Nanded, Maharashtra, India

🇮🇳 Nanded is a city in Maharashtra state, India. It is the tenth largest city in the state and the seventy-ninth most populous city in India. It is the second largest city in Marathwada region. It is the district headquarters of Nanded district.

The last Sikh Guru, Guru Gobind Singh spent his last days in Nanded and passed his guruship to the sacred text Guru Granth Sahib before his death there in 1708.

Geography: Location Nanded is located on the banks of river Godavari in west-central India. Nanded district borders Latur district, Parbhani district and Hingoli district to the west and Yavatmal district to the north. The district is bordered by the Nizamabad, Kamareddy, Nirmal and Adilabad districts of Telangana state to the east and Bidar district of Karnataka state to the south.

Nanded has two parts: Old Nanded 20.62 square km (7.96 sq mi) occupies the north bank of the Godavari river; New Nanded, to the south of the river, 31.14 square km (12.02 sq mi) encompasses Waghala and neighbourhoods.

Etymology From a copper plate inscription found at Washim, a town approximately 150 km (93 mi) north of Nanded, archaeologists deduce the city was formerly known as Nanditaṭa (Marathi: नंदितट). Another name was Nandigrāma. Folklore suggests that the name "Nanded" developed from Nandi the Vahana of Shiva. Shiva was said to have performed penance on the banks (Taṭa) of the Godavari river. This "Nandi-taṭa" later became "Nanded".

History Nanded is mentioned in Mahabharata as place of Bharat's maternal grandparents. In the 1st century CE, power in the area lay with the Andhrabhrtyas and Satvahanas. In the 5th and 4th centuries BCE, Nanded was ruled by the Nanda dynasty. In the 3rd century BCE (about 272 to 231 BCE), it was part of the Maurya Empire under Ashoka. Local irrigation practices and Nanded itself are recorded in the treatise, Leela Charitra (late 1200s CE). Nanded was the birthplace of three Marathi poet-saints—Vishnupant Shesa, Raghunath Shesa, and Vaman Pandit Construction of Kandhar Fort, located in Kandhar, is attributed to the Rashtrakuta king Krishna III of Malkheda who ruled around 10th century CE.

From 1636, Nanded was the centre of governance of Nizam State, which includes present-day Telangana and Karnataka, and was an imperial province of the Mughal Badshah (emperor) Shah Jahan. In 1657, Nanded merged into Bidah Subah. Guru Nanak (1469 – 1539 CE) passed through Nanded on his way to Sri Lanka. Guru Gobind Singh (1666 – 1708 CE) arrived in Nanded with the Mughal emperor Bahadur Shah I (1643 – 1712 CE) near the end of August in 1707 CE. When Bahadur Shah moved on to Golconda, Guru Gobind Singh remained in Nanded. Guru Gobind Singh proclaimed he was the last (tenth) living guru and established the sacred text, the Guru Granth Sahib as an eternal "living" leader. Guru Gobind Singh died without a lineal descendant due to the martyrdom of his four sons.

In 1725, Nanded became part of Hyderabad State. In about 1835, Maharaja Ranjit Singh commissioned the construction of a gurdwara at Nanded with the financial aid of Sikander Jah (3rd Nizam of hyderabad) It was built on the site of Guru Gobind Singh's cremation. The gurdwara is part of the Hazur Sahib.

After India gained independence in 1947, the Indian Armed Forces annexed Hyderabad and ended the rule of the Nizam in Operation Polo, making Nanded part of the new Hyderabad State. Nanded remained part of the Hyderabad state until 1956 when it was included in the Bombay Presidency.

On 1 May 1960, Maharashtra state was created on a linguistic basis and the Marathi dominant Nanded district became part of Maharashtra. In December 2022, 25 Nanded district villages renewed their demand to merge with Telangana.

Geography Nanded urban area is 63.22 square km (24.41 sq mi). Nanded is built on the Deccan Traps lava flows of the upper cretaceous to lower eocene eras. The lava flows are overlain by thin alluvial deposits. The lava flows are horizontal and each flow has two distinct units. The highly weathered vesicular trap and underlying weathered jointed and fractured massive trap constitutes the main water-yielding zones. The soil is mostly formed from igneous rocks and are black, medium black, shallow and calcareous types having different depths and profiles. Godavari river passes through the city.

Transport: Road Nanded lies on NH 61 (Kalyan–Ahmednagar–Parbhani–Nanded–Nirmal), NH 361 (Nagpur–Wardha-Yavatmal–Nanded-Latur–Solapur–Sangli–Kolhapur–Ratnagiri) and NH 161 (Akola–Washim–Hingoli–Nanded–Degloor–Sangareddy). MSRTC buses connect Nanded to many cities of the Maharashtra state. TSRTC buses connect Nanded to some cities of the Telangana state.

Transport: Rail Hazur Sahib Nanded railway station is located on the Secunderabad–Manmad line of Nanded railway division of the South Central Railway Zone (SCR). Nanded railway division is one of the six railway divisions under South Central Railway zone of Indian Railways. Around 48 trains arrive and depart each day from this station. Maltekdi railway station is another railway station serving city of Nanded.

Transport: Air The Shri Guru Gobind Singh Ji Airport, Nanded is served by daily TruJet flights to Hyderabad, Mumbai and Jalgaon. Air India operates flights to Amritsar.

Economy Crops grown around Nanded include cotton, bananas, sugarcane, mangoes, soya beans, sweet limes, Grapes, Papaya, and sorghum (jawar). Nanded has a Regional Cotton Research Center to support the Cotton-growing industry. There is an agricultural school operational under the aegis of Krishi Vidyapeeth of Parbhani.

Tourism is supported by 10 million annual visitors who are mostly religious pilgrims.

Education On 17 September 1994, the Swami Ramanand Teerth Marathwada University (SRTMU) was established in Nanded after a restructuring of the Marathwada University in Aurangabad. The university supervises the educational activities in senior colleges in four districts of Marathwada division.

Notable educational institutions in Nanded include the Dr. Shankarrao Chavan Government Medical College and Shri Guru Gobind Singhji Institute of Engineering and Technology.

Governance The city of Nanded is managed by the Nanded-Waghala Municipal Corporation (NWCMC). The corporation consists of 81 democratically elected members. The Municipal Commissioner is the Chief Executive of the corporation.

Nanded fort Nanded Fort, also known as Nandgiri Fort is a fort located on the banks of Godavari river. The Godavari river encloses the fort on three sides. The fort has been converted into a garden to attract tourists. There is a water tank constructed in the fort.

Mandir The Vedic rituals are regularly performed on the ghats of Godavari River which include Urvashi Ghat, Ram Ghat, and Govardhan Ghat. • Shri Laxmi Nrusinh Mandir, Old Mondha, New Bridge. • Kaleshwar Mandir, Vishnupuri • Shani Mandir, Mondha • Yagyavalkya Vedpathshala Saraswati Mandir, Shree Nagar • Shri Yadav Ahir Samaj Mahamai Mata Mandir, Devinagar • Ganpati Mandir, Trikut • Hanuman Mandir, Trikut • Datta Mandir, Trikut • Rajput Sangh Renuka Mata Mandir, Mahurgarh • Siddheshwar Mandir, Hottal – built during the Chalukya era, an example of Hemadpanti temple architecture. • Shiva Mandir, Tadkhel, Degloor Taluka – built with large stones displaying scripture by the Hindu king, Senapati. • Jagdamba Mata Mandir, Tadkhel • Shri Narsinh Mandir, Junna Kautha.

Gurdwara • Hazur Sahib was built by Maharaja Ranjit Singh. It is one of the Panj Takht, the five seats of higher authority for Sikhs. It is built at the site of cremation of Guru Gobind Singh. His remains and weapons are preserved at the site. • Gurdwara Nagina Ghat Sahib • Gurdwara Banda Ghat Sahib (Baba Banda Singh Bahadur) • Gurdwara Shikaar Ghat Sahib • Gurdwara Baoli Sahib • Gurdwara Heera Ghat • Gurdwara Mata Sahib • Gurdwara Maal Tekdi • Gurdwara Sangat Sahib • Gurdwara Nanakpuri Sahib (place of Guru Nanak) • Gurdwara Bhajangarh Sahib

Church • St. Francis De Sales Catholic Church • Methodist Church • Bethel AG Church • The Pentecostal Mission (Church) • Bethesda Ministries Church.