AURANGABAD Part-2 : Caves, Forts and Rich History

As for the interest of the place and continue support from you all, we on behalf of Phila Tours & Travels Pvt. Ltd. are here again with the 2nd Part for Aurangabad and rest of the interesting places to visit which were not covered in our first part of blog.

DAULATABAD FORT: Devagiri (Daultabad of the later period), 11kms north-west of Aurangabad, is a famous for its formidable hill fort.  The fort is situated on an isolated cone-shaped hill rising abruptly from the plain to the height of about 190 meters.  The fortification constitutes of three concentric lines of defensive walls with large number of bastions.  The noteworthy features of the fort are the moat, the scarp and the sub-terranean passage, all hewn of solid rock.  The upper outlet of the passage was filled with an iron grating, on which a large fire could be used to prevent the progress of the enemy.  The Chand Minar, about 63 meters in height, was erected by Alauddin Bahman Shah in 1435 AD was originally covered with beautiful Persian 

Chand Minar

Chini Mahal

glazed tiles. Opposite the Minar is the Jumma masjid, whose pillars originally belonged to a temple.  Close to it, there is a large masonry tank.  The Chini Mahal at the end of the lower for is the place where Abdul Hasan Tana Shah, the last king Golconda, was confined by Aurangzeb in 1687 AD. Nearby is a round bastion topped with a huge canon with ram’s head, called Kila Shikan or Fort breaker. The Baradari,
octagonal in shape, stands near the summit of the fort. The principal bastion at the summit also carries a large canon. Though the city of Devagiri was founded in 1187 AD by the Yadava king Bhillan V, the fort was constructed during the reign of Singhana II (1210-46 AD). It was captured by Ala-ud-Din Kalji in 1294 AD, marking the first Muslim invasion of the Deccan. Then in 1327 AD, Muhammed-bin-Tughluq sought to make it his capital, by transferring the entire population of Delhi and changing the name from Devagiri to Daulatabad. The fort remained in Mughal control till Aurangzeb’s death in 1707 AD., when it passed on to the Nizam of Hyderabad. The famous Ellora Caves are just 16kms away from Daulatabad.

Tomb of Dilras Banu Begum

BIBI KA MAQBARA : The Bibi-Ka-Maqbara is a beautiful mausoleum of Rabia-ul-Daurani alias Dilras Banu Begum, the wife of the Mughal Emperor Aurangazeb. This mausoleum is believed to be constructed by Prince Azam Shah in memory of his mother between 1651 and 1661 A.D. The marble for this mausoleum was brought from mines near Jaipur. The mausoleum draws its inspiration from the world famous Taj Mahal of Agra (constructed between 1631 and 1648 A.D.) and hence it is rightly known as the "Taj of Deccan". The mausoleum was intended to rival the Taj Mahal, but, the decline in the architencture and proportions of the structure had resulted in a poor copy of the latter so, also known as Mini Taj Mahal. Even this decline can not stop one appreciating the settings of the tomb complex in a garden setting with the mountain ranges behind providing as a backdrop. A huge ‘U’ shaped gap in between the hills behind provides the perfect harmony in which the mausoleum is blended. The smaller mosque, a later addition, stands to the west of the mausoleum. The bays are pierced through with five cusped arches and a minaret could be noticed at each corner.

AURANGABAD CAVES: Aurangabad caves are just a few kilometers away from the famous monument of Bibi Ka Maqbara. These caves are believed to be excavated between 2nd and 6th century AD. Aurangabad caves are carved out of the hillside and are a fine piece of architecture. During the 6th and 7th century, the Aurangabad caves were artificially dug out on soft rocks. There are about 12 caves in Aurangabad found in two distinct locations of a kilometer consisting of Western Group Caves (Cave 1-5), consists mainly of viharas (monasteries), Cave number 2 has a shrine with the image of Buddha. Cave 3 is the prominent and largest among the Western Group and is a masterpiece amongst all, with its beautifully carved pillars and sculptures. Eastern Group Caves (cave 6-10) located nearly 500 meters east of the first group and it contains many unfinished caves. At the eastern group, Cave 6 is a masterpiece because of for its amazing picture of women with their hairstyles and ornamentation. Cave 7 is the most remarkable for its sculptures that portray figures of women meagerly dressed and richly ornamented images of women like Hariti and the six goddesses, including Padmini. Cave 7 houses an imposing sculpture of a Bodhisattva, praying for deliverance from the 8 dangers, fire, the sword of the enemy, chains, shipwreck, lions, snakes, mad elephant and demon (representing death). Outside this cave is amazing figures of both Lord Ganesha and Buddha.
And finally, we reach to.....

Inside of Ellora Cave

ELLORA CAVES: About 30 km from Aurangabad is the world renowned Ellora Caves, known for their Buddhist, Jain and Hindu cultural influences. There are 34 caves containing shrines, monasteries and temples. The Buddhist caves now numbered from 1 to 12 were carved during the period 200 BC to 600 AD. These were followed by the 17 Hindu caves numbered from 13 to 29, which form the center of the complex built between 500 - 900 AD.  The Hindu caves are grouped around the famous Kailash Temple (No. 16), which represents the epitome of Indian rock-cut architecture. Finally, there are 5 Jain caves numbered from 30 to 24 and dating from 800 - 1000 AD. The caves are excavated in the scarp of a large plateau, running in a north-south direction for nearly 2 km, the scarp being in the form of a semi-circle, the Buddhist group at the right arc on the south, while the Jain group at the left arc on the north and the Hindu at the center. The Kailash Temple at Ellora is dedicated to Lord Shiva and is the biggest monolithic sculpture in the world. It is carved from a single, mammoth rock.

The link, provided here will give you the visual joy of Ellora caves, but believe me, seeing is believing, get there and have the feel….

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