Aurangabad, India

Aurangabad, named after the 17th century Mughal Sultan, Aurangazeb, is just a few hours east of Mumbai and is probably best known for being the town near the Ellora and Ajanta Cave Temples (pictures from Ellora in another blog entry), which were carved out of solid rock over 1000 years ago . The town itself is kind of shabby, but there are some great sites.

There are cave temples in Aurangabad, but they are not as well known as those at Ellora and Ajanta. There are 10 Buddhist temples from the 6th and 7th centuries, carved out of solid rock in the hillside.

The Panchakki, or water mill complex, was an engineering marvel of its time. Built in the 17th century by Sufi Saint Baba Shah Musafir, an aqueduct piped in water which was then used to operate a mill to grind flour. On the grounds of the complex is the tomb of the saint.

No, this is not the Taj Mahal (we did not get to see the real deal this time), this is the Bibi-Ka Maqbara (translated, tomb of the lady), which was built in the late 17th century by Emperor Aurangazeb and his son, as a memorial to wife and mother. It is slightly smaller than the Taj Mahal and is less ornamented, but the gardens are beautiful and there are fewer tourists! Locals affectionately call it the ‘Mini-Taj’.

The small mosque has beautiful architecture in white marble.

To see more of my favorite pictures from Aurangabad, please visit the following link:

Aurangabad, India