Aurangabad holidays

Named after the Mughal emperor Aurangzeb, Aurangabad is northern Maharashtra’s largest city, but is remarkably uncrowded considering its overall size and population. Aurangabad is home to several interesting sites such as the Bibi-ka-Maqbara or ‘poor-man’s Taj Mahal’, the Panchakki water mill, and its own group of Buddhist caves to the north of the city, however the highlight of any stay in Aurangabad would have to be the nearby Ajanta and Ellora caves, both of which are Unesco World Heritage listed sites.

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Discover the spectacular caves at Ajanta

The breathtaking caves at Ajanta lie 102km north-east of Aurangabad. These Buddhist caves date from around 200BC and continued to be added to until 650AD, predating those at nearby Ellora. As Ellora developed and Buddhism gradually declined, the Ajanta caves were abandoned and eventually forgotten, but in 1819 a British hunting party stumbled upon them and their remote beauty was soon unveiled. Their isolation contributed to the fine state of preservation in which some of their remarkable paintings remain to this day. Today Ajanta is listed as a world heritage site by Unesco.

Poor man's Taj Mahal and Aurangabad caves

The Bibi-ka-Maqbara, or so-called 'poor man’s Taj Mahal', was built in 1679 as a mausoleum for Aurangzeb's wife, Rabia-ud-Daurani. Despite construction of this monument falling far short of Aurangzeb's expectations due to a lack of resources, the Bibi-ka-Maqbara is still one of India's most impressive Islamic monuments. Overlooking the Bibi-ka-Maqbara are the Aurangabad caves. Work on these Buddhist caves dates back to the fourth century, though it is thought that Cave 4, the oldest of the group, possibly dates back as far as the first century. The Aurangabad caves all contain fine carvings depicting various bodhisattvas and deities associated with the Buddhist following that flourished in this region until the sixth century.

The magnificent fortress of Daulatabad

Halfway between Aurangabad and Ellora is the magnificent hilltop fortress of Daulatabad. Occupation of this site, then known as Deogiri (Hill of the Gods), dates from its ninth-century role as bastion and capital of a confederacy of Hindu tribes. In 1327 it was renamed Daulatabad (City of Fortune) by Mohammed Tughlaq, who had the notion to build a new capital here, and march the entire population of Delhi 1,100 km south to populate it. His unhappy subjects rapidly proceeded to die off, and 17 years later he turned around and marched them all back to Delhi.

The world heritage cave temples of Ellora

The world heritage-listed cave temples of Ellora are best visited in the afternoon when they take on a golden radiance in the fading sunlight. These caves are a spectacular culmination of Deccan rock-cut architecture. Over five centuries, generations of Buddhist, Hindu and Jain monks carved monasteries, chapels and temples from a 2-km-long escarpment and decorated them with a profusion of sculptures of remarkable imagination and detail. Because of the escarpment's gentle slope, in contrast to the sheer drop at Ajanta, many of the caves have elaborate courtyards in front of the main shrines.