Must-see attractions in Aurangabad

I remember my school days when I studied about Ajanta and Ellora Caves and the city of Aurangabad which houses these two World Unesco Heritage Sites. Aurangabad is a beautiful city  and most of the major attractions can be cover within two days. A  holiday to Aurangabad with friends can be as exciting as it can get, a few must-visits are listed below :

52 gates : Also known as the 'City of Gates', Aurangabad has 52 gates. These gates served as points of revenue collection while entering the town and were also used for surveillance purpose. Out of 52 , only 19 survive today.

Bibi Ka Maqbara :
The first stop that we made was  Bibi-ka-Maqbara -  a complete replica of Taj Mahal. It was built by Aurangzeb’s son in memory  of his mother. And what differentiates it from the original is that it started its structure being  built with marble and gradually moved on to bricks and plaster due to lack of funds.

Panchakki (water mill):
Next in-line was Panchakki, when translated means Water Mill. It is one of the engineering marvel, of such an old age, where the water was used to drive the mill and further get the flour from grains at that time. The Panckakki is a reminder of the level of India's technology and the ingenuity of some of our engineers - to use water of a natural spring and channelize its power to run a water mill.

Grishneshwar Jyotirlinga Temple :
Grishneshwar (Ghushmeshwar)Temple is an ancient pilgrimage site revered as the abode of one of the 12 Jyotirlinga manifestation of Lord Shiva.  We went inside the Garbagriha, had darshan and came out . Males have to remove the shirt before going inside Garbagriha. Since photography is  not allowed inside the temple complex,  I could not show you anything of the temple other than the spire, that too from a distance.  Then we headed towards Ellora  Caves.

Grishneshwar Jyotirlinga Temple

Ellora Caves
Almost 2 km wide, these caves are divided into three parts: Buddhism (caves 1-12), Hinduism (Caves 13-29) and Jainism (Caves 30-34).

Most of the caves are rich in ancient carvings, scriptures and iconography.

Kailasha temple at Ellora :
It was cave no. 16, the Kailash Temple and  is the largest monolithic structure in the world and was carved out by cutting three deep trenches of the hill.  The walls had exquisite sculptures of Shiva and other gods in different avatars .

Kailasha temple at Ellora



Bhadra Maruti (Hanuman) Temple:
This Hanuman temple is situated 2-3kms away from Ellora . Here, murti of Hanuman is in sleeping position.

Tomb of Mughal Emperor Aurangazeb :

After paying my respects to this Great Mughal Emperor I headed off to see Daulatabad Fort.

Daulatabad Fort 
Daulatabad Fort is located right on top of the Daulatabad hill at a height of 600 feet and is a 45 minutes climb from the main parking area.

The Daulatabad Fort

Himroo
Then we visited out last stop for the day, that was Aurangabad silk factory. Aurangabad is famous for Mashru and Himru fabrics made of cotton and silk with the luster of satin.

Then we headed back to the city and asked our driver to come to our hotel at 7 AM next morning for our travel to Ajanta caves.

Ajanta Caves:
The Ajanta Caves are at located at a distance of 104 kms from city.

On our way to Ajanta caves we saw a mass procession of villagers run with  Buffalo's and boisterous music of traditional orchestra, colorful palanquin and festival flags for the traditional Buffalo Fight Competition.

The  travel through wide and almost empty roads, paddy fields on both sides was really exciting. Enroute we had a pit sop for sugarcane juice.

After two and half hours journey , we reached the parking slot of the Ajanta caves. No private vehicle is allowed to reach caves.  A 10 minute ride in the eco friendly bus  picks you from the parking spot and drops you at the caves. After purchasing entry tickets, you need to climb steps to gain a height.

Ajanta Caves

Painting at Ajanta Caves

Then we climbed at the top of the caves from where one can see entire caves in 120 degree view.  I got a beautiful view of  Waghora River falling down the hill and it was really marvelous.

Waterfall on Waghora River

monks walking in cave area

Siddharth Garden:
The Siddharth Garden Zoo is situated in the heart of Aurangabad. A well maintained garden, elaborate with trees, flowers and an aquarium, rides, and a zoo, this one is ideal for some relaxed time in lush green and refreshing surroundings.

Then headed to catch our bus to Mumbai.  If you are a fan of culture, photography and architecture, then Aurangabad must be in your list.