Kaundinyapur

Kaundanyapur Kaundinyapur
village
Kaundanyapur Location in Maharashtra, India
Coordinates: 20.98°N 78.14°E / 20.98; 78.14
Country	India
State	Maharashtra
Region	Vidarbha
District	Amravati
Government
• Type	Panchayati raj (India)
• Body	Gram panchayat
Population  (2011)
• Total	935
Languages
• Official	Marathi
Time zone	UTC+5:30 (IST)
Telephone code	+91-0721
Vehicle registration	MH27 (Amravati)

Kaundanyapur is a village in Amravati District in the state of Maharashtra, India, thought to be the site of Kundinapuri, ancient capital of the legendary Vidarbha Kingdom.

History

Kaundanyapur is the capital of the Vidarbha Kingdom mentioned in the Mahabharata. It is believed that the incident of Rukmini Haran happened here. Shri Krishna rested here for a while and drank water from the Wardha River (the present name of the River Vardayini). There is a famous temple of Vitthal and Rukhmini. The state archaeological department conducted excavations at Kaundanyapur to "ascertain its antiquity". The dig revealed traces of the rampart of the ancient city. "The stone, foundation and brick walls of what appeared to be a palatial building, probably of the 14th or 15th century AD, have also been discovered," the report adds.

An information board at the temple also says that remains from the Copper Age and Stone Age are believed to have been found at Kaundanyapur. The ancient nature of the site also finds mention in the Hyderabad Gazette. Its ancient Vitthal Rukmini temple, situated on a hillock, overlooks the perennially flowing Wardha River. Some believe that in the month of Kartik, Rukmini used to come back to her maternal home in Kaundanyapur. It is also believed that there is a tunnel from the Kaundanyapur temple to another temple of the goddess Amba Devi located close by. However, there is another Ambai temple in the city of Amravati. The telling and retelling of the story has resulted in some confusion regarding the Ambai temple from where Rukmini is believed to have eloped with Lord Krishna.

References

Rukhmini Udana: The Flight to Sri Krishna Reunion by Hemant Bonde Patil Atlantic Publishers & Distributors India, ISBN 9788126926886 Census Data 2011 - Kaudanyapur