Aurangabad Off The Beaten Path

2 more images

Chini Mahal is a two story building that used to be covered in blue and white tiles. Now only a fragment of the tiles remain and the roof of the building has collapsed.
The king of Golconda, Abul Hasan Tana Shah, was held a prisoner here for 12 years before he died in 1699. He had been captured by the Moghul emperor Aurangazeb.
Several other kings have also been kept prisoners in Chini Mahal.

On your way up to the hilltop fort you must go through a dark tunnel. In the tunnel you can feel the smell of bats and it is not illuminated so you must use a torch, your own or pay one of the guides with a fire-torch. I arrived just as a group of Indian tourists were entering the tunnel. Their guide was walking first with the fire-torch and I used my small torch when it was needed for us in the end. Going back down I walked alone through the tunnel.

This was the only way in to the upper fort and to confuse the enemies the steps are uneven and there is a labyrinth of passages. When invaders came boiling water and hot oil was thrown down the tunnel.

2 more images

Originally there were Jani and Hindu temples at this site, but in 1318 the Delhi’s Sultan Qutubuddin Mubarak Khilji converted the present temple to a mosque, the Jami Masjid. After the independence in 1948 a statue of Bharat Mata was installed and it once more became a Hindu temple. In front of the temple there is a big open courtyard and in the temple you can see many rows of beautifully carved pillars. There are 106 pillars.

1 more image

On a round bastion between Chini Mahal and Nizamshahi Mahal there is a huge cannon, a Fort Breaking Cannon. The cannon, which is cast from five different metals, is 6 metres long and at the rear end there is a rams head (see photo 2). Engraved on the cannon is the name of Aurangzeb, and there is also an inscription from the Holy Koran.

4 more images

Daulatabad Fort was built during the 12th century by the Yadav kings. They ruled over the fort between 1187 - 1318. In 1318 Daulatabad came under the rule of the Sultanate of Delhi. At this invasion Harpaldev (son-in-law of the king) was flayed alive and his corps was hanged outside the main gate. It was not until 1328 that Daulatabad got its present name by the sultan Mohammed Tughlaq who decided to move his capital here from Delhi. To populate the new capital he had the entire population of Delhi moved 1100 km south to Daulatabad. But it turned out that Daulatabad was unsuited as a capital because of strategic reasons so all the inhabitants were moved back to Delhi.

The ruins of the fort in Daulatabad can be visited on the way to Ellora, but it will be a very long day of sight-seeing, so I saw it on a separate day.

I started with walking up to the hill fort on top of a 200 metre high mountain. On the way I stopped to take a few photos, walked pasted buildings, walls and gates and through a long dark tunnel with stairs leading further up the slope. To reach the top it took 50 minutes. From the top you have a great view of the surrounding landscape and you can see how big the area of the fort is. The thick outer walls circumference is almost 5km. On my way down I took a closer look at some of the structures I had passed on the way up.

Admission to the fortress was Rs 100 (June 2010) for foreigners. It is open between 6 - 18.
Daulatabad for is situated about 15 km northwest of Aurangabad.

4 more images

The red, 60 metres tall, minaret Chand Minar is easy to spot and you will walk pass it on your way up the mountain slope. The minaret has four floors with a spiral stairway, but it is not open to visitors. The base is rectangular. It is a Tower of Victory and was built to commemorate the conquest of the fort in 1435 by Ala-ud-din Bahmani. It has been used as a watch tower and also for call to prayer. There is a small mosque just next to the minaret.

Carved between the 2nd century BC and the 6th century AD, the Ajanta Caves are considered masterpieces of Buddhist art. Much like the nearby Ellora site, Ajanta is a fascinating site on the UNESCO list of World Heritage Sites. However, while it does not have a single magnificent temple to boast, such as the Kailasa at Ellora, Ajanta more than compensates with its dramatic setting and well-preserved colourful Buddhist murals and intricately decorated cave-temples. The 30 exclusively Buddhist caves at Ajanta were carved into a cliff within a gorge shaped like a horseshoe. Ajanta is located about 1:45 hours north-west of Aurangabad and is easily accessible by car or bus.

For more, check out my Ajanta page.

Along with nearby Ajanta, Ellora ranks top among India's cave-temple sites. It is essentially the main reason anyone comes to Aurangabad and is therefore a must-see when in town. With its 34 caves, carved into an escarpment between the 6th and 11th centuries AD, Ellora has been added to the list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites. Its prized jewel is undoubtedly the astonishing Kailasa Temple, the world's largest monolithic structure, but other caves in Ellora are nevertheless fascinating. What makes Ellora so unique is the existence of caves belonging to three faiths, Buddhist, Hindu and Jain, which provides an invaluable insight into the history of early Indian architecture and religions. Note that it is impossible to visit both Ellora and Ajanta in a single day, but if you have to choose between the two, I would recommend Ellora, though it would be a shame to come all the way here and not see both. Ellora is best combined with stops at Daulatabad and Khuldabad as all three lie along the same road, with Ellora being the furthest from Aurangabad, a mere 35-minute drive.

For more, please check out my Ellora page.