Nanded is also a district headquarter and second largest city in
Marthawada after Aurangabad
. Latur and Parbhani districts surround Nanded on the west and
Yavatmal district on the north: the state of
Andhra Pradesh lies to the east and Karnataka State to the south.
Nanded was earlier known as "Nandigram". It is near about
equi-distance from some important cities like Aurangabad, Hydrabad,
Solapur, and Nagpur.
Nanded is famous as a centre of Sanskrit learning and is important due to
its historical, social and political background. The tenth Guru of Sikhs,
Guru Gobind Singhji held his court and congregation over here. This is the
place where he recovered after assassins that attacked him. A Sikh
gurdwara was also built on the same site.
Nanded has a great cultural heritage. It was the birthplace
of three Maratha saint-poets - Vishnupant Shesa, Raghunath Shesa, and
Vaman Pandit. The Swami Ramanand Teertha Marathwada Vidyapeeth was
established in 1994 in Nanded.
The Government of Maharashtra is developing Nanded as a Holy City. An
action plan has been made for developing infrastructure and other
facilities for the convenience of pilgrims visiting the various Gurudwaras
of Nanded, particularly Gurudwara Sachkhand throughout the year. In
ancient time it was a famous centre for teaching of Vedant studies,
classical music, dramas, literature, and arts.
In ancient period the district was included in Vidarbha
region along with the modern districts of Amravati, Akola, Buldana,
Yavatmal and Parbhani. In the same period under the rule of Bahamanis the
district of Nanded formed part of the province of Bidar and Telangana. It
includes the towns and districts of Bidar, Kandhar (Nanded district),
Indur, Kaulas, Kotgir and Medak. A part of Nanded district, north of the
river Godavari and south of Penganga formed part of the province of Bidar.
From the excavations in the neighboring district of Ahmednagar, it is
suggested that Nanded region was inhabited in the early Stone Age. With
subsequent migrations the region went through different rules formed by
the rules of ancient period (such as Satavahanas, Chalukyas of Badami,
Rashtrakutas and Yadavas of Devgiri), Mediaeval period (like Bahamanis,
Nizam Shahis, the Mughals and Marathas) and modern period (such as Nizams
of Hyderabad and British).
Under the Mughals, Nanded district was roughly composed of two district
viz. Mahur and Nanded. Nanded was at that time the district headquarters.
The district was passed under the Nizams sovereignty. More than one third
of the district was Jagir area under the Nizams reign. The Nizams own
estate was called "Sarf-e-khas", which along with the other
jagirs were merged with the government area in 1949 under the Hyderabad
Regulation, and the district formed part of the Hyderabad State.
Nanded has a personality of its own due to its
mythological, historical, social and cultural importance. The river
Godavari flows through the city. Temples and Ghats on the banks of
Godavari have made Nanded one of the holiest places for Hindus.
Takhat
Sachkhand Shri Hazur Abchalnagar Sahib
Takhat Sachkhand Shri Hazur Abchalnagar Sahib is the main Gurudwara
situated in Nanded. It is one of the four High seats of Authority of the
Sikhs. Guru Gobind Singh was the 10th and last Guru of the Sikhs who held
his court and congregation here. He died in Nanded, and his ashes are
buried in the Sach Khand Shri Huzur Gurudwara on the side of the river
Godavari.
Maharaja Ranjit Singhji, the great Ruler of Punjab between 1830 to 1839
A.D, built the Gurudwara. The Gurudwara houses the mortal remains of the
10th Guru and number of weapons of various kinds are exhibited here. Also
on display are the swords of Maharaja Ranjit Singhji and other Sikh
Generals.
Nanded Fort
Located at a distance of about 4-km from the Nanded Railway Station this
dilapidated fort of Nanded is surrounded by Godavari River on three sides.
The fort has a good garden and water works.
Shrikshetra
Mahurgad
Mahurgad is a pilgrim centre of great significance, which is located in
Nanded district. Famous as the Third Shaktipeeth in Maharashtra, Muhurgad
is popularly known as Mahur.
About a mile and a half from the village there is the fort of Mahur,
which stands with majesty of its ramparts. It is built along the ridge of
two hills, which run parallel to each other, towards the south of the
village, which lends a very charming view and attracts the attention of
the visitors form a long distance. There are many temples in Mahur like
Anusaya Temple, Kalika Temple and the most important among them is the
temple of Renuka Devi. It occupies a special place in the Hindu pilgrimage
Renukadevi Temple At Mahur
Renuka Devi temple is situated on a hillock at a distance of about 2.5-km
away from the village of Mahur. It is believed that the temple was
constructed by a Yadava king of Devgiri about eight or nine hundred years
ago.
Parli Vaijnath At Parli
Vaijnath is located about 130-km from Nanded. There are twelve
Jyotirlingas, which are the most significant places of pilgrimage for
Hindus. Among them five happen to be in Maharashtra and Vaijnath is one of
them. Shiva has been worshipped in these places for centuries.
Hazrat Nawab Sarfaraz Khan Sahid Masjid
The Masjid known as the Hazrat Nawab Sarfaraz Khan Sahid Masjid is said
to have been constructed about 330 years back. Sarfaraz Khan was an
officer in the army of Aurangzeb. The Masjid is situated in Biloli Town,
which is constructed out of a stone.
Unkeshvar
Unkeshvar is situated on the bank of river Penganga. The village is
famous for its hot water springs. It is situated at a distance of 19-km
from Ambadi, a railway station on Mudkhed - Adilabad railway route. At
Unakdeva, there is a temple dedicated to the Lord Shiva.
Kandhar
Kandhar Town in Nanded district is famous for its fort, which is situated
in the heart of town. Its construction is attributed to the Rashtrakuta
King Krishna III of Malkhed who styled himself as "Kandharpuradhi
Swar". Encircling the fort is a ditch filled with water.
The ruins of this majestic and historic fort are located at a distance of
50-km from the Ranthambhore National Park.
Malegaon
Malegaon a small village in Loha Taluka is famous for a very big fair
held in honour of Lord Khandoba. This big fair namely " Malegaon
Yatra " is held yearly. Malegaon is situated at a distance of about
57-km from Nanded.
Hottal
Hottal is situated in Degloor Taluka. There is a very beautiful Temple
dedicated to Lord Siddheshwar, which is known for the characteristic Art
of the Chalukya Era. Hottal is 8-km away from Degloor.
Nanded is mainly known as pilgrim center for Sikhs. The
central bus stand and Railway Station are at the heart of city. Tourist
places located around Nanded are easily approachable by State Transport
buses as well as private travels starting from Kalamandir.
Air: Considering development of the city, the national airport
authority has approved a plan for expansion of the airport. Aurangabad is
a convenient airport from where daily flights to Mumbai (40min) are
operated by various domestic airlines.
Rail: Nanded is having direct connectivity by train from
Mumbai ,
Pune ,
Banglore ,
Delhi , Amritsar,
Bhopal, Indore, Agra, Hyderabad, Jaipur, Ajmer,
Aurangabad
and Nashik.
Road: It is very easy to access Nanded by bus, State Transport or
private Travels is also very convenient because of large frequencies of
buses. State Transport Buses are available from Mumbai, Aurangabad, Pune,
and Hyderabad to Nanded; Distances from other cities: Mumbai is 650-km,
Aurangabad is 265-km, and Hyderabad is 270-km.
Local Transportation: One can conveniently go to any part of the
city by shared Auto Rickshaws (3 wheelers) and also by City Buses.
Nanded has got some good accommodation for one to stay, which varies from posh hotels to reasonable budget ones.
Banks:
State Bank of India, Doctors Lane
Bank of India, Vazirabad
Hospitals:
Wadekar Hospital,
Near Shivaji Statue, Station Road
Life Line Hospital,
VIP Road
| Temperature Range (Deg °c) | Maximum | Minimum |
| Summer: | 45° C | 29º C |
| Winter: | 26° C | 6° C |
| Latitude: | 18° 15 ' to 19° 55' | |
| Longitude: | 77° to 78° 25' | |
| Clothing: | Light Cotton and Woollen in winter | |
| STD Code: | 07369/02462 | |
| Population: | 2,75,083 (1991 Census) | |
| Climate: | Tropical | |
| Rainfall: | Average 897.8 mm | |
Mudkhed: 23-km
Ayudh: 64-km
Parbani: 59-km
Malegaon: 57-km
Unkeshwar: 52-km
Parli: 130-km