Nanded

This article is about the municipality in Maharashtra, India. For its namesake district, see Nanded district. For its namesake taluka, see Nanded taluka.

Nanded नांदेड
City
An equestrian statue of Shivaji
Nickname(s): The City of "Sanskrit" poets, City of Gurdwaras
Nanded
Coordinates:
Country	India
State	Maharashtra
Region	Marathwada
District	Nanded
Established	1610 A.D
Named for	Sachkhand Gurdwara
Government
• Type	Nanded-Waghala Municipal Corporation
• Body	NWCMC
Area
• Total	63.22 km2 (24.41 sq mi)
Elevation	362 m (1,188 ft)
Population (2011)
• Total	550,564 (2,011)
Demonym(s)	Nandedkar
Languages
• Official	Marathi
Time zone	IST (UTC+5:30)
PIN CODE	431601
Telephone code	02462
Vehicle registration	MH 26
Website	www.nanded.nic.in

Nanded is the city in Maharashtra state of India. Nanded is 8th largest Urban agglomeration of Maharashtra. It is also headquarters of Nanded district and second largest city in Marathwada region after Aurangabad. Nanded has been a major place for Sikh pilgrimage, Hazur Sahib Nanded is the 2nd holiest site in Sikhism next only to Harmandir Sahib (Golden Temple) of Amritsir. 10th Sikh Guru, Guru Gobind Singh made Nanded as his permanent abode and passes Guruship to Guru Granth Sahib before his death in Nanded. Nanded is located on the banks of Godavari river. Nanded has been the regional education hub which has Swami Ramanand Teerth Marathwada University at Vishnupuri. Nanded is also known for its health services.

History

One of the oldest and historic cities in the Marathwada region of Maharashtra, Nanded is situated on the north bank of the Godavari River. The Nanda dynasty ruled over Nanded for generations in the 5th and 4th centuries BCE. Nanded was also part of the Maurya Empire under Ashoka (c. 272 to 231 BCE). Nanded District is located in the southeastern part of Maharashtra, Bordering Telangana. The name Nanded is widely believed to have originated from "NANDI" the Vahan of Lord Shiva, who performed penance on the banks (TAT) of River Godavari. This "NANDI TAT" became NANDED. Today, Nanded gains prominence from the Sikh Gurdwara which is erected at the place where Shri Guru Govindsingh Ji Maharaj, the last Sikh Guru, died in 1708.

Early mentions of Nanded and irrigation practices are found in the Leela Charitra, a treatise written about 700 years ago by Mhaimbhatta. The city was formerly known as Nanditat (Marathi: नंदितट) according to a copper plate inscription found at Vasim. Nanded District and the adjoining areas were ruled over by the Andhrabhrtyas and Satvahanas during the first century AD.

In 1708, the year following Aurangzeb's death, Guru Gobind Singh, the tenth spiritual leader of the Sikhs, came to Nanded. He proclaimed himself the last living Guru and established the Guru Granth Sahib as the eternal Guru of Sikhism, elevating the reverence of the text to that of a living leader. Around 1835, Maharaja Ranjit Singh oversaw the construction of a gurdwara at Nanded. Located at the site of Guru Gobind Singh's cremation, the gurdwara is part of the Hazur Sahib.

Nanded became part of the Hyderabad State in 1725 and continued to be part of the Nizam's dominions until 1948. 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, being a Marathi speaking area, is part of Maharashtra, based on India's linguistic state formation.

Roots of Sikhism in Nanded

Nanded is associated with the first as well as the last Sikh Gurus. While Shri Guru Nanak Dev travelled through Nanded City towards south and Sri Lanka, Shir Guru Gobind Singh Ji spent his last few days of earthly life here. He arrived here with emperor Bhadur Shah-I towards the end of August in 1707 AD. The Mughal emperor went to Golconda, and the Shri Guru Gobind Singh Ji decided to stay in Nanded.

Sikh devotees during shobha yatra in Nanded

It appears that Shri Guru Gobind Singh Ji had followed the emperor through Rajasthan and Central Province to Deccan (South) in the hope that justice would be meted out and punishment would be given to his persecutors, murderers of his young sons and to those who executed numerous innocent Sikhs. But finding that the emperor was not interested in punishing the culprits, the Guru was disappointed and decided to part with the emperor. In the first week of October 1708, having understood that the time had come to leave the mortal attire and to depart, the Guru is reported to have taken five coins and a coconut and placed them before the Sikh holy scriptures Granth Sahib thereby installing the Granth Sahib as Guru. The five coins are symbolically known as Sangat or the congregation. Shri Guru Gobind Singh Ji and formally passed on the spiritual light of Guruship to Guru Granth Sahib. The Shabad-Guru of the Sikhs was thus immortalised.

Geography

Nanded is the second largest city in Marathawada after Aurangabad with an area of 63.22 km². Also it is 8th largest city/urban aggomeration in Maharshatra after Mumbai, Pune, Nagpur, Nasik, Aurangabad, Solapur and Amravati. Nanded district borders Latur district and Parbhani district to the west and Yavatmal district to the north, the district is bounded by Nizamabad, Medak and Adilabad districts of Telangana on the east. Nanded City is divided in two parts: Old Nanded (20.62 km²) on the north bank of Godavari River, and New Nanded (31.14 km²), comprising Waghala and six other newly merged villages which are situated on south of the Godavari river.22. The entire area is covered by the Deccan Traps lava flows of Upper Cretaceous to Lower Eocene age. The lava flows are overlain by thin alluvial deposits along the Kham and Sukhana river. The basaltic lava flows belonging to the Deccan Trap is the only major geological formation occurring in Aurangabad. 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

Demographics

As of the 2011 census, Nanded had a population of 550,564. The municipality had a sex ratio of 924 females per 1,000 males, and 12.4% of the population were under six years old. Effective literacy was 87.40%; male literacy was 92.68% and female literacy was 81.74%.

Religions in Nanded
Religion			Percent
Hindu			48.06%
Muslim			33.59%
Buddhist			15.35%
Others†			3%
†Includes Sikhs, Jains

Civic Administration

The city of Nanded is managed by Nanded-Waghala Municipal Corporation (NWCMC). The corporation consist of democratically elected members. The Corporation consist of 81 Members. Shailaja Swami and Shafi Khureshi, both from Indian national congress are mayor and deputy mayor respectively.

Transport

Road

NH 222 Kalyan-Ahemdnagar-Parbhani-Nanded-Nirmal, NH 204 Nagpur-Wardha-Nanded-Latur-Solapur-Sangli-Kolhapur-Ratnagiri and NH 161 Akola-Washim-Hingoli-Nanded-Degloor-Sangareddy passes through the city. State Road Transport Bus service operates to every major city in Maharashtra.

Rail

Main article: Nanded Railway Station

Nanded railway station is located on the Secunderabad-Manmad section of Nanded Railway Division of the South Central Railway Zone (SCR). It is served by 48 pairs of trains every day. and is one of the major stations on Secunderabad-Manmad railway line. Maltekdi railway station is another railway station that serves the city of Nanded. Nanded station has frequent connectivity to Nizamabad and Aurangabad.

Air

Nanded's airport, the Shri Guru Gobind Singh Ji Airport is typically served by regularly scheduled seasonal flights to Mumbai and Delhi during the winter months. The airport has a 'Night Landing Facility'. Currently the airport is non-operational since there aren't any flights on the daily basis.

Industries and Economy

The city had three textile manufacturing unit but now closed. Nanded is gradually becoming industrial city as few new industries starting their operations. Tourism is another source of revenue with about ten million visitors or devotee visits the city per year. Nanded and Aurangabad are two regional big cities located at two extreme sides of Marathwada, there has been constant demand for creation of new industrial zone named Nanded Aurangabad Industrial Corridor which will connect to Delhi Mumbai Industrial Corridor. Out of 196 Special Economic Zones of Maharashtra only 10 are in Marathwada.

Education

Main article: List of educational institutions in Nanded (India)

Nanded is famous for its educational facilities and, with its 131 colleges affiliated with Swami Ramanand Teerth Marathwada University, is known as a Educational Hub in Marathwada. Many of the students at the colleges and the University are from nearby districts. There are 3 Engineering Institutions namely Shri Guru Gobind Singh Institute of Engineering and Technology (SGGS), which is an autonomous college; Mahatma Gandhi Mission's College of Engineering and Technology (MGM), Matoshri Prathistan's Engineering College along with a Dr. Shankarrao Chavan Government Medical College. The city also has a Government Ayurvedic College and many higher educational institutions including the Netaji Subhashchandra Bose (NSB) College, People's College, Science College, Yeshwant Mahavidhyalaya affiliated to SRTMU (Nanded University) is another reputed college which provides degrees for graduation and post graduation in different specializations. Registered charities including Mahatma Gandhi Mission, Razak Institution of Skills, Education & Research (RISER) are doing excellent works in higher education and skills development.

University

The Swami Ramanand Teerth Marathwada University was established at Nanded by bi-furcating the Marathwada University, Aurangabad on 17 September 1994, the day on which in 1948 Hyderabad State was liberated from rule of the Nizam. Nanded is a district headquarters as well as a holy city situated on the banks of Godavari River in southeastern part of Maharashtra state.

Agriculture

Agriculture is the main occupation of the people in rural parts of the region. Cotton, Banana, Sugarcane, Mango, soybean, Sweetlime and Jawar (sorghum) are the essential crops grown in the city's nearby area. Nanded is second largest banana-producing district in the state after Jalgoan. Nanded have Regional Cotton Research Center. To support the cotton-growing industry, textile mills need to start. An agricultural school is operational under the aegis of Krishi Vidyapeeth, Parbhani.

Tourism

Main article: Tourism in Marathwada

Shri Hazur Sahib Gurdwara, Nanded panorama view

Hazur Sahib Nanded, Gurdwara

Interior view of the gurdwara.

Nanded is one of the historical places in the Marathwada region of Maharashtra State. Its history dates back to the period when it was known as Nandi Tatt. Places of historical importance include the Kandhar Fort built during the reign of Rashtrakuta king Krishna III

The Siddheshwar temple at Hottal built during the Chalukya era is a marvelous piece of Hemadpanti temple structure. Tadkhel Village ( in Degloor Taluka ) has Lord Shiva Temple, Fully made up of big stones, with old scriptures on a big stone, constructed by Senapati of one of the Hindu King hundreds of years ago. Tadkhel Village also has Jagdamba Mata Mandir which is 2nd major temple after Chandrapur Temple.

Nanded has historic and spiritual significance for the Sikhs. Sikh Gurdwaras. In 1708, Guru Gobind Singh the tenth spiritual leader of the Sikhs came over to Nanded, his permanent abode. It was he who preached amongst the Sikhs that there need not be any spiritual leader for them and they should take Granth Sahib as their leader. In 2008, the tercentenary of this occasion, Guru-ta-Gaddi celebrations were held in Nanded. A Gurdwara has also been constructed where Guru Gobind Singh died. It is known as Hazur Sahib Nanded

Gurdwara of Hazur Sahib Nanded: built by Maharaja Ranjit Singh, the ruler of Punjab from 1830 to 1839 A.D. it is one of the five High seats of Authority of the Sikhs. Guru Gobind Singh died here and his remains are preserved along with various weapons.

Nanded Fort :Situated 4 km away from the Nanded Railway Station, the Nanded Fort has a beautiful location. Sensuous Godavari River encloses the fort on three sides. There is a good garden and water works enhancing its natural beauty Mahur is home to goddess Renuka, and forms one part of the Saade Teen Shaktipeeth (three and a half seats of Deity of Power). It also has a Parshuram Mandir. Located on two adjoining hills, the Mahur fort was an important point on the major route from the North to the Deccan.

Sahasrakund Waterfalls is a favourite destination for tourists during the monsoon. Situated in Islapur village in Kinwat taluka, it is also accessible by train. Unkeshwar village in Kinwat taluka also has a famous Shiva temple. Hot water springs with contents of sulphur and phosphate are believed to have medicinal properties.

Notable people

Ashok Chavan

• Guru Gobind Singh: last Sikh Guru, died in Nanded.
• Pachlegaonkar Maharaj: Rashtra Sant, Founder of Mukteshvar Dal, Hindu Rashtra Sena. Social Activist. leader of Hyderabad Liberation Struggle.
• Vaman Pandit - (Famous Poet)
• Shri Kamalkishor Kadam (Former Education Minister)
• Shankarrao Chavan (Former Home Minister of India, Former Chief Minister of Maharashtra)
• Ashok Chavan (President Maharashtra Congress & Former Chief Minister of Maharashtra, MP Nanded Loksabha)
• Narhar Ambadas Kurundkar (Scholar, critic and writer)

See also

• Make in Maharashtra
• Marathwada
• Wanegaon Railway Station
• Limbgaon Railway Station