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Introduction
Aurangabad with a population exceeding 1.5 million is among the important cities & districts of Maharashtra. A majority of the tourists including international tourists use Aurangabad as a stopover destination for visiting the world famous World Heritage Sites of Ajanta Caves (100 kms) & Ellora Caves (30 kms). A majority of them are unaware of the rich history & architecture of the city and either give it a miss or devote only half a day to Aurangabad. My travelogue today doesn’t take you to Ajanta or Ellora but we explore the rich architectural splendour of Aurangabad and Daulatabad fort. I have visited Aurangabad thrice – once as a school student and twice in the recent years.
History of Aurangabad
The city of Aurangabad has an interesting history. Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb gave his name to the city. The ancient name of Aurangabad was probably Rajatalaka.
Aurangzeb’s favourite city
Aurangzeb continues to be an enigma and is perhaps the most controversial figure in Indian history. He became the emperor after a bloody succession war. The mantra for the Mughals was “Ya thakt ya tabut” (Either throne or grave). Hindus condemn him for being a vile oppressor and for destroying major Hindu temples. Aurangzeb spent the major part of his life in the Deccan with Aurangabad as his base for leading the Deccan campaign. In fact during the last 26 years of his reign he had shifted the royal court to Aurangabad and made it his capital. Not even once during those 26 years he went back to Delhi or North India.
He made Aurangabad a walled city with 52 gates and constructed a large fort /palace called Qila-e-Ark. He was in constant war with the Marathas. By the time of his death in 1707, practically entire India had come under Mughal control. The map below gives an illustration of the extent to which Mughal empire had extended during his reign. The famous monuments in Qila-e-Ark were Adil Darwaza, Shahi-Masjid, Palmer-Kothi, Zenana-Masjid, Mardana Mahal and Zenana-Mahal. All of them are in ruins. In recent years some heritage groups of Aurangabad have initiated the campaign to restore some of them and open them to public.
Paithan
From historical times, the Aurangabad region has played an important role in shaping the culture & history of the region. Paithan which is 50 kms from Aurangabad is a very ancient town. It’s ancient name is Pratishthanapura or Pratishhthana. It was the capital of Satavahana empire from 2nd century BCE to 2nd century CE. Many saints of Maharashtra have their association with Paithan. Sant Eknath was born in Paithan & also died here. His samadhi attracts thousands for the annual yatra. Paithan is now famous for the Paithani sarees. Daulatabad or Dēvagirī, the capital of the Yadava dynasty (9th century CE–14th century CE) is 11 kms from Aurangabad.
Buddhist centre
The Aurangabad Caves & Ellora caves are proof that the areas around Aurangabad were important centres of Buddhism in ancient times and thousands of monks, scholars & students lived there. These caves were located on the important trade routes and traders & merchants made night halts there.
Malik Ambar
Malik Ambar (1548-1623) was a Siddi from Ethiopia and he came to India as a slave. He proved his administrative acumen in the Ahmednagar Sultanate and rose to become its prime minister. He was a powerful military leader and specialized in guerilla warfare and raised a large army He declared his independence and founded a new city called Khadki (old name of Aurangabad). Jahangir considered him as his prime enemy. In 1621 the imperial Mughal army ravaged Khadki under the order of Jahangir. Malik Ambar’s son Fateh Khan later changed the name Khadki to Fatehnagar. Fatehnagar finally came under Mughal control in 1633.
After appointment as Viceroy of Deccan for the second time in 1653, Aurangzeb didn’t stay in Daulatabad fort. He made Fatehnagar as his capital. He changed the name to Aurangabad that has existed till date.
Aurangabad under Nizam rule
In 1724, the Mughal governor of the Deccan, Nizam Asaf Jah I, seceded from the Mughal Empire and founded his own Asaf Jahi dynasty. The dynasty established the State of Hyderabad with their capital at Aurangabad. They transferred their capital to the city of Hyderabad in 1763. Till 1956 Aurangabad remained a part of the Hyderabad State. In 1960 it became a part of Maharashtra after its formation. The cultural influence of Hyderabad is still visible in Aurangabad.
Aurangabad Caves
The more illustrious caves of Ajanta & Ellora perhaps overshadow the ancient Buddhist caves of Aurangabad. Many a domestic & international tourists give it a miss. They are either not aware of these caves or because by the time they cover the famous caves, they are totally caved out !! Either the local residents, some domestic tourists or those interested in ancient caves, heritage & archaeology visit them. Perhaps, if they were in a location far from Ajanta and Ellora Caves then they would have got more attention from tourists.
The Aurangabad caves are twelve rock-cut Buddhist caves located on a hill on the outskirts of Aurangabad near Marathwada University. The caves are spread out in three clusters. The Western group comprises of 5 caves, the Eastern group 4 caves and the remaining three unfinished caves form the North cluster. The excavation took place most probably in the 6th & 7th centuries from soft basalt rocks. There is Hinayana style chaitya with stupa in Cave 4. This makes many scholars to believe that the excavation of this cave took place much earlier than the other Mahayana style caves at Aurangabad. One scholar has placed it to the 1st century CE.
Special features of the caves
What is of significance at these caves are the presence of large size Boddhisatvas. They are Avalokitesvara, Padmapani & Vajrapanis. There are images of female figures in different forms of goddess Tara. One of them being Mahavidyarajani (goddess of knowledge). They have lotus flowers in their headdress. There are figures of dancing deities and female musicians. Music was important in Mahayana Buddhism.
In a small unfinished caves, images of Saptamatrikas, dancing Shiva (in Virbhadra form) and Ganesha have intrigued scholars. Many believe that towards the end of the 7th century, during the last phase of Buddhist activities, Shaiva traditions had started growing and influencing Buddhist art. In one of the caves there is image of Gaja Lakshmi with elephants showering water on her.
Interesting observations
The region around Aurangabad had black soil, ideal for cultivation of cotton. Cotton, textiles & brocades were the major items that traders & merchants took to the port city of Kalyan & Konkan region. They were exported to Greece & Italy. This made them & Kalachuri empire wealthy. They donated liberally for excavation of Buddhist caves on the Silk route of Deccan region.
I spent more than two hours exploring the caves. I was left marveling in amazement & wonder at the craftsmanship of the great sculptors. They had worked without the modern implements and cut through the rocks to create such exquisite figures. Since I had visited these caves before visiting Ajanta & Ellora, the amazement was more.
Some of the unfinished caves leave us to wonder whether the inhabitants had to leave them in a hurry due to persecution or some other calamity.
The ASI is taking decent care of the upkeep of the caves. There is a steep climb of several steps to reach the caves. You get a panoramic view of the city after reaching the top !!
Enjoy the virtual tour of Aurangabad Caves
Monuments of Aurangabad city
Bibi ka Maqbara
Bibi ka Maqbara is the best known monument of Aurangabad city. It resembles Taj Mahal in design & concept and is called Deccani Taj (Taj of the Deccan). Many consider it a poor copy of Taj. Aurangzeb had started its construction in 1660 and it was completed by 1669. He built it in memory of his first and chief wife Dilras Banu Begum who was also his favourite. She was a Persian princess and daughter of viceroy of Gujarat. Aurangzeb married her in 1637 and she died in 1657 after giving birth to their fifth child, a son by the name Muhammad Akbar. Aurangzeb always remained devoted to her. After her death she was honoured with the title Rabia-ud-Daurani (Rabia of the Age)
Who built the fort ?
Even though Aurangzeb wanted to build the mausoleum to rival the grandeur of Taj Mahal but he sanctioned only 700 thousand rupees for its construction. The chief architect was Ata-ullah, the son of the chief designer of Tajmahal. Hanspat Rai was the chief engineer. Despite the financial constrained imposed on them they managed to build a beautiful mausoleum. As a standalone monument it is impressive but it pales when compared to Taj Mahal. The marble for the mausoleum was brought in bullock carts from mines near Jaipur. Aurangzeb ordered his son Muhammad Azam Shah to oversee the construction of the monument. The special features of the tomb are the jali work, arches, interior designs on the ceiling, floral designs on marble
The mausoleum is laid in the middle of a charbagh form of garden. It is built on a high square platform with minarets on all the four corners. There were entrances on all four sides. Nizam of Hyderabad later built a mosque on the western side due to which the western entrance got closed. The mausoleum structure is in the form of a hexagon. The main pathway leading to the mausoleum has screens on both sides and a row of fountains in the middle. The largest structure that Aurangzeb had built was the Badshahi mosque in Lahore in 1671. Bibi ka Maqbara was the second largest.
This place is very popular among the local population and they throng in large numbers specially on holidays. I spent about an hour at the mausoleum.
Enjoy the images of Bibi ka Maqbara
Panchakki
Built around 1695, Panchakki (water mill) is sort of engineering marvel that was designed to generate energy via water. Water was brought down from a spring on a mountain. Panchakki is part of a dargah complex. It is the dargah of Baba Shah Musafir a Sufi saint. It is located in a garden near the Mahmud Darvaza and consist of a mosque, a madrassa, a kacheri, a minister’s house, a sarai and houses for zananas. Turktaz Khan, a noble on the staff of Nizam-ul-Mulk Asaf Jah had built all of them around 1695. The oblong reservoir in front of the mosque and fountains were added 20 years later.
Panchakki was used to grind grain for the pilgrims and disciples of saints as well as for the troops of the garrison. There is an old Banyan tree near the reservoir which is standing from even before the construction of Panchakki. There is an 18th century library in the complex.
The Gates of Aurangabad
The walled city of Aurangabad had 52 gates out of which only 13 survive today. The prominent four gates in four directions are Meccai gate, Delhi gate, Jalna gate and Paithan gate. You can not go from one part of the city to other without encountering a gate.
Soneri Mahal
Soneri Mahal is a palace dating between 1651 to 1653. A Bundelkhand chief who had accompanied Aurangzeb to Deccan had built this palace in Rajput style. It houses a museum today.
The palace is the venue for the Aurangabad Festival, where musicians and dancers perform their art. During the festival held in December, the regional artisans also put up many stalls to sell their artifacts. Soneri Mahal is located within the campus of Babasaheb Ambedkar Marathwada University.
Daulatabad – the invincible fort
Wandering around the ruins of old fortresses, exploring the various monuments and reliving the history of several centuries thrill me. Sitting atop a 200 metres high rocky hill for almost a millennium, the imposing, majestic, impregnable citadel of Daulatabad inspires awe & wonder. So when I got an opportunity to visit it, I wanted to make the best of it. On an overcast morning I left my hotel in Aurangabad after an early breakfast. My wife preferred to stay back & relax in the comfort of the hotel room. I was at the entrance of the fort five minutes before the scheduled opening time of 9 a.m. As I was particular about enjoying the exploration in ‘ekant’ (solitude) before the crowds trooped in. I hired a guide and for the next one hour we were the only two souls wandering around.
After an hour, as is my wont, I bid goodbye to the guide after listening to his version of the history. I realized that it’s strategic location and three layered defense system made it one of the most powerful hill forts of India. Thereafter I spent an hour in the sprawling fort wandering on my own enjoying its many intricacies and clicking pics.
History of Daulatabad fort
The ancient name of Daulatabad was Deogiri or Devgiri. It was an important location on the caravan trade route. Historians are divided about the original builder of the fort. It is widely accepted that the Seuna Yadavas build the fort. Yadava ruler Bhillamma V declared independence from the western Chalukyas. He built the Daulatabad fort in 1187. He established a township around the fort and made it his capital. The Yadavas ruled from Devgiri for more than 100 years. Some scholars are of the opinion that the Rashtrakuta dynasty built the original fort in the 10th century. Sultan Alauddin Khalji annexed the fort in 1308.
Tughlaq’s folly
In 1327, the second Tughlaq Sultan, Muhammad Bin Tughlaq shifted his capital to Devgiri from Delhi and renamed it Daulatabad. It was a central location and administratively more convenient to control entire India. Tughlaq ordered the mass migration of the royal household, courtiers and his subjects from Delhi to the new city. He built a huge reservoir for water storage & connected it with a far-away river. He used siphon system to fill up the reservoir. But within two years he realized his folly for two reasons. The first was that the water in Daulatabad proved inadequate. Secondly, the north western frontiers became exposed to the invaders. The capital shifted back to Delhi in 1634. Thousands perished in the migration. For this reason history calls him as ‘wise fool’ or an eccentric man.
Fort under Bahamanis & Ahmednagar Sultanate
Shortly after that, the fort came under the Bahamanis who added many structures including Chand Minar in 1445. Under the Bahmanis Daulatabad became more formidable with added ramparts, a steeper scarp and a massive ditch at the base of the fortress about 15 metres deep and nine metres wide. In 1499, Daulatabad became a part of the Nizam Shahis of Ahmadnagar Sultanate, who used it as their secondary capital. As already stated earlier Ambar Malik established his capital at Khadki (Aurangabad) in 1610.
Under Mughal and Nizams of Hyderabad
In 1633, after a long seize the fort came under Mughal control. After Aurangzeb’s death in 1707, the fort came under the Marathas but their control remained short-lived. In 1724, the Nizam of Hyderabad recaptured the fort and continued to hold it till India’s independence.
Buildings & monuments in Daulatabad fort
Chand Minar
One of the attractions of the fort is the Chand Minar (Moon Tower). Ala-ud-din Bahmani built it in 1445 to commemorate his capture of the fort. The Chand Minar is among the finest specimens of Indo-Islamic architecture in Southern India. It is 63 metres high and is divided into 4 storeys and 24 chambers. A small mosque or praying hall sits at the base of the tower, which is covered with Persian blue tiles. The Tower also displays some indigenous Indian architectural features such as the brackets supporting its balconies. There is no entry into the tower for public.
Jami Masjid
Qutb-ud-din Mubarak Shah son of Alauddin Khalji became the Sultan in 1315 CE. He constructed the sprawling Jami Masjid in Daulatabad fort. It is said that an ancient Hindu temple was converted into a mosque. Another theory believes that the lintel & pillars used in construction of the mosque were looted from nearby Jain & Hindu temples. In recent years it has been converted into Bharat Mata temple.
Chini mahal
It is a beautiful double storied palace on the top of the fort. The palace was called Chini mahal because of the use of blue glazed stones. It is in ruins today. In 1687, Aurangzeb imprisoned Abul Hasan Tana Shah the last of the Qutb Shahi kings of Golconda, in this palace. Only some remnants of the old glory remains.
Baradari
This royal palace had 13 halls. The octagonal summer palace with 12 doors was built during Shah Jahan’s visit to the fort in 1636.
Cannons
It is said that the fort had 288 cannons. They were of various styles, sizes & shapes. The most well known cannon is the ‘Mendha tope’ from the Mughal era.
The cascabel is in form of a ram and hence the name Mendha tope. The cannon was famous as the Qila Shikan (breaker of the forts). It has inscription bearing Aurangzeb’s name as ‘Abul Zafar Muhiuddin Muhammad Aurangzeb Bahadur Alamgir Badhshah Kazi’. It had a barrel of wrought iron and casing made of brass. It’s weight was 14 tons and it had a firing range of 9 kms. The other well known cannons were Kala pahad & Durga tope.
Hathi Haud
It is a gigantic water tank measuring 38 x 38 x 6.6 meters with a capacity of about 10,000 cubic meters.
Some interesting facts about Daulatabad fort
* In order to confuse the attackers the fort had false gates on the left side while the real gates were on the right
* The fort had three layers of fortifications with a moat running all around which was infested with crocodiles
** There was only one entry & exit to trap the attackers
* Metallic spikes were used on the gates to injure the attacking elephants
* The shape of the hill with vertical slopes prevented enemies from climbing it
I spent nearly 2.5 hours at this incredible fort of India. The weather during monsoon was cool so didn’t feel tired. Do take a backpack with water bottle, torch & some munchies.
Enjoy a pictorial trip of Daulatabad fort
Aurangzeb’s tomb at Khuldabad
About 26 kms from Aurangabad and 15 kms from Daulatabad and 3 kms before Ellora caves lies a place called Khuldabad with a population of around 15 K. Initially it was known as “Rauza” as meaning garden of paradise. It is known as the Valley of Saints, or the Abode of Eternity. Because in the 14th century, several Sufi saints chose to reside here. Aurangzeb chose this place for burial. . It is ironical that the most successful & powerful Mughal emperor unlike his three predecessors chose to lie in obscurity. In deference to his desire his grave was simple without a cover on it. It was much later during British time the Viceroy, Lord Curzon decided to build a marble screen around the grave.
TheDargahs of Sufi Saints Zar Zari Zar Baksh, Shaikh Burhan ud-din Gharib Chisti and Shaikh Zain-ud-din Shirazi surround the grave of Aurangzeb. Aurangzeb’s son Azam Shah and Nizam-ul-Mulk Asaf Jah, the founder of the Hyderabad Nizam dynasty were also buried here.
Bhadra Maruti temple
Close to Khuldabad lies Bhadra Maruti temple. This Hanuman mandir is very popular among the nearby villages and on Tuesdays and Hanuman Jayanti day thousands throng the temple. It is one of the rare temples where Hanuman is in sleeping posture.
Legend of Bhadra Maruti.
The ancient name of the place was Ratnagiri. As per the Legend, Bhadra Sena an ardent devotee of Lord Rama built the temple tank Bhadra Kund. He used to sit near the tank and sing bhajans on Lord Rama. Impressed with Ram Keertan and Bhajan, Hanuman came down to Bhadravathi Kshetra. He became engrossed in listening to the bhajans and went into bhava samadhi posture. Bhadrasena noticed that Hanuman was in bhava samadhi posture. So he stopped singing and prostrated before the Lord. Hanuman woke up and on request from Bhadra Sena decided to stay here. So Hanuman here offers darshan in sleeping posture.
What a wonderful four days trip it turned out to be at Aurangabad. I also visited Ajanta & Ellora caves and the Ghrishneswar Jyotirilinga temple. I shall cover them some other time.
Connectivity/ best season / Hotels / Food
Aurangabad has good connectivity with other cities by road, rail & air. Trains from Mumbai to Aurangabad take 6.30 to 7 hours. It is at a distance of 195 kms from Nasik and 230 kms from Pune.
The best time to visit Aurangabad are the winter & monsoon months.
It is the base to visit the sites of Ajanta & Ellora hence there is no dearth of good hotels in Aurangabad to suit every budget. Taj group has two properties in Aurangabad – Vivanta Aurangabad for the tourists and Taj Residency for the business travellers. Rama Hotels by ITC Welcomhotel, Lemon Tree are other good hotels. VITS Aurangabad & Ginger Aurangabad are in the mid range.
There are no special foods of Aurangabad though some non-veg items like haleem (meat stew with wheat & lentils) are popular. Among sweets imarti & mango rabdi are popular.
Shopping
While you’re in Aurangabad, do venture out for some unique Paithani and Himroo silk weaves shopping. Paithani is an extremely fine, hand woven silk. With oblique pattern borders and peacock motifs on the ‘pallus’, they are classified by three criteria: motifs, weaving and colours. Paithani has a legacy of over 2000 years. Exclusively handmade, it takes an artisan anywhere between a month and two years to weave a saree, depending on its level of design and detailing. The starting range of a Paithani saree is Rs 10k and can go up to Rs 400k.
Equally famous is the Himroo fabric which is a blend of silk and cotton, manufactured locally in Aurangabad. In demand due to its rich heritage, Himroo is characterized by the use of Persian designs.
Regular Updates
I have clicked all the pics (except as mentioned with credit given)
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Disclaimer:
I have made sincere efforts to provide you the correct information about all the places that have been culled out from various sources. I do not take any responsibility for any errors that might have crept in the narration. There is no intention to hurt the faith or religious sentiments of any person or community.
The travel has happened before the pandemic hit us. Take care & stay safe.
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