Aurangabad
Overview
It is easy to understand why many travelers consider Aurangabad to be little more than a convenient, but uninteresting, stopover point on the way to Ellora or Ajanta. First impressions seem to confirm its reputation as an industrial metropolis: wide streets, fast traffic, ugly urban buildings and gaping holes of urban wasteland, merging with the faceless reinforced concrete suburb. However, with just a little effort, the architectural shortcomings of the largest city of northern Maharashtra will be compensated. Scattered around the city's vague outer boundaries, the crumbling remains of fortifications, gates, domes and minarets, including what remains of Western India's grandest Mughal memorial park, Bibi Ka Maqbara, bear witness to a distinguished imperial past. The mass of small but delightful rock-cut Buddhist caves clustered along the slopes of the U-shaped hills are relics of an even more distant past.
The city, originally called Khadke, or “Big Stone,” was founded in the early 16th century. Malik Amber, a former Abyssinian slave and the first minister of the independent Muslim kingdom of Nizam Shahis, based in Ahmadagar, 112 km to the southwest. This location was favorable for a peripheral capital: on the banks of the River Kham, in a wide valley separating the Sahyadri range in the north from the Satharas in the south, at the crossroads of the region's main trade routes. Many mosques and palaces erected by Malik Amber have survived to this day, albeit in ruins.
In 1629, Shah Jahan's formidable army swept south across the Deccan Plateau to herald the beginning of Mughal rule. Aurangabad, like Fatehnagar, became a center for operations during long military campaigns. By the end of the 17th century, when Aurangzeb arrived there from Delhi to control the process of subduing the enemies who had troubled him in the region, the city assumed a dominant position. By his order, impressive city walls and gates were erected in 1686, designed to protect the city from constant Maratha raids, which became more frequent in the last years of his life. After Aurangzeb's death in 1707, the city was renamed in his honor, but soon changed hands again. The new rulers, the Nizam of Hyderabad and his descendants, somehow managed to push back the Marathas for 250 years until the city finally became part of the state of Maharashtra in 1956.
Today, Aurangabad is one of the fastest growing commercial and industrial hubs, producing a wide range of products from pharmaceuticals to autorickshaws for the insatiable Mumbai market. It's a lively place with many interesting old town shops, restaurants and bars, but also quite calm, despite the potentially explosive combination of a local council run by the far-right Hindu Shiv Sena party and a fairly sizeable Muslim minority. Day trips around Aurangabad include a visit to the majestic Daulatabad Fort, a veritable sanctuary of secret passages and a fine example of strategic architecture that was for a brief period in the 14th century. capital of Mughal India. A little further along the road leading to Ellora is the Muslim village of Khuldabad, where the tomb of Emperor Aurangzeb rests under a carpet of rose petals, and in the nearby courtyard a tattered curtain hides a chest containing the sacred “Robe of the Prophet.”
City
Industrial magnates and five-star hotels may well have supplanted the Mughal emperors and their palaces, but Aurangabad has retained much of its Muslim atmosphere. Head to the Muslim quarter around City Chowk and you'll see women dressed in long black burqas, as well as mosques that continue to attract huge crowds of worshipers on Fridays. The old city, enclosed by Malik Amber in the 16th century. walled, still forms the core of a vast bazaar. It is best to approach it from Gulmandi Square in the south, walking along the streets with picturesque shops and stalls. The bazaar lacks some of the intensity of bazaar life found in other Indian cities, but it has a pleasant business atmosphere and you are not bothered by overly pushy traders.
Continue north and you'll come to a busy thoroughfare, Ghati Road. In a small back room behind the shop on Ghati Road (other entrance is from Sarafa Road), there is the Purwar Museum (open daily from 10.00-13.00 and 15.00-18.00 hours, admission is free). Situated in a beautiful old haveli, this impressive private collection of antiquities boasts a 17th century Quran hand-painted by Aurangzeb himself, beautiful bronzes, and many other amazing items collected by the retired doctor. You need to find the sign above the door and ask the nearby craft store to let you inside.
The unremarkable Shah Ganj Masjid, overlooking the main square just east of City Chowk, is surrounded on three sides by small shops and a congested traffic circle that doubles as a racing track. Those wishing to explore other vestiges of Aurangabad's former Mughal glory should see the city's largest and most impressive mosque, the Jami Masjid, 1 km northwest of the Shah Ganj Masjid. The building that appears before your eyes is much older than it might appear, judging by its age by the pale purple paint covering it; its many buildings began to be erected by Malik Amber in 1612, and then added to a century later under Aurangzeb. To the east of the mosque lie the ruins of Aurangzeb's former imperial military headquarters, Kila Arak. It was once a complex of palaces, arches, ponds and gardens that served as the residence of three princes and a thousand people from their retinue.
Finally, every Tuesday there is a market to the west of the bus station, across the Kham River. Peasants on bullock carts arrive in large numbers from nearby villages, women to display attractive vegetables and spices on the stalls, men to stand around in their best dhoti and Nehru caps until all the goats are auctioned off before the buyers. and bulls with skin shining with purity. The market reaches its peak around noon and ends at 17.00:XNUMX pm.
Dargah and Panchakki
On the left bank of the Kham River, on Panchakki Road, is the Dargah adjacent to the Baba Shah Muzaffar Mosque, a religious complex erected by Aurangzeb in honor of his spiritual mentor, the mystic of the Chisti sect. The main point of interest is not so much the mosque itself, or even the modest burial ground and ornamental gardens in its immediate vicinity, but the unusual water mill known as Panchakki. Water is pumped from underground reservoirs under the hills 6 km away and collected into a reservoir, still filled with large fish called khol; flowing out from there, the water sets in motion a small millstone, which was once used to grind flour for the needs of the madrasah, a theological educational institution located nearby. Directly below the fish tank, sheltered behind a wall at ground level by the river, is a vast meeting hall supported by four rows of huge columns. The entire complex demonstrates a high level of engineering for its time, although tourists from places with a humid climate may be much less enthusiastic about the charms of Panchakka than local residents concerned with irrigation problems. However, the pond complex and the nearby Bibi-Ka-Maqbara memorial are picturesque and pleasant places to visit, especially if you wander around in the early evening when there are numerous chai shops and mehendi artists. hand-painted with henna) and souvenir shops.
If it were not such a blatant imitation of the Taj Mahal, Aurangabad's much-maligned Mughal-era memorial park would attract more admiring attention. Instead of being India's most impressive Islamic monument, Bibi-Ka-Maqbara (open daily from 8.00:5 am to sunset, entrance fee equivalent to US$XNUMX) is generally regarded as hopelessly "mediocre".
The mausoleum, completed by 1678, was dedicated by Prince Azam Shah to the memory of his mother Begum Rabi'a Daurani, wife of Aurangzeb. It was conceived as a rival to the Taj Mahal, but lack of funds for construction, which took 25 years, contributed to the result, which did not live up to expectations. The entrance to the complex is through a brass inlaid door decorated with an intricate geometric pattern said to be of Persian origin. The inscriptions along its edges contain the name of the manufacturer, the year of installation and the name of the chief architect Ata Ullah. Looking at the mausoleum from the side of decorative parks and many fountains at its entrance, you will understand why commentators were so critical. The truncated minaret and unfavorable entrance arch contribute to the Bibi-Ka-Maqbara appearing squat and disproportionate compared to the elegant height and symmetry of the Taj. The sharp break of the marble covering at a level of two meters from the building, which was explained by an attempt to reduce the cost of construction, also contributes greatly to the unfavorable impression.
Of the two entrances to the main burial ground, one provides access to the inner balcony, while the second leads through another beautiful door to the dome itself (after one student jumped from the minaret, the entrance there is closed). Don't forget to take off your shoes on the steps. Inside the mausoleum, an octagon-shaped white marble lattice surrounds the pedestal on which the tomb of Rabia Daurani rests. Like her husband's tomb, hers is “opened” as a sign of humility. The anonymous tomb next to it is believed to be the burial of the empress's nanny. Every morning, the sun's rays entering through a sloping window in the back wall illuminate the tomb for three minutes.
Caves
Carved right into the steep spur of the Sayadri Range and overlooking Bibi-Ka-Maqbara, the caves of Aurangadbad (open to the public from Tue to Sat 8.30am to 17.00pm; entrance fee is equivalent to US$5) cannot be visited at any time. comparison with the caves of Ellora or Ajanta, but their beautiful sculptures are a worthy introduction to rock architecture. In addition, this quiet corner, not often visited by tourists, is pleasant in itself with beautiful views of the city and surrounding countryside.
The caves themselves (all of them Buddhist) form two groups: eastern and western, numbered 1 to 9. Most of them were created between the 4th and 8th centuries. n. e. under the patronage of two successive dynasties: the Vakatkas, who ruled the western Deccan from Nazik, and the Chalukyas, a powerful family from Mizor who came to power in the 6th century. All caves, with the exception of the more ancient one (number 4), which is a temple hall-prayer room - chaitya, are viharas (monasteries) belonging to the Mahayana schools of Buddhism.
If you are not on a bicycle, the best way to reach the caves is by auto-rickshaw or taxi; you need to pay for the waiting time, or the return trip. You can also walk down to Bibi Ka Maqbare and return to town by scooter.
Western group
The western and oldest group of caves can be reached by a long flight of stairs starting to the left of the main road. The first cave of interest, Cave 2, is a 6th century vihara. with a veranda supported by columns and a doorway flanked by bodhisattva figures. A small shrine with an image of a seated Buddha, placed inside it, is surrounded by an unusual passage. Cave 3 is a remarkably carved stone vihara from the 7th century. Its clearest friezes, depicting scenes from the lives of the Buddha, adorn the stone “beams” above the pillars in the main chamber.
Cave 4, the oldest in Aurangabad, can be dated to the 1st century. AD, is the only cave of the earlier and more austere architecture characteristic of the Theravada Buddhist schools. Unlike its neighbors, this cave is a rectangular temple-prayer - chaitya, in the center of which a monolithic stone stupa is placed. The ceiling is in a vaulted style, which experts believe was an imitation of earlier, unsupported wooden structures.
Eastern group
If you have time to visit only one group of caves, then it should be the eastern one, at 1 km. further along the slope. Cave 6 has masterfully carved bodhisattvas, and traces of painting can be seen on the porch ceiling, but the sculptures in Cave 7 are the real highlight of the program. Its veranda on both sides is supported by columns-sanctuaries with sculptures of Padmapani and Shakyamuni holding a lotus, on both sides of which are six goddesses; on the right side stand the round-faced Panchika (guardian of earthly treasures) and Hariti (goddess of prosperity). The panel to the left of the doorway depicts the bodhisattva Avalokitesvara (deity of mercy), surrounded by six mortal fears: fire, sword, chains (enslavement), shipwreck, lions, snakes, mad elephants and the demon of death. Nearby are two Taras, buxom female figures, testifying to the growing idea of feminine creative energy - the cult of Shakti, characteristic of the late period of the development of Buddhism. To the left of the preaching Buddha in the sanctuary is Aurangabad's most famous panel: a frieze depicting a dancer in a classical pose, surrounded by female musicians.
The small, unnumbered cave next to Cave 6 has puzzled archaeologists since its discovery in 1961. Unusually, the central deity here is the Hindu god Ganesha, although on the wall to his right there is a depiction of Buddha, indicating close intertwining in the 8th century. Buddhism and Brahmanism.
Daulatabad (Deogiri)
To the northwest of Aurangabad, the main road to Ellora passes through the fertile Deccan farmland. The monotony of the landscape is occasionally concealed by a village with red brick houses, or by a Muslim tombstone quietly crumbling in a shady evergreen meadow. On the horizon of this serene and fertile countryside looms the frozen profile of one of India's most majestic forts. The invading armies must have stopped abruptly when they encountered Daulatabad, 13 km northwest of Aurangabad. The fearsome citadel, built on top of a hill, is crowned by a massive cone of exposed volcanic rock, the sides of which are supported by smooth 60-meter granite walls. The threatening impression of the fortress is enhanced by the slender, victorious minaret, rising above the ruins of the city that once spread out at its foundations, like a pink finger in the face of the approaching enemy. Even if Daulatabat was of interest only for the beautiful view from its top, it is still an excellent thing to do on the way to (or back from) the Ellora Caves, which lie 17 km to the north-west.
Apart from pilgrimages to Deogiri ("Mountain of the Gods"), a region inhabited by Buddhist and Jain hermits since time immemorial, the place was also famous for serving as a bastion and capital of a tribal confederation. The Yadavas were responsible for scraping the jagged lower slopes of the mountain into a vertical rock foundation, as well as the fifteen-meter-deep fortress moat that still runs around the top of the citadel. Their prosperity eventually aroused the interest of the greedy Delhi Sultans, who stormed the fortress in 1294 and carried off a ransom of gold, silver and precious stones.
The Muslim occupation of Deogiri began with a premonition - the arrival in 1327 of Sultan Ghiyas-ud-din Tughluq. Convinced that the fortress would be an ideal base for military operations in the southern directions, the Sultan ordered his court to move here from Tughluqabad, the “third city” after Delhi (). The epic 1100-kilometer journey cost thousands of lives; exhausted by hunger and fatigue, the Sultan’s subjects dropped like flies on the side of the road. Life in the new capital, which Tughluq renamed Daulatabad, or “Abode of Fortune,” was not much better. Seventeen years later, drought, famine and the growing threat of a full-scale Mughal invasion from his northern borders forced the overburdened ruler to admit defeat and return to Tughluqabad. His daring manager, Zafar Khan, took advantage of the favorable moment and in 1327 launched a rebellion that culminated in the founding of the Bahmani dynasty. After this, the fortress fell under various rulers, including the reign of the Mughal Shah Jahan in 1633, until it was finally captured by the Marathas in the mid-18th century.
Fortress
The Daulatabad Labyrinth Fortress (open daily from 6.00:18.00 am to 5:183 pm, entrance fee is the equivalent of $1435) has so many clever ways to stop unwanted visitors that it is almost inconceivable that anyone could overcome the remarkable external defense system and fight their way into the fortress itself. , climbing up the XNUMX-meter ramparts, crossing moats and dark passages. The style of the fortress itself is defined by the sharp teeth protruding menacingly from its main gates, which make them impervious to elephants. Inside the citadel, in the first of several closed and claustrophobic courtyards, three cannons (two Persian and one Dutch) lie in disarray, reminiscent of the bombs that fell on the heads of the attackers. The proud Chandminar, or “Tower of Victory,” located a little further away, was more of a psychological than a military deterrent. Towering over the heart of the old city, of which only meager remains now remain, the majestic pink minaret was erected by Alaud-din-Bahmani to commemorate the conquest of the fortress in XNUMX. The blue and turquoise Persian tiles that were once pasted onto it form complex geometric pattern disappeared.
Jami Masjid, located directly opposite Chandminar, is the oldest Islamic monument of the citadel. Built by the Delhi Sultans in 1318 to punish the Hindu rulers of Deogiri for their refusal to pay annual tribute; this well-preserved mosque contains 106 pillars stolen from Hindu and Jain temples that once stood on the site. The mosque, to the sadness of local Muslims, was recently converted into a Hindu Bharatmata temple. Nearby is the large stone-lined Elephant Pond, which was once the centerpiece of the fortress's extensive water supply system. Two giant terracotta pipes carried water from the hills to the famous orchards and vegetable gardens of Deogiri.
Beyond the open area surrounding the tower, the main path leads through a series of interconnected bastions, fortified walls, moats and drawbridges to the Chini Mahal, or “Chinese Palace”, where the last ruler of Galconda, Abdul Hasan Tana Shah (Abdul Hasan Tana Shah) was imprisoned by the Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb in 1687. It is said that after thirteen years of torture, Tana Shah asked to be given a pot of curdled milk, which he emptied and died from his “head exploding.” His body was tied to an elephant, which dragged him to Rauza, where he was buried. The impressive Kila Shikan cannon, adorned with a ram and inlaid with a name in Persian, rests on a stone pedestal nearby. From this point onward, many terrible traps await the unwary intruder. The first is a fortress moat inhabited by bloodthirsty man-eating crocodiles, which must be crossed to reach the base of the citadel, or Bala Kot. The attackers would then have to make their way through a labyrinth of pitch-black passages carved into the stone foundation of the fortress. At some point, these passages branched and then connected again in order to trick enemy soldiers into fighting each other in complete darkness. If they survived such battles, then the poisonous fumes from the red-hot iron coating, which tightly covered the only exit to the underground tunnel, should have finished them off for sure. The bodies were thrown through inclined conductive channels to feed the hungry crocodiles impatiently waiting for their victims below in the fortress moat.
At the end of the tunnel, a wide flight of stone steps rose to an attractive pavilion with twelve pillars. This pavilion, called Baradi, was designed as the quarters of a Yadava princess and was later used by Emperor Shah Jahan during his visits to Daulatabad. The view from the flat roof of this building is superb. Note the tombstones seemingly stuck to the base of the barren brownish hills to the east, and the street layout of the old city below, barely visible across the cobblestone wasteland near the Jami Masjid. An even more impressive panorama of the area can be seen from the observation tower perched on the top of the hill, where you will find another old cannon (“Storm Maker”) and an ancient stone cave that served as the refuge of a famous Hindu hermit during the Mughal period.
Khuldabad (Rauza)
As soon as the silhouette of the Daulatabad fort disappears into the hazy horizon, the Ellora-Aurangabad road rises to the sun-scorched rock of Peepal Ghat. Khauldabad, perched on this saddle, 22 km from Aurangabad and 5 km from the caves, also known as Rauza, is an ancient fortified city famous for its unseen number of dilapidated domed tomb monuments. Among the Muslim notables who considered themselves worthy of a piece of land in this most revered churchyard (“Khouldabad” means “Heavenly Refuge”), there was Emperor Aurangzeb, and several Nizams, and the best of the founding fathers of the Sufi sect of Chisti, seven hundred mystic missionaries sent in the 14th century Saint Nizam-ud-din-Aulia to prepare the local Hindus for the invasion of the sultans. The Muslim monuments of Rauza are not as impressive as those of Delhi or Agra, but several important relics are still revered here today. Although the small mausoleums on the outskirts of the Muslim city are regularly visited by a number of tourists, and even large crowds on holidays, they are still deserted and abandoned: their gazebos made of ancient stones, round domes surrounded by stone fences, are overgrown with weeds and serve as pasture for herds of mountain goats.
Dargah Sayeed Zain-ud-din
Khauldabad is surrounded by high parapet granite walls with loopholes and seven fortified gates, erected by Aurangzeb shortly before his death in 1707. The last of the great Mughals is buried inside the most famous burial sanctuary (Dargah) halfway between the North and South gates. Steps lead up from the main street through a domed portico into a quiet courtyard surrounded by whitewashed covered galleries and minarets. Aurangzeb's tomb is under the arch on the left side. In keeping with the teachings of Islam, the tomb itself is extremely modest, decorated only with fresh flower petals scattered by visitors, open to all the elements instead of being protected by a stone chamber. The pious emperor insisted that it be paid not from the royal chests (state treasury) but from the money he had accumulated in recent years by selling white quilted skullcaps of his own making. The perforated screen and walls that now surround the site were built much later by the Viceroy of Britain, Lord Curzon and the Nizam of Hyderabad.
Aurangzeb chose this place as his final resting place primarily because of its proximity to the tomb of Said Zain-ud-din. The mausoleum of this Muslim saint (pir), a quadrangular courtyard separating the tomb of Aurangzeb from the tomb of his wife and second son, Azam Shah. Its doors are richly inlaid with silver, brass and copper plates, while the steps leading to it are decorated with smoothly polished semi-precious stones, donated by the wandering Muslim ascetics, or fakirs, who once visited it on their pilgrimages. Safely hidden behind a small door is Rauza's most jealously guarded relic. The Prophet's robe is shown to the public only once a year, on the twelfth day of the Muslim month of Rabi-ul-Awwal (usually in November), when the tomb becomes the center of a festival that attracts crowds of believers from all over India.
Other buildings in this dargah are a miniature mosque (at the western end of the main courtyard) and the Nakkar Khanna, or Music Hall, where qawwali performances are performed on festivals and holy days.
Dargah of Said Burhan-ud-din
Opposite the tomb of Said Zain-ud-din stands the Dargah of Said Burhan-ud-din, a missionary of the Chisti sect, buried here in 1334. The rakah (tomb) is said to contain hairs from the beard of the Prophet, which, when counted annually, miraculously increase in size among. And at the end of the 14th century, when lack of funds did not allow the saint’s disciples to either support themselves or care for their beloved dargah, a miracle happened in the central courtyard - two trees made of pure silver suddenly grew there. In modern times, the tomb's only precious metal is found on the panels decorating the doors to the tomb, although for a small fee the caretaker will point out two bumps on a nearby panel where the fabled trees once stood, and which are still believed to secrete occasional drops of silver.
As you return along the road to the Ellora Caves, you will pass one of the rare empty tombs in Rauza. Made by order of a foreign ambassador who fell ill in these places in the 18th century, this modest mausoleum was never inhabited. Soon after its construction was completed, the diplomat recovered from his supposedly terminal illness and returned to Persia, where he eventually died, condemning his tomb on this quiet western slope of the mountain range to eternal indolence.
