Nandapur is a historic town, about 44 km south-west of Koraput, in Koraput District of Orissa. It is a picturesque area with deep forests and surrounding hills. It was once the capital of the kingdom of Jeypore. Gadaba tribes are the prominent inhabitants.
Nandapur was ruled by Nanda Dynasty, hence the name. Many antiquity materials were excavated from here. Nandapur was influenced by the Jain culture, and now many ruins of temples and deities of Tirthankar are found here.
There are two ancient boulders on its northern part, one with beautiful sculptures and other with an image of elephant. Batrisa-Simhasana (throne with 32 steps) and the image of Ganapati (6 feet high) are worth visiting.
Nandapur, 69 km from Jeypore is the ancient capital of the kingdom of Jeypore. It is situated at about 14 miles from Semiliguda and 50 km from Patangi. The place is of great historical importance as researchers have acquired materials connected to its antiquity. G. Ramadas infers that the village has derived its name from the famous Nanda dynasty of Magadha, which was supposed to have ruled over this area. The presence of Batrisa-Simhasana (Throne with 32 steps) has led some to believe that it was once a part of the empire of the great Vikramaditya.
The village in its glorious past was surrounded by a mud wall, remains of which are still noticable. Small steams flow nearby. There are two ancient boulders in the northern part of the village, one of them bearing two beautiful sculptures and in the other an elephant has been fashioned. An image of Ganapati of some six feet high is found about a mile away in south-east direction from the boulders. At about the same distance is located the shrine of Sarveswar which contains some inscriptions.
Also Jain culture thrived in the kingdom of Nandapur in tribal region under the patronage of kings of 'Kakateya' and 'Chindriko Nago' dynasties. Ruins of different temples and deities of Jain tirthankara are found here.
How to go & Where to stay
Jeypore, on N.H. No. 43 is connected by regular bus services to Berhampur, Koraput,Cuttack, Bhubaneswar(521 km) and other important towns of Orissa and Andhra Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh. Visakhapatanam (220 km) and Bhubaneswar (521 km) are the nearest Airports.
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