Nanded is one of the ancient cities of the Marathwada region of Maharashtra. It is located on the north bank of river Godavari. Nanded is famous mostly for Sikh Gurudwaras. It is believed that during the period of their visit to forests the Pandavas of Mahabharatta passed from here. It is said that Nandas ruled over Nanded for generations.
On the basis of a copper plate founded at Washim also confirms that Nanded was erstwhile "Nanditat".
Nanded District and the adjoining areas were ruled over by the Andhrabhrtyas or Satvahanas during the First Centrury A.D. During the fourth century A.D. Kandhar was the capital of the King Sogadev and Nanded was ruled by the king Nanddeva of the Chalukya dynasty.
Another inscription carved on a stone at Ardhapur indicates that the rulers of Rashtrakutas dynasty ruled over Degloor. Hottal, a place in Nanded District was the capital of the Chalukyas, Kakatiyas followed by the Yadavas of Devgiri were the last Hindu dynasties to have ruled of this part. After the very first invasion by Mughals this territory became a part of the cief of Malik kafur, the general of Alauddin Khilji.
After the invasion of the Bahamanis, the southern country or the Deccan was divided into four parts. The Prime Minister of the Bahamanis Mahmud Gavan divided the Kingdom into Subhas with Nanded forming part of Mahur Balaghat. When Aurangzeb was appointed the Subhedar of the Deccan. Bidar was one of the Subha. The Subha of Bidar was divided into six sarkars and 76 mahals and Nanded was one of the Sarkars of that subha.
In 1708, after the death of Aurangzeb, his son along with Guru Govind Singh the tenth spiritual leader of the Sikhs came over to Nanded, as his permanent place. Guru Govind Singh preached the teaching of Sikh religion and declared that there need not be any spiritual leader for them and they should consider Granthsaheb as their leader and Guru. A monument has been constructed at place where he breathed his last. A Gurudwara has also been constructed there and is known as Shri Hazur Abchalnagar Sachkhand Gurudwara.
In 1725 Nanded became the part of the Hyderabad Kingdom when the Nizam permanently opted for the Deccan and continued to be so till 1947.
Facts & Figures
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Area
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10,422 sq. kms
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Latitude
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18.157° to 19.55° N
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Longitude
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77.07° to 78.15° E
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Average Rainfall
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953.8 mm.
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Population
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28, 76,259 (2001 census)
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Population Density
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272 per sq. kms.
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Literacy
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68.52%
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No. of Subdivisions
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3
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No. of Tehsils
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16
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Panchayat Samiti
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16
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No. of Villages
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1572
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STD Code
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02462
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Tourist Destinations:
Shri Aundha Nagnath: The twelve
jyotirlingas are the most significant places of pilgrimage for Hindus in India. Five of
them happen to be in Maharashtra. Shiva has
been worshipped in these places for centuries. Aundha-Nagnath is one of them.
Anudha Nagnath is in the Hingoli District.This is adjoining District of Nanded.
Shri Parli Vaijanath: This is adjoining
District of Nanded. This place is a very sacred place and has historical
importance. Queen Ahilyabai Holkar reconstructed it in stone. Grand entrance of
temple attracts attention of visitors. In the vicinity of the temple there are
three Kundas and Shani temple which attracts the pilgrims.
Shri Narsi Namdev: Narsi village is in
Hingoli District and is birth place of saint shree Namdev. The saint was born
in 1270 and his full name was Namdev Damaji Relekar. Every year a fair is
arranged in memory of the saint. The State Government has declared Narsi as
holy and tourist place. The Government has constructed a tourist home at Narsi.
Apart from these there are various other hot destinations which attract huge
number of tourists visiting the Nanded.
Connectivity:
Air: Aurangabad is the nearest airport (260 kms). Aurangabad airport is
linked to Mumbai. Pune is another airport located close by.
Rail: Connected by rail (broad
gauge and metre gauge line), with a station at Nanded. Osmanabad is 216 kms
away, Pune 458 kms and Mumbai 595 kms away.
Road: All 16 tehsils
(subdistricts) and major towns are linked by road from the district
headquarters at Nanded. There is also a well maintained network of roads
connecting different parts of the state.
To know more about Nanded, explore here