Nanded

"The Lord has sent me into world for the purpose of spreading Dharma (Righteousness) every where and to destroy the evil doers root and branch. Know ye holy men! I have come solely for the purpose of establishing Dharma, protecting the Saints and completely uprooting the wicked men."

History of Nanded
Nanded is one of the historical places in Marathwada region of Maharashtra State. It is situated on the north bank of Godavari River. It is famous for Sikh Gurudwaras. Nanded is a town of great antiquity. It is said that during the Puranic days, Pandavas traveled through Nanded district. Nandas ruled over Nanded through generations. In 1708, Guru Govind 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. A monument has been constructed at the place where he breathed his last. A Gurudwara has also been constructed there. It is known as Shri Huzur Abchalnagar Sachkhand Gurudwara.

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 Singhji 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 Singhji decided to stay in Nanded.

It appears that Shri Guru Gobind Singhji 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 has come to leave the mortal attire and to depart, the Guru is reported to have taken five coins and a coconut which he placed before the Granth Sahib installing the Granth Sahib as Guru. The five coins are symbolically known as Sangat. Shri Guru Gobind Singhji and formally passed on the spiritual light of Guruship to Guru Granth Sahib. The Shabad-Guru of the Sikhs was thus immortalized.

Location of the Events
The core activity center would be the Sachkhand Gurudwara where the main events would be held. Pilgrim movement can also be expected in the other Seven Gurudwara in Nanded. Another location of relevance shall be the Ghats in the River Godavari near the Nagina Ghat and Bandar Ghat Gurudwara where the Takhat Snan will be conducted. Planning will include the development of more ghats along the Campsite, which will reduce the crowd movement towards the main Gurudwara and Nagina Ghat region for the holy bath.
1. Consecration of Guru Granth Sahib as the Future Guru of Sikh Community.
2. Parlokgaman of Guru Gobind Singhji, the last guru of Sikh Communit.
These two events confer the occasion a “must visit” status for the Tercentenary Function in the perception of the Sikh Community.
Hospitality Infrastructure
Pilgrim camps: Camp facilities have been planned for a peak load of 20 lakh people. After adjusting for pilgrims who could be located in the city facilities and with the city residents fully organized camp facilities are being planned.
City Area: The land available in the City Municipal Corporation area has been earmarked for accommodation of special sections of devotees like NRIs, Disabled and Aged. Considerable portion has to be utilized for administrative purposes, event management facilities, religious purposes and core event functions. However 15% of the visiting pilgrim will be accommodated in the city are using various facilities available
Drinking Water: Drinking water will be available at various water points and raw water for other purposes will be made available at temporary bathrooms and toilets, washing places etc.
Toilets and Sanitation: Adequate toilets and urinal blocks with drainage arrangement for sullage and sewerage will be planned to keep the area neat and clean to avoid pest infestation. It is also proposed to deploy mobile toilet vans at all time.
Lungar: Lungar management at various locations as per the layout of tents will have to be done. The lungar and storage of material will be made at a central place in a shed/semi permanent structure.
Tourist Contact Centers: Tourist contact centers will be set up in various main urban centers in India and in select centers abroad. These centers will act as booking centers, information centers, and event co-ordination centers.
Nanded City Highlights
1. Nanded is one of the largest districts in Marathwada region with strong economic base in the agriculture and related sectors.

2. It also has significant potential to emerge as one of the foremost religious tourism destinations in India.

3.It has a relatively better population size within the city area with a high literacy rate of and a reasonably good per capita income.

4.It has a growing services sector by virtue of presence of numerous banks, telecom companies, IT services among others.

5.Overall the city has a potential to merge as one of the metropolis in relative shorter time period provided its strengths are leveraged/complemented through appropriate infrastructure development and economic positioning.

6.The city is also well served in the education sector due to presence of quality education institutions at school/graduation as well as post graduate and professional qualification. This is well complemented by vocational training institutions.