Aurangabad

Known for its medieval monuments and cultural heritage, Aurangabad city is located in the western region of India in the state of Maharashtra. Gayeway to the world heritage sites i.e. caves of Ajanta and Ellora, Aurangabad holds a special place in Indian history.

The city of Aurangabad is beautifully surrounded by hills on all sides. Malik Amber founded the modern city of Aurangabad. He was the Prime Minister of Murtaza Nizam Shah II, the Nizam of Ahmednagar

The name of Aurangabad was given to the city by Aurangzeb probably during his reign between 1681 AD and 1707 AD. He was the governor of the Deccan province in his youth. Later, he became the emperor of India. For a short period, Mughal empire flourished under Aurangzeb and Aurangabad became the capital.

However, the history of the Aurangabad dates even farther back to Buddhist period. People were introduced to Buddhism by the Mauryan rulers. The locals accepted it in positive way and it is evident from the fact that ancient Buddhist cave temples still exist in and around modern Aurangabad. The influx of Buddhism increased during Satvahana and Rashtrakuta dynasties

Aurangabad had a big influence on Indian history during medieval period due to its strategic location. The city is situated at the cross roads of north and south India and Mohammed-bin-Tughlak and Aurangzeb attempted failed translocations of their capital from Delhi to Aurangabad Location of the city is such that the emperors thought that they would better be able to control both northern and southern regions of their empires. But, flaws in execution and planning led to the failure to do so. Moreover, the time was not in their favor as their empires were crumbling.

Considered safe from Afghans and other Asian raiders, the heritage and cultural aspects of the city remained unchanged till Aurangzeb governed and spread Islam in the area.

Architecture, art and culture was at its best during the reign of Aurangzeb in Aurangabad. One of the masterpieces of the city, Bibi-ka-Makbara resembles with the Taj Mahal. The mausoleum was a tribute to Begam Rabia Durani, the mother of Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb.

Ancient Buddhist, Jain and Hindu temples in the world heritage sites of Ajanta and Ellora are the charm and biggest attractions of the city and are among the most visited places in Maharashtra

Places to see

Ajanta Caves

Among the world’s greatest historical monuments and recognized by UNESCO as World Heritage sites, Ajanta Caves are like new dawn in the offing.

Wonderful pieces of history, the caves were discovered by John Smith, a British officer in 19th century during a hunting campaign of the British army. However, the caves date back to a period from 200 B.C. and depict the stories of Buddhism. In all, there are 29 caves in Ajanta out of which 9, 10, 19, 26 and 29 are chaitya-grihas. The other caves are monasteries.

The caves were built by Buddhist monks for performing rituals in the caves suing simple tools like hammer and chisel. Tempera technique on a ground of mud plaster has been used to make the paintings. Situated on a horseshoe rock, hidden in a lonely glen surrounded by bush, shrubs earth and stones with streamlet flowing down below, the architecture of the caves is a class act in itself. Depicting stories of Jataka tales in the form of sculptures and paintings. caves highlight the severe religious influence and development of Buddhism in a grand manner.

Illustrating the events of the life of Gautama Buddha, the paintings on the walls also show stories related to Buddha's previous incarnation.

Budha has been the center and most of the paintings in Ajanta are right from 2nd century BC-AD. The paintings reflect incidents from the life of Buddha and the Jatakas. Separated by an interval of 4 centuries, the caves were constructed during two different periods.

Infinite charm and highest craftsmanship beholds the beauty of the caves and one is fascinated to see the glimpses of Buddhism in Ajanta Caves.

 

Ellora Caves

An epitome of - Buddhism, Hinduism and Jainism, belonging to the Hinayana sect of Buddhism, Ellora Caves, declard as World Heritage Site in 1983, are a testimony to the brilliance of a new chapter in the architectural history of India.

When Buddhism was declining in India, it was perhaps the last brilliance of architecture of the Buddhist period. This was the period when Hinduism was beginning to reassert itself.

With exquisite sculptures and impressive caved complex but with less dramatic settings than Ajanta caves, the temples were built between the 6th and 10th centuries AD. However, 3rd century marked the starting of building the Ellora Caves.

Ellora consists of 34 caves, 12 of which relate to Buddhism and house some of finest images of Buddha from Mahayana Period. During time of revival of Hinduism also, the construction work took place and 17 Hindu Caves were built between 600 and 870 AD. The shape and creation of Hindu caves were totally different from what one can see in Buddhist Caves. The carvings from top to bottom and the statues occupying the centre of premises have always been the notable features of hindu temples or caves.
A prayer hall named Viswakarma is situated in Cave 10 and is a huge attraction showing a stupa with seated budha inside it. It is also called Tin Tala and has three storeys.

Another major attraction here is the Kailasa Temple (Cave 16) which took a hundred years to build. Numerous incidents from the Puranas are depicted inside the temple. Cave 29 (Dhumar Lena), Cave 30 (Chhota Kailasa), Cave 32 (Indra Sabha) are the other worthy attractions.

A masterpiece of architecture, Kailasa Temple is situated in cave 16. Themes and incidents of Puranas have been scripted and showed on a beautifully carved out single rock, it took nearly 100years to be completed.
One can see the religious tolerance and shifting of allegiance of the rulers from Shaivism (Hinduism devoted to Shiva) to the Digambara sect of Jainism during the 10th century and this was the last period of construction in Ellora.
Created during a time of prosperity and revival of Hindusim, the Hindu caves represent an entirely different style of creative vision and skill than the Buddhist caves. The Hindu temples were carved from top to bottom and required several generations of planning and coordination to take shape.
A combination of decent decoration, reflecting traditions and values of Jainism, the admiration of detailed artwork, visible fragments of exceptional asceticism is surely guaranteed when one stops to visit the Jain caves dating back to 800A.D. The Jain caves are usually not very large in size. Indra Sabha is the most fascinating of all the 5 Jain caves situated in Ellora. It was the noted assembly hall which also contain grand statues of Tirthankars of Jains.

 

Daulatabad Fort

A majestic fortress, earlier known as Devgiri, is at a distance of 13 kms from Aurangabad city.

A small city, Daultabad was founded in 1187 A.D. by Bhillamraja of Yadava dynasty, houses a stupendous impregnable Fort built atop a charming hill in 12th century. Daulatabad is also called the As it passed through the hands of different dynasties, Daultabad is also called 'The city of fortune' and was named so by Mohammed bin Tughlaq. He also made the place its capital for a brief period.

The invincible Daulatabad Fort is surrounded by a long sturdy wall and ramparts. One can climb to the top of the fortress through the bat cave.

It is probably the best preserved forts of medieval times. Due to its location and the structural advantage on being top of a conical hill with big walls all around the fort, the Daultabad can be categorized among the safest for in terms of intrusion and no one could conquer the majestic fort except once when it was conquered by treachery.

Chand Minar, Jami Masjid and royal palaces are some of the significant buildings within the fortress which have big pavilions and courtyards along with spacious halls.

 

Bibi ka Maqbara

At a distance of 5 kms from Aurangabad city, the tomb of Rabia-ul-Daurani is a magnificent mausoleum. A tribute to a mother, the tomb was built in her memory by Prince Azam Shah in 1651. Rabia-ul-Daurani was the wife of Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb.

Deccan plateau has only one example of Mughul architecture and i.e. the Bibi-ka-Maqbara which is a replica of the Taj Mahal.

Completed in 10 years, the inscriptions show that the tomb was designed by Ata-ullah, an architect, and was constructed by Hanspat Rai.

The marble for the tomb was said to be brought from nearby mines of Jaipur. It could not fully imitate and is not an adequate similarity to “Taj Mahal”, monument still stays for a long time in the memory of visitors.

Often called the 'Taj of Deccan', Bibi Ka Maqbara is situated in the backdrop of mountains and surrounded by pillared pavilions and the usual charbagh garden style of Persian architecture with fountains in between the pathways make it a wonderful monument of Aurangabad. A mosque was a later addition in the premises.