NANDED

also spelled Nander, town, east-central Maharashtra state, western India. It lies on the banks of the Godavari River. Its name is derived from Nanda tat (Nanda border), a term that refers to the boundary of the Magadha kingdom during the 7th century BC. Primarily a commercial centre, it also has cotton spinning and weaving mills. The town is known as a centre of Sanskrit learning and is the location of the Sikh gurdwara (temple and kitchen) built on the site of Guru Gobind Singh's assassination in 1708. Nanded was the birthplace of three Maratha saint-poetsVishnupant Sesa, Raghunath Sesa, and Vaman Pandit. It has several colleges affiliated with Marathwada University. Nanded is situated in one of the less-developed areas of Maharashtra. Most of the population in the area is dependent upon agriculture; jowar (sorghum) and rice are the major food crops, and cotton is the basic cash crop. Cattle breeding is also important. Major industries are cotton and oilseed processing. Pop. (1981) 191,269.