nanded

Location: 650-kms From Mumbai, On East-Central Part Of Maharashtra
Also Spelt As: Nander
Previously Known As: Nandigram
Main Attractions: Takhat Sachkhand Shri Hazur Abchalnagar Sahib, Nanded Fort
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 center 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. The Maharashtrian Heritage 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 center for teaching of Vedant studies, classical music, dramas, literature, and arts. History 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 be 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.

PRIME ATTRACTIONS

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.

Shrikshetran Mahurgad: Mahurgad is a pilgrim center 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 a Yadava king of Devgiri about eight or nine constructed the temple 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.

HOW TO GET THERE

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, Bangalore, 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.

GENERAL INFORMATION