Nanded, the second largest city in Marathwada after
Aurangabad, is situated along the northern bank of
Godavari River, in east-central
Maharashtra. It is the administrative headquarters of
Nanded District and is 650 km east of
Mumbai.
It is believed that Nanded derived its name from the word Nanda Tat (Nanda border), a term used to refer to the contour of the Magadha kingdom during the 7th century BC. Its early name was ‘Nandigram’ and was an important center for Sanskrit learning in the state. It was here that the 10th Guru of Sikhs - Guru Gobind Singhji - held his court and congregation. Now Nanded is a renowned pilgrim center for the Sikhs and Hindus.
Places of tourist interest include Gurdwara Sachkhand and Nanded Fort. Shrikshetra Mahurgad, Shrikshetra Mahurgad, Parli Vaijnath (130 km), Hazrat Nawab Sarfaraz Khan Sahid Masjid and Unkeshvar constitute popular spots for excursion.
Nanded Railway Station is a prominent railhead of Central Railways and has direct connections to Mumbai, Pune (449 km), Bangalore, New Delhi, Amritsar, Bhopal, Indore, Agra, Hyderabad (270 km), Nizamabad, Jaipur, Ajmer, Aurangabad and Nasik (381 km).
