Trip Report: Aurangabad – A Marvel of Indian History

Part I – The Teaser

Ajanta & Ellora – the names have magic within themselves. And this magic appeals to the tourists for ever and from everywhere to visit once in a lifetime. I am also not an exception. I had been reading about these caves since my childhood, and thereby, I did form a keen interest on leaving my footprints on these much explored destinations. The opportunity never came during those days, but – better late than never!! Finally, I moved to Pune and it presented in front of me a chance to venture into my childhood dreams.

IndiaMike was the first place to ask queries and clarifications for the initial research. I specially thank deepmajumdar and all fellow IMers for providing their invaluable inputs. Now it’s my turn to give back.

After much planning, we fixed the date on a November long weekend.

We booked an AC sleeper night bus which ply regularly from Pune, through makemytrip. The start was perfect – the weather was soothing and the bus comfortable and only 15 minutes late to arrive. No sooner than we were on board, we were fast asleep. The scheduled time for the bus was at 5 am to reach Aurangabad and it reached on time. We alighted at Baba Petrol Pump stoppage. Our hotel (Hotel Panchavati) was very nearby this stop – just 2 minutes walk. We were specifically advised by the Hotel Manager, not to take an auto rickshaw to reach the hotel from this stop. So we set foot on Aurangabad’s soil and started walking as per the direction. The morning breeze gently touched our faces. Within 5 minutes we are at the hotel. We were guided to our rooms. The room was clean and very spacious and so was the toilet. It was furnished with a TV and an AC. We were really satisfied. A small balcony and an antechamber with a dresser were really beyond our imagination. We freshened up and took some rest for a couple of hours before we embarked on our quest to Ellora.

The hotel does have a restaurant and there is a travel agency run by the same hotel owner and at the same premises – Ashoka Travels. The hotel and this travel agency were written up in Lonely Planet (check the 30th Anniversary edition on India) with some very positive comments. As per my own experiences, every word of it is deservingly bestowed.

We had our breakfast before we set out. The food was good and well cooked. It was a life saver indeed after a night’s journey.

We started our adventure around 9.30 am and without more ado headed straight towards Ellora.

When we were driving through the city, naturally I was trying to recollect some of the fascinating history what I read about this ancient city earlier.

The city was founded by Malik Ambar in 1610 AD around a village called Khirki (meaning ‘Window’). He built this city as his capital and within the next few years the tiny village grew to be a happening and bustling town so much that even after his death in 1626, his son Fateh Khan continued to maintain this city as the capital – though he changed the name to Fatehnagar. In 1633, when the Daultabad was captured by the Mughals, they conquered and took the prized possession of Fatehnagar. Later Fatehnagar rose to its biggest glory, when in 1653, Mughal Prince Aurangazeb declared it to be the capital of India. Again the name was changed – it now became ‘Aurangabad’ (aptly meaning ‘built by the throne’).

The ancient name Khirki means window or entrance. One of the many things which makes Aurangabad a unique city amongst the other medieval cities in India, was the 52 gates (or entrances) which were built around the city. Only a handful of people are aware of the fact that Aurangabad is also called as the ‘City of Gates’.

I will post each day’s experience in different posts. Logistics will be a different post altogether. I might be slow in posting them but I will try to complete them soon.

Sources:
For this post, I acknowledge -

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aurangabad,_Maharashtra

Nice start, saugata, keep going.

We drove towards Ellora. Just when we crossed Daultabad Fort, we had a flat tyre. My patience was running out but nothing doing, we had to wait. Anyway the replacement work was quickly over and we started our voyage again.

Ellora is situated just about 30 Kms from the main city, it should not take more than 30 minutes to reach but unfortunately due to that flat tyre incident and an initial patch of really bad (and dusty) road, it took around an hour for us. Enroute we crossed one of those 52 ancient gates. Sometimes later, the caves appear at a distance on the hills – my joy literally knew no bounds. So excited I felt.

Before we visited Ellora, we crossed the main entrance of Ellora and drove towards Grishneshwar Temple. This temple is considered to be one of 12 famous jyotirlingas in India. The temple was constructed by Ahilyabai Holkar of Indore who ruled between 1765 and 1795. The walls are made of red basalt with astonishing carvings of various motifs. The temple gained much popularity among the natives during the reign of Maloji Bhosle, the grandfather of Chhatrapati Shivaji. Unfortunately no snap is allowed of this architectural marvel, so we had to see as much as we could in a short time.

We offered Pujas there to the deity and completed the rituals quickly. Now we headed towards the main attraction.

Ellora is locally known as ‘Verul Leni’ (Verul Caves – Verul is the local name for Ellora). Well-known for its monumental caves, Ellora was declared a World Heritage Site in 1983 by UNESCO and represents the epitome of Indian rock-cut architecture. The entire area consists of 34 caves of different religions – which shows the height Indian Architecture and Art reached during the ancient days and also the religious harmony in India – 12 Buddhist Caves (Caves 1 – 12), 17 Hindu Caves (Caves 13 – 29) and 5 Jaina caves (Caves 30 – 34). Excavated between the 4th century and 10th century, they reside in somewhat close proximity.

It is understood that these marvels could have received royal patronage – for example the inscriptional evidence is that of Rashtrakuta Dantidurga (c. 753-57 A.D.) on the back wall of the front mandapa of Cave 15. The Great Kailasa (Cave 16) is attributed to Krishna I (c. 757-83 A.D.), the successor and uncle of Dantidurga.

Unlike Ajanta, Ellora Caves were never completely lost into the oblivion due to their close proximity to the ancient trade routes and various renowned historians and travelers from various eras documented these caves in their logs and journals.

History did not remember the names of those who actually carved these caves with primitive tools like hammer and chisel, but the artists are immortalized through their arts, their creations.

When we reached Ellora, we bought the tickets (10Rs per head for Indians and $5 for non-Indians) and parked our Car at the parking. Our driver Balmik advised that here we can visit Caves 1-16 and then we’ll head towards another entrance for the rest of the caves. We bought a small guide book but we did not hire any guide as we planned to explore the caves by ourselves. This is one of the best decisions we made.

Buddhist Caves

There are 12 caves located in sequence. These 12 caves can be divided into two distinct groups based on the date when these caves were excavated. Cave 1 to 5 is earlier (4th Century – 6th Century) among the twelve and is placed in a separate group from Caves 6 to 12 which are later (7th Century – 8th Century) in date.

Cave 1

Cave 1 is called as Dhedwada. It is a vihara (Monastery) with eight cells – four in the back wall and four at the cell. It is believed that this cave might have served as a granary for other Viharas.

Cave 2

This cave is a Shrine dedicated to Lord Buddha. The side galleries have images of Buddha, many of them are unfinished. The sculptures are enormous especially the dwarapalas (door-keepers), and apart from Buddha many other deities were also carved.

Cave 3

This is an unfinished Vihara. This is perhaps a little older than Cave 2. There is a Verandah, the north end of which houses a chapel containing a Buddha, with his legs crossed in front, and his hands in the teaching attitude. He is seated on the lotus throne.

Cave 4

This is called as Lokeswara. The cave is much ruined, with the frontal part completely disappeared. A cross aisle is present behind the pillars, and at the left end of it is Lokeswara seated like Buddha, and there is also a small Buddha as crest on its front.

Cave 5

This is called as Maharvada, which is also a vihara (monastery) and measures 117 feet deep and 59 feet wide. This also houses a Buddha Shrine.

Cave 6

This was created in later half of 6th century. This contains two very beautiful sculptures of star goddess Tara and goddess of learning Mahamayuri with peacock.

Cave 7

Tough this is a large cave, this is perhaps an unfinished cave of 12 cells. There is an image of the star goddess Tara in a relaxed pose, this could be a later intrusion.

Cave 8

This is internally connected with Cave 7. This is the 1st floor of the Cave 7. There is a seated image of Buddha and a standing figure of the star goddess Tara just besides him.

Cave 9

This is one of the most decorated caves in the Buddhist excavations. But the work for this cave also stopped in between. This cave has six seated Buddha images.

Cave 10

This is the most important of the Buddhist caves and called as Viswakarma (The Celestial Architect) Cave. This is also called ‘Sutar Ka Jhopra’ (Carpenter’s hut). The local carpenters used to visit the cave frequently and worship Buddha as Viswakarma as the patron of their craft. They still do follow some of the ancient rituals here. This cave is the only Chaitya Griha (prayer hall) amongst all the Buddhist group of caves at Ellora. Unlike the stupas we saw at Karla, Bhaje or Bedse Caves in Pune, there is a seated Buddha placed on the front part of a large stupa, which is nearly 27 feet in height.

Cave 11
This is named as ‘Do Tal/Thal’ meaning two storeyed. But in reality this is actually three storeyed. When this cave was dug out, one story was still beneath the ground hence the name. This is another Vihara.

Cave 12

This is called ‘Teen Tal/Thal’ or three storeyed. This is largest monastery at Ellora and really gigantic in size. The upper storeys are reached by a flight of stairs. The first storey has a Shrine of Buddha. The top storey is an enormous hall with another shrine and a huge antechamber.

We were already speechless by what we had seen so far. We were in deep thoughts and trying to imagine the artists doing the excavation and carvings, but could not. The caves seemed to be standing there forever.

But little did we know what was still awaiting in front of us. We proceeded towards the Hindu Caves.

Sources:
For this post, I acknowledge -

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ellora_Caves
http://www.elloracaves.org/caves.php
http://www.aurangabaad.com/
http://asi.nic.in/

Hindu Caves

The 17 Hindu excavations contain one of the best artistic monuments in India and in the world respectively – the great Kailasa (cave 16). We read about this a lot and so we were really eager to satisfy our thirst seeing this magnificent architecture. The Hindu caves were excavated during 7th – 10th century AD.

Cave 13

This is the first of the hindu caves, but this is just a plain room.

Cave 14

This cave is called ‘Ravan Ki Khai’ (The Abode of Ravana). This cave has fantastic carvings of mahisasura mardini (the slaying of buffalo-demon), Lord Siva and Parvati, Nataraja (celestial dance by Lord Shiva), Ravananugraha murti (Ravana shaking the Mount Kailasa and later Siva pardoning him and blessing him), Gajasamhara murti (Siva killing the elephant-demon), Durga, Vishnu and Lakshmi.

Cave 15

This is called the Dasavatara Cave.

Through a flight of stairs, you can enter Cave 15. This is a two storyed cave which has a temple (mandapa) in front of the caves. This cave is also rich with architecture. Among the many, there are images of Ganapati, Parvati, Surya, Siva and Parvati, Mahisasuramardini, Ardhanarisvara, Bhavani or Durga in the first storey. The second storey is huge which includes a shirne with a linga. Again we have images like Gajasamharamurti, Nataraja, Bhavani or Durga, Siva and Parvati. The finest of the architectures, as believed by many, is the death of Hiranyakashipu in the hands of Vishnu in a man-lion (Narasimha) form, emerging from a pillar.

Cave 16

This is the great Kailasa and undoubtedly the very best of Ellora. This is the largest cave excavation in India. I am not the one who can play with words to describe the beauty of this temple. All I can say that this cave is the unrivalled masterpiece of art. I will just quote from Wikipedia here –

We were really spellbound to see this marvel and sat sometime in silence, trying to absorb what we were watching. If you don't see it through your own eyes, you can't believe it.

The weather was hot and sun was cruel during the day – but we did not feel it. We were hungry, thristy and fatigued – but we did not bother. The effect of Kailasa was was still on us. Generation after generation passed on their knowledge to their successors and that’s how it was completed in a hundred years – but with the same precision everywhere, at every inch of the carvings.

Finally, and too reluctantly we had to bid farewell to Kailasa since we wanted to cover the other caves too. We had lunch in a small canteen besides the entrance and started for the other caves.

Cave 17

This is called Chota Dhumar Lena. It has figues like Brahma with female companions, Gandharavas, Vishnu, mahisasura mardini, four armed ganapati and surprisingly a figure of Buddha with three faces and various female figures.

Cave 18

This is extremely plain cave, but some of the features suggest that it has the concept of eight century Rashtrakuta dynasties.

Cave 19

This cave is almost ruined, but still contains a broken linga.

Cave 20

This has a wide passage inside it and carvings of Ganapati, Mahisasur mardini and a linga.

Cave 21

This is called the Ramesvara Cave. This is supposed to be the earliest of the Hindu Caves. This cave is also famous for its architectural significance. Lord Shiva, ganga, Yamuna, Kali, Mahisasura mardini, marriage of Shiva and Paravati, various female figures are found in this cave.

Cave 22

This cave is called the ‘Nilkantha’ Cave. The walls contain images of Shiva, Ganesa, Kartikeya, Nadi, Bringi etc.

Cave 23

This is mainly consisting of a double verandah and does not have some significant sculptures.

Cave 24

This is known as ‘Teli Ka Gana’ or Oilman’s Mill.

Cave 25

This is called as Kumbharvada and this contains beautiful sculpture of Surya the Sun god who is driving his chariot towards the dawn.

Cave 26

This is called as Janwasa.

Cave 27

This is called as Gopilena or the Milkmaid’s cave.

Cave 28

This consists some cells, but no significant architecture is found.

Cave 29

This is called ‘Dhumar Lena’ and this is a really huge cave. This is another important Hindu Cave. This is situated by the side of “Sita-ka-nahani” - a pool created by a waterfall in the Elaganga which is visible in full flow in monsoons. There are huge sculptures like the dwarpalas (doorkeepers), Ravana shaking the Mount Kailasha, huge linga, marriage of Shiva and Parvati, Nataraja – the dancing Shiva etc.

Cave 17 to Cave 29 is a really long and arduous walk and we were really exhausted by the time we completed cave 29. But still we had to complete the Jaina Caves. We again had some water, sat for some time and then proceeded towards the next entrance on our car.

Jaina Caves

The 5 Jaina caves were excavated during ninth and tenth centuries. The all belong to the Digamabara sect of the Jaina faith.

Cave 30

Cave 30 is another unfinished excavation. It has a striking resemblance with the Great Kailasa; hence it is known as Chhota Kailasa (Small Kailasa). The same technique of rock excavation and converting it into structures were adopted and can still be well understood, though it is unfinished.

Cave 31

This is an unfinished four-pillared hall and a shrine.

Cave 32

This is called as Indra Sava and this is the most important of the Jaina caves. It has many fabulous carvings of Mahavira and other Jaina divinities. There are superb paintings in this cave. This is another two storeyed cave.

Cave 33

This is called as the Jagannath Sabha. Apart from many famous sculptures, it also has remnants of many murals on the walls and the roof.

Cave 34

This cave is a small cave. It has some carvings. But they are not of much significance.

Once we have covered all these caves it is already 5 pm in the afternoon. We were glad that we have covered all the caves and also for the fact that we planned a whole day for Ellora which worked in the best way.

On the way we stopped at a Handloom showroom, did some shopping and came back straight to the hotel where a good bath and rest were much needed. We were completely out of energy after a full day’s hectic walk through the hills, under the wretched sun. But every bead of sweat was worth the effort. Ellora - to be specific, the great cave no 16 - did surpass all our expectations.

We had an early dinner and fell asleep. The next day we have planned for the Ajanta Caves – another series of masterpieces. But that will be a separate post.

Sources:
For this post, I acknowledge -

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ellora_Caves
http://www.elloracaves.org/caves.php
http://www.aurangabaad.com/
http://asi.nic.in/

Thanks mousourik for appreciating. Will post the whole experience gradually.

Change the title to Travel guide!
Wonderful details saugata!

Thanks Vic, much appreciated

Ajanta Caves are located at a distance of 110Kms from Aurangabad. It normally takes around 2.5 hours to reach the base of the caves. Naturally we were extravagant by the thought of seeing another masterpiece of art. So we got up early in the morning, got ready and had our breakfast in the hotel restaurant. The plan was to start around 8.30 am in the morning and reach there by 11 am.

We started on time and was progressing towards our much awaited destination. But a flat tyre again!! This time it took longer to replace the tyre than the previous day. I was curising my fate like anything. Getting flat tyres – and that too on consecutive days – was simply unacceptable.

We reached the base of the caves. Unlike Ellora, no car is allowed near the caves. You have to take the MSRTC buses from the base to reach the main entrance of the caves which is around 4 kms from the base. Before we enter the complex, we had to pay an ‘amenities charge’ and ‘parking fee’. After getting our car parked, through a series of shops, we proceeded towards the bus stand to find ourselves behind a long queue. The place was getting thronged too fast. There are 2 types of buses – AC and Non – AC. We were fortunate that we got the AC bus – the sun was even more scorching today. Here I would like to add that there is a lot of scope of improvement for the management in regards to how the queue is managed.

Anyway, we bought the ticket (only one way ticket is available) of the bus and suited ourselves. The bus started and within 10 minutes we reached the main entrance of the caves. Here again, we had to buy the entry tickets and started walking towards the caves.

Ajanta has 29 rock cut caves of fabulous grandeur. The caves are located in a series, in a horse–shoe shaped bend of rock surface nearly 76 m in height overlooking a narrow stream known as Waghora. Not only sculptures, Ajanta caves are more famous and unique for its paintings on the walls and roof which appear as mesmerizing as ever. These caves are excavated much earlier than Ellora. The first phase were excavated in 6th century BC while the second phase dates back to 2nd century BC covering both the Hinayana and the Mahayana phases.

The discovery of Ajanta is quite accidental. On 28 April 1819, a British officer for the Madras Presidency, John Smith, while hunting tiger, accidentally discovered the entrance to one of the cave temples (Cave No. 9) deep within the tangled undergrowth. Captain Smith wrote his name in pencil on one of the walls. Still faintly visible, it records his name and the date, April 1819.

Shortly after this discovery, the Ajanta Caves became renowned for their exotic setting, impressive architecture, historic artwork, and long-forgotten history.

Nowadays these caves are globally renowned as one of the most astonishing architectures of the world. In 1983 UNESCO listed the site as a World Heritage one along with Ellora.

The paintings were executed after elaborate preparation of the rock surface initially. The rock surface was left with chisel marks and grooves so that the layer applied over it can be held in an effective manner. The ground layer consists of a rough layer of ferruginous earth mixed with rock-grit or sand, vegetable fibres, paddy husk, grass and other fibrous material of organic origin on the rough surface of walls and ceilings. A second coat of mud and ferruginous earth mixed with fine rock-powder or sand and fine fibrous vegetable material was applied over the ground surface. Then the surface was finally finished with a thin coat of lime wash. Over this surface, outlines are drawn boldly, then the spaces are filled with requisite colours in different shades and tones to achieve the effect of rounded and plastic volumes. The colours and shades utilised also vary from red and yellow ochre, terra verte, to lime, kaolin, gypsum, lamp black and lapis lazuli. The chief binding material used here was glue. The paintings at Ajanta are not frescoes as they are painted with the aid of a binding agent, whereas in fresco the paintings are executed while the lime wash is still wet which, thereby acts as an intrinsic binding agent.


We bought the tickets and started climbing a flight of stairs towards the caves. There are 2 entrances here – entering through the main one you start from cave 1 and proceeded towards Cave 29 and then take exit. Entering through the other entrance, you’d follow the reverse process – starting from Cave 29 and exit after cave 1. Normally people enter through the main entrance only. We did.

Ajanta has a loads of restrictions on photography – the flash is not allowed at all and the caves are covered in such a way that minimal sunlight can enter into the caves – to preserve the paintings. There are very little lighting in the caves. But you must have an advanced camera which should be capable of capturing the minute details in the dark. Unfortunately I don’t have such a camera, so many of my photos became either blurred or dark.

Sources:
For this post, I acknowledge -

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ajanta_Caves
http://www.aurangabaad.com/
http://ajantacaves.com/
http://asi.nic.in/

Cave 1

This is one of the important caves which contains a lot of paintings. There is a large hall and pillars around both sides. Many important and famous paintings and sculptures are here as below – the great Buddha Image, Goddess, Cherubic Dwarf, bodhisattva, four deers with a common head, the lovers, dark princess, dancing girl, princess reclining by a pillar, a maid in a sad mood, Persian embassy, the golden geese, pink elephant, bull fight etc. The most famous painting here is ‘Boddhisattva Padmapani (Lotus in hand) and Vajrapani’ which are considered to be one of finest paintings in the world of art.

Cave 2

This is next to Cave 2 and another important cave. This is quite similar to cave in architecture and also contains many fabulous paintings on the walls and the ceilings. The skill with which painters lay down on scaffoldings for long years, to paint these pictures, is reminiscent of the way Michelangelo suffered physical strain while painting the ceilings of the Sistine Chapel in the Vatican in Rome. The famous paintings here are – Thousand Buddhas, Votaries with Offerings, Women on Swing.

Cave 3

This is an incomplete vihara (monastery) and there is nothing of much significance.

Cave 4

This is also a vihara which consists of a hall and pillared verandah. This is the largest monastery of the Ajanta excavations. The cave was also painted which is visible from the remnants.

Cave 5

This is an unfinished Vihara.

Cave 6

This was the first important cave of the Mahayana phase. This is a double storeyed monastery. It also has some fabulous paintings such as – Bhikshu with Lotus, Miracle of Sravasti, Temptation of Mara the Evil One.

Cave 7

This is another monastery which contains sculptural marvels like – preaching Buddha, Miracle of Sravasti, seated Buddha under the protection of Nagamuchalinda, etc

Cave 8

This is an unfinished monastery located at the lowest level and perhaps earliest among the monasteries. Major portion of the frontage has been swept away by a landslide.
Cave 9

This is a Chaitya (prayer hall). There are two early paintings, which survive. Frieze of Animals and Herdsmen Naga Worshippers. The chaityagriha exhibits reproduction of wooden architectural styles

Cave 10

This is another Chaitya Hall. This also houses some famous paintings – King with His Retinue, Shad-danta Jataka, Shyama Jataka, Elephants in Jungle, Pricess and Tusk, Buddha and the One-eyed Monk, etc.

Cave 11

This is another monastery which has an unfinished stupa. Few paintings that available here depicts Bodhisattvas, figures of Buddha, etc. This cave is also interesting as it shows the transition from Hinayana to Mahayana.

Cave 12

This is a monastery and front wall of which is completely collapsed.

Cave 13

This is a small monastery.

Cave 14

This unfinished monastery was excavated above Cave 13 at a higher level.

Cave 15

This is a monastery with eight cells, antechamber and pillared verandah. The sculptural depictions include Buddha in various postures, seated Buddha etc. The traces of paintings indicate that it was originally painted.

Cave 16

One of the finest paintings of the art world is housed here – the Dying Princess. The other notable paintings here are Buddha with a Begging Bowl, Prince Siddharth stretching the bow, the Sutasama Jataka etc. There is a giant statue of Buddha in a teching gesture.

Cave 17

This monastery is another example of the finest paintings – Apsaras and the flying spirits, Indra and the Apsaras, Royal Procession, Shad-danta Jataka, Prince Simhala, The Buddha Returns.

Cave 18

This consists of a rectangular excavation leading into another cell. This houses one of the exquisite paintings – Princess looking in the mirror.

Cave 19

This is a Chaitya hall. The stupa is carved with a standing image of Buddha.

Cave 20

This is a pillarless monastery. Buddha in preaching attitude is housed in the sanctum. The sculpture of seven Buddhas accompanied by attendants is another important sculptural panel in this cave.

Cave 21

One of the most fabulous of Ajanta, from the perspective of the carvings. This is basically a chaitya hall which houses a 24 ft long statue of dead Buddha on the left wall – This is called as ‘Buddha in Parinirvana’. There are carvings of disciples of Buddha moaning and heavenly deities welcoming Buddha in heaven. The peacefulness which was carved on Buddha’s face is truly astonishing. As per my opinion, this is best of Ajanta’s sculptures.

Cave 22

The sculptural depiction of Buddha in different forms, painted figures of Manushi-Buddhas with Maitreya can be noticed here. This is basically a monastery.

Cave 23

This is an unfinished monastery.

Cave 24

This is another incomplete monastery.

Cave 25

This is a monastery but the hall is devoid of any shrine.

Cave 26

This is similar chaityagriha like cave 19, but much bigger than 19. The horseshoe arch is quite breathtaking. There are various sculptures, undoubtedly carved with rare talent and skill.

Cave 27

The monastery consists of a hall with four cells, antechamber and sanctum sanctorum. Buddha in teaching attitude is housed inside the sanctum.

Cave 28

This is an unfinished monastery.

Cave 29

This is an unfinished chaitya griha.

Under the scorching heat, we were quite exhausted by now. We did take a lot of rest in between traversing through the hills. We required a lot of water intake without which it is impossible to walk. We now started towards the exit. We crossed a small bridge on the river Waghora. The path through jungle was quite pleasant with cool shadows provided by the trees. A lot of fully bloomed flowers were there to enjoy, if one can after the industrious walk. We came to outer entrance and went into the MTDC restaurant just to find out that the place is fully occupied. We were quite hungry but other than this place, there were not eateries around. Upset, we came back to queue for the bus. Buying the tickets, we came to the base and hurried to the first eatery we found and had a sumptuous meal. It was already 5 pm, but we could see hoards of people still proceeding towards the top. I came to know from a local that these are the people who would stay at the MTDc resort and would start their journey in the early morning. It seemed a great idea to me. If there is a next time, I will definitely do this.

We came back to the hotel around 7.45 pm, had a bath and then an early dinner and went to bed straightaway after the hectic but deserved effort.

Ajanta made us both exuberant and poignant. We – and thousands others, Indians, Japanese, Koreans, English, Americans, French – were spellbound, hypnotized and mesmerized. The paintings had so much expression and emotions, the sculptures were so much precise to the minutest of detail that we were completely swept away by their splendid grandeur.

We have now with us an experience of a lifetime.

Sources:
For this post, I acknowledge -

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ajanta_Caves
http://www.aurangabaad.com/
http://ajantacaves.com/
http://asi.nic.in/

Before I move further on, I should acknowledge the sources of information. My thanks go to the following sites which contain wealth of information -

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ajanta_Caves
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ellora_Caves
http://www.elloracaves.org/caves.php
http://www.aurangabaad.com/
http://ajantacaves.com/
Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) - http://asi.nic.in/

Without these, this report couldn't have been completed.

The next posts will detail Daulatabad Fort, Bibi Ka Makbara and Aurangabad Caves one by one.

I was just waiting for this report! Here it is, ! So where & when can we expect the photos too ?

I am sill working on the photos with my editing software. As soon as I am done with them and the rest of the posts I will upload the photos. May take a few days, but certainly I will do the same.

Our conquest has reached the last day but still had a long way to go. We already booked bus ticket towards Pune at 4pm – this was the popular AC Shivneri bus which run regularly between the Pune-Aurangabad route and this is MSRTC’s one of the finest buses. Mr Ashok arranged the ticket for us. As we did not have a full day, we started straight to Daulatabad Fort at 8.30 am and reached the main entrance of the fort by 9 am – fortunately we did not have any flat tyre today. 3rd time lucky!

Daultabad was built as city by the Yadavas, by Raja Bhillama in 1187 AD and it was known as ‘Devgiri’ at that time which literally means ‘The Hills of the Gods’. It grew to be a big city and remained as a Yadava stronghold for over a century until in 1294 Alauddin Khilji captured the fort. The Yadavas did not pay the tribute they were asked for and Malik Kafur - in 1307 and 1310 – occupied the fort. In 1318 the last Yadava King Harpal was flayed alive.

Devagiri day by day became an important base for the operations of the Delhi Sultanate's conquering expeditions southwards. In 1327 it attained a brief period of its biggest glory, when Muhammed Bin Tughalak, ordered his capital to be relocated from Delhi to this southern city. The Devgiri city was now renamed as Daulatabad. The entire population – men, women and children, rich and poor alike – of Delhi were ordered to march in a mass and move to the new capital. Even the sick and dying ones were not exempted from this long arduous journey, that involved a terrible toll in human misery and thousands of Delhi citizens perished on the way. And it was all in vain. The Sultan regretted his decision and repeating his act of madness ordered the whole crowd of migrants to move back to the abandoned capital, Delhi.

During the Sultan’s absence from Delhi the Muslim governors of the Deccan revolted; and Daulatabad itself fell into the hands of Zafar Khan, the governor of Gulbarga. It remained in the hands of the Bahmanis till 1526, when it was taken by the Nizam Shahis. It was captured by the Mughal emperor Akbar, but in 1595 it again surrendered to Ahmad Nizam Shah of Ahmednagar, on the fall of whose dynasty in 1607 it passed into the hands of the usurper, the Nizam Shahi minister Malik Amber, originally an Abyssinian slave, who was the founder of Kharki (the present Aurangabad).

His successors held it until they were overthrown by Shah Jahan, the Mughal emperor, in 1633; after which it remained in the possession of the Delhi emperors until, after the death of Aurangzeb, it fell to the first Nizam of Hyderabad. Its glory, however, had already decayed owing to the removal of the seat of government by the emperors to Aurangabad.

However Daulatabad grew to become a great city, rivalling Delhi in size and importance. The province to which it belonged broke away from the rule of Delhi and hence the fort was strengthened with more layers of fortifications and some huge cannons were strategically placed all around the fort.

This is arguably amongst the best constructed and survived forts all over the world but ironically this fort never in its lifetime witnessed a battle. Only once was the power transferred on this fort, and that too was by treachery and betrayal!
We were recalling these facts while we were on the way. Once we reached the fort, it was quite easy to see why the fort was considered to be impregnable. The huge fortifications and bastions were still intact. The gigantic structure of the fort is visible from quite a distance and the topmost structure was situated at such a location that it seemed to be invincible.
We bought the entry tickets (5/- per head) and entered through the main gate. The gate was humongous in size – the wooden doors were still intact, studded with ferocious spikes – these spikes prevented the use of elephants to force the gate.

Passing through the gates, we came across a small courtyard , upon which the second entrance stands. This is another huge gate with its surviving wooden gate. The courtyard is mounted with cannons of various shapes and sizes. One of the cannons was shaped like a dragon!

Passing through this gate, the first structure we found is a lofty conical tower. This used to serve as a watch tower. At the upper end of the tower there is a small balcony with three arches.

Besides this tower, passing by a small courtyard , another entrance was present on the left. As soon as we entered through this gate, we came across a really really high tower with red walls at a small distance. This is said to be around 65 meters in height and named as ‘Chand Minar’ (the tower which touches the moon). This is only second in height after the Qutub Minar in Delhi. The staircase to go us was now blocked for the public.
Just on our left there was another structure which was led to by a series of stairs. This was called as the Hathi Hauz and this was designed to be a swimming pool where the trainees can learn swimming.

Just a bit ahead of the Hathi Hauz, we entered into a vast open courtyard beyond which amidst the cluster of carved pillars there was a temple – a temple of Bharat Mata, a Goddess personifying the modern Indian Nation. The broken pillars were a proof of marvellous carvings.

We came out of the temple through another exit which led the way to just in fron of the beautiful Chand Minar. Passing by the Minar, there were ruins of another temple. This was called the Hemadpanti temple. This was later used as a mosque.

Going ahead there were a series of stairs and we came across another inner wall (third) and one more entrance – which was called as Kalakot. Going through these stairs, we came across a courtyard where there are 3 different structures – a citacel straight ahead, a ruined house on the right and another palatial structure on the left.

The structure on the left was called ‘Chini Mahal’ (The Chinese Palace) as the walls of these building was decorated with colored China clay – the remnants of which is still visible easily. This mahal used to be a royal prison served to imprison the royal captives of Aurangzeb.

The palace on the right is called the Nizam Shahi Palace.

Upon the citadel, there was a huge cannon which is called the Mendha (ram) canon because it has ram’s head designed on one end.
We were almost exhausted walking under the sun so far, but we came to know we hadn’t even entered in the premises of the original and main central citadel. Shockingly we realized why it remained as invincible.

Beyond these constructions there is a moat which is 40 ft deep and a drawbridge was there, crossing this moat marks the beginning the original citadel.

There is one narrow entrance which we encountered just crossing the moat. This entrance was too dark and and narrow that it really would take a lot of guts to enter and proceed, even in the daytime. We were told that this entrance was the last defence of the fort and was called as the ‘Andheri’ or the ‘Dark Zig Zag Passage’ – this is an underground passage, nearly 50 meters long. The entrance seemed like a cave. While we entered in this passage in broad daylight, we realized what darkness really meant. In addition to the pitch darkness, there were several deceptive devices used in this passage to mislead the enemy. Small openings for light and air misled the enemy to fall into the moat. If one stood bewildered, stones were pelted from above.

There began a series of stairs , a steep and arduous climb – we came to know there were around 750 stairs to reach the top. We started climbing without knowing this actually. We might not have done this if we’d know that.

We climbed and rested. We rested and climbed. We climbed till a place was reached which had a Ganesha Temple. There we sat under the shadow and consumed a lot of water.

From this temple there were also a number of stairs to reach the top. From the top the whole city was panoramically viewable and though it was a hot sunny day, it was breezing at the top which was very comforting. Not only the city, but also the whole boundary fortifications were visible. We were amazed to see the whole area which fell inside the fort premises.

At the top there was a building called Baradari which was completely surviving through the ages. This was built during the times of Shah Jahan, the mughal emperor, This structure had twelve arches with many windows. It used to be a relaxing place for the kings from where they could enjoy the serenity at the top with cool wind and a panoramic view of the city.

We sat here for half an hour to gain much of our lost energy. I went further up – there was a dilapidated building which had two more canons at the top – the durga canon and the kalapahad canon. It was really surprising to think how these heavy canons were carried up at the top.

As there was nothing else to see at the top we started getting down. We descended rather quickly. Once again, we were astonished to pass through this magnificent architectural splendour.

The more we stayed in Aurangabad, the more love we fell into with the city.

We then proceeded towards the next destination.

Sources:
For this post I acknowledge –

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daulatabad,_Maharashtra

From the great Daultabad we headed towards the Aurangabad Caves. Enroute we passed Bibi Ka Makbara and went further ahead towards a hill, the next destination being Aurangabad Caves which were just 2.5 kms from Bibi Ka Makbara. It was 12.15 pm and the sun was radiating with all its power. Our driver said that we could finish the caves within half an hour which seemed a bit impossible to me.

Aurangabad Caves are 12 Buddhist Caves which are spread over the hills past the Bibi Ka Makbara into 3 different groups. These groupings are done as per the location of these caves. At the western side there are 5 different caves – Cave 1-5. To the eastern side caves 6-9 are located in the second group which is almost a kilometer apart from the first group. The third group – consisting of caves 10-12 – is at the close proximity of the second group, only 100 meters or so apart. The caves are datable from circa 2nd – 3rd century AD to 7th century AD.

Our car first came to the western side of the hills. This is the main entrance of the caves and you have to buy the tickets from here. So always start from this side.

We bought the tickets and entered into the complex. To our utter frustration, we saw a number of stairs which we needed to climb to reach the level where the caves resided. We knew how the climb was going to be under the sun – steep and arduous and so it was.

After much gasping and panting we reached at the top and started visiting the caves. There was some repair work going on.

Cave 1 was an unfinished vihara. It is amongst the oldest of this series of the caves. This belonged to the 2nd-3rd century AD.

Cave 2 was also a vihara. There was shrine of Buddha at the rear.

Cave 3 was a chaitya hall which dated back to the Hinayana age, again built around 2nd-3rd century AD. This cave was in a state of so badly preserved that the whole stupa and the pillars were being reconstructed by concrete and cement.

Cave 4 was a very simple chaitya which was excavated around 4th century AD.

Cave 5 used to be a small temple but the whole front collapsed.

We visited these caves in quick succession, in one of the caves (Cave 1 or 2) there were great carvings and sculptures, some equally comparable to the great Ajanta & Ellora in regards to the skill with which they were carved.

We came back to the main entrance, got in the car and then headed towards the eastern side of the hills. After 5 mins we reached the parking and we were thankful that there were no stairs this time.

Cave 6 looked like it had the features of a vihara and a chaitya both which was unique. It had carvings of Buddha in a teaching gesture and with many other carvings like dwarfs, worshippers etc.

Cave 7 was the most important of all these caves and bore a lot of carvings of great elegance. It had famous carvings of the Boddhisattva Padmapani delivering from the 8 great fears of the Buddhas, Tara the start Goddess, avalokitesvara etc. One of the most famous sculptures was a group of six female musicians. As per ASI board at the entrance, some of the sculptures here are more elaborate than the same examples in Ajanta and Ellora. This statement really justified the splendor and majesty of the carvings of this cave.

Cave 8 was an unfinished one, and it looked as if the excavation work just commenced.

Cave 9 is in ruins and nothing much is left to see here, other than a sitting Buddha statue.

The last group of caves can be reached by flight of stairs ( not again!!). But Caves 10, 11 and 12 are perfectly plain and did not bear anything significance. Cave 10 is almost buried up while cave 11 and 12 were unfinished.

To our surprise, we completed the 12 caves within half an hour as predicted by our driver. Perhaps we did not do justice to these caves but to be very frank, we did not have that much energy to carry on.

We then proceeded towards Bibi Ka Makbara.

We had now reached the last destination of our whole trip. Bibi Ka Makbara was supposed to be a replica of the great ‘Taj Mahal’.

This was constructed by the Mughal Prince Azam Shah, son of Aurangzeb, as a loving tribute to his mother Rabia-ul-Daurani a.k.a Dilras Banu Begum, in between 1651 – 1661 AD. The experts say it is a very poor replica of the Taj as it lackes symmetry and also the material used in this building was cheaper than that used in the Taj.

We were no expert, just a couple of ordinary tourist. So Bibi Ka Makbara appeared in front of us with its own grace. We did not try to compare it with the great Taj, one should never do that. The Taj is the Taj and nothing can be compared with it.

We bought the ticket from the counter – 5/ per head and entered the complex. The main entrance was itself a big structure with great carving on the walls. It should be noticed that the walls were made of plaster, not of marbels. The carvings were really great which illustrated rosary etc.

The ceiling of the dome of the main entrance was very rich in art with colorful decoration of paintings on the walls. We felt that the walls were all painted with colors during the old days.

Entering the main complex through the entrance would surely give you a surprise as we felt the same. It was hard to believe that we were not looking at the Taj. The same structure with four minarets at each corner and in the centre the main building with an arched dome. The compound was surrounded by boundary walls with a gate at each side – so in total 4 different gates, with the frontal one being the main entrance.

We reached straight ahead to the Makbara, the main building can be reached through a small gate and stairs at either side. We were at the main level within a couple of minutes and started roaming around the central dome. Each of the minarets and the outer walls were made of plaster, only some of the bases and the main dome were of marbels. Nonetheless the artworks and the carvings on the outer walls deserved a load of praise for their delicateness and elegance.

At the left side of the main tomb, there was a mosque and this was where the symmetry lacked. It did not actually look good.

We left our shoes outside the entrance of the main tomb. The sun was at the top and marble flooring became too hot to walk on barefooted. We quickly entered the main tomb. It was cool and peaceful inside. The windows were designed precisely in symmetrical geometrical shapes at each side with great artwork.

We sat inside the tomb for sometime and then did another round of the central building. Then we proceeded towards the exit.

We came back to our hotel around 1.50 pm where after a good bath and packing, we had our lunch. We started preparing ourselves to bid adieu to Aurangabad, the city we fell in deeply love with.

We came to the bus stand with somewhat heavy hearts – Mr Ashok arranged a car for us to drop us at the central bus terminus, where we found the AC Shivneri standing the designated place.

We ascended the bus and reclined ourselves to a small slumber. The bus started on time at 4 pm and we we reached Pune around 8.45 pm. The journey was much comfortable due to the facts that the bus was really cosy and we were still ruminating our experiences of the last days which we spent in a place, which invites everyone again and again to come back to its open outstretched arms and observe and appreciate its past glory.

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