Aurangabad - the Historical City

Aurangabad the city named after the last Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb, is located in central Maharashtra. The city situated on the right bank of the Kham River, is known worldwide for its Ajanta and Ellora caves. Aurangabad is a major tourist attractions because of its many popular historical, piligrimage and architectural sites. The city has been a major silk and cotton textile production centre for many centuries. Aurangabad is famous for Himroo textile,locally produced handicrafts items and Pithani silk sarees. Besides the city is a major centre of Steer recycling, Auto parts manufacturing and Beverages production.

What attract tourists

The historical city has many places of tourist attractions, among the famous tourist attractions include :

Aurangabad Caves Pilgrim worshippers visiting Moghul tomb garden Bibi Ka Maqbara Aurangabad Aurangabad is home to a group of beautiful caves date back to the 6th or 7th century AD. The 10 caves carved out of the hillside, are all related to Buddhism.

Bibi Ka Maqbara It is the tomb of Begum Rabia-Ud-Durani, wife of Emperor Aurangzeb. The tomb was built by Azam Shah in the year 1678 and has a little resemblance from Taj Mahal. Called as "Poor Man's Taj Mahal" the tomb is a finest example of Persian Architecture. Situated amidst the landscaped garden the tomb has the ponds, fountains and water channels.

Panchakki The Panchakki or the Water mill built by Malik Amber in 1695 is major tourist attraction. The mill is an amazing engineering manufacture of that period. The Panchakki was used to run the flour mill and grind grain for the poor.

Darwazas As most of the historical monuments in the city are of Nizam Shahi, Mughal and Maratha period they have magnificent Darwazas. Aurangabad city has four main darwazas and nine secondary darwazas, which was the part of the defense systems of the city.

Himroo Factory The factory located in the old town produces hand-woven traditional Himroo shawls from cotton, silk and silver threads. The famous Himroo shawls and sarees are on sale in many showrooms around the city.

Excursions

Ajanta Situated 99 Kms from the Aurangabad city the place is famous for its caves. The Ajanta caves dating back to Gupta period, were built between the 2nd and 1st centuries B.C. The first Buddhist cave was further added by several intricately decorated caves. Ajanta caves are popular for its paintings and sculptures, which are masterpieces of Buddhist religious art. The caves are dotted with 34 monasteries and temples, which extends over 2 Kms.

Ellora Ajanta caves AurangabadThe place located 30 Kms from Aurangabad, has many uninterrupted monuments, belong to the 600 A.D- 1000 A.D. The popular Ellora caves has a collection of unique artistic pattern and a technological exploit. Around 34 caves were carved out in a curve of low hills, among them16 are of Hindus, 13 are of Buddhist and five are Jain faith.

How to Reach Aurangabad

The city is well connected by Air, Rail and Road.

Air : The airport of Aurangabad, lies at a distance of 10 Kms from the city. Aurangabad airport is connected to Mumbai, Delhi, Jaipur and Udaipur etc.

Rail : Aurangabad railway station is well connected to Mumbai and other major cities of the country. The trains are available from major cities of the country to Arangabad. From Mumbai two trains run daily to Aurangabad.

Road : Good roads connect Aurangabad with Mumbai and rest of the country. The luxury and state run buses ply between Mumbai and Aurangabad. The distance of some important places from Aurangabad are Mumbai (403 Kms), Pune (214 Kms), Nasik (218 Kms), Indore (402 Kms), Daulatabad (13 Kms), Shirdi (130 Kms) and Jalgaon (194 Kms).

Where to Stay in Aurangabad

Aurnagabad has many hotels cater to the needs of the tourists. The hotels well-equipped with good facilities offer comfortable stay to guests.

Among the famous hotels of the city include Taj Residency (Taj Group), The Meadows, Hotel Ambassador Ajanta, Welcome Hotel Rama International, Hotel President Park and Hotel Aurangabad etc.