Nanded is a city in Maharashtra, India. The eighth-largest city of the state and the second-largest city in Marathwada subdivision. Nanded is the center of governance of the Nanded district. Nanded is a major destination for Sikh pilgrims, because of ‘Huzur Saheb’ gurdwara the location of cremation of10th SikhGuru GuruGobindSingh who had made Nanded his permanent abode in his later years and passed his guruship to the Guru Granth Sahib before his death in 1708. The city is also famous for being home to Banda Singh Bahadur, an ardent disciple of Guru Gobind Singh.
Nanded was the birthplace of three Maratha poet-saints—Vishnupant Shesa, Raghunath Shesa, and Vaman Pandit. Nanded is close to 275 km from Hyderabad, Telangana than to the state capital of Mumbai. The city is divided into 2 parts Old city is located on the north bank of river Godavari and the New city is located on the south bank of the river. The city was formerly known as Nanditaṭa and Nandigrāma. Folklore suggests that Nanded developed from Nandi the Vahana of Shiva who performed penance on the banks of the Godavari river.
Nanded was ruled by the Nanda dynasty, In the 3rd century BC became part of the Maurya Empire under Ashoka. From 1636, Nanded was the centre of governance of Nizam State under Mughal rule and in 1725, Nanded became part of Hyderabad State under Nizam Shahi dynasty. And remained a part till 1948. When the Nizam state merged with India. It remained part of Hyderabad state till 1956, and after reorganization became a part of Maharashtra. In about 1835, Maharaja Ranjit Singh commissioned the construction of the gurdwara ‘Huzur Saheb’ at Nanded, built on the site of Guru Gobind Singh’s cremation.
The gurdwara is called the Hazur Sahib. Primarily a city dependent on agriculture, Nanded is known as a pilgrimage site due to the Gurudwara, where millions of pilgrims come to pay a visit. As such tourism is an important part of the city’s economy. Nanded also has cotton spinning and weaving mills that pride employment to locals. Well connected by road and rail, and air there are several well-known educational institutions in the city besides Gurudwara there are several other places of worship worth visiting on a pilgrimage tour. These include Kaleshwar temple, in Vishnupuri Shani Temple, in Mondha on Ram Ghat, Yagyavalkya Vedpathshala Saraswati Temple in Shree Nagar, and Rajput Sangh Renuka Mata Temple.
Nanded also houses various Sufi shrines and,mosque of the city include Masjid Abedeen, Noorani Masjid, Masjid e Hatai, and Masjid e Quba. Besides these pilgrimage spots, there are other places worth visiting in Nanded, these include Nanded fort and Sahasrakund waterfalls. Also om Nanded interested people can visit Mahur Renuka Mata temple and Mahur fort as well as Unkeshwar Shiva temple. Also worth visiting is the Kandhar Fort located in Kandhar, Nanded district built by Rashtrakuta King Krishna III of Malkhed. Amo other things Nanded is also famous for Malegaon Yatra dedicated to Lord Khandoba in Malegaon taluka considered one of the biggest animal fair in south India.
Merchants from all over India come here to buy or sell animals like horses, camels, sheep, goats, cows, dogs,s etc. Nature lovers can also visit the Kinwat Wildlife Reserve. There are several hotels, lodges, and guesthouses that provide luxurious, mid-range, and budget accommodation. The restaurants serve sumptuous food at reasonable prices. Tourist visiting Nanded can also buy handicrafts such as Bidri work, that feature intricately embellished designs on plates, bowls, etc., as well as wall paintings made with white rice flour on a canvas or cloth There are several markets and shopping malls that sell branded and local products. The street food scene at Nanded is also good with Tehri, Biryani, Imarti, and fruit juice being very popular.. The city is a great to visit on an extended weekend trip.
