Home to the world heritage sites of the Ajanta and Ellora caves makes Aurangabad a popular touristic destination.

Founded in 1610, Aurangabad kept itself fairly quiet for much of medieval history and didn’t become famous until the reign of the last Mughal emperor Aurangzeb made the city his capital for a period of time.  Once the emperor died however the city soon dwindled.  However some amazing monuments were left behind.

Notably there is a Taj Mahal replica, ancient Buddhist caves and of course Ajanta and Ellora are not so far away either. This makes Aurangabad a brilliant place to travel to and see the sites while basking in a cultural paradise in Maharashtra.

History in Aurangabad

Buddhism was ushered into this region of India rather early on this is evident by several Buddhist cave temples that are found in the area.  There are temples built here by Satvahanna and Rashtrakutra rulers and of course the famous world heritage sites of Ajanta caves and Ellora Caves.  The Ajanta Caves have strong links with the Buddhist traditions of the area and are simply stunning to behold.

There have been several sets of Muslim Rulers through the years and the heritages of several dynasties are linked with Aurangabad.

Settled by a man who was known as Malik Ambar, he was a Muslim noble and settled a site that was a village that was named Khirki. After Ambar his son Fateh Khan ruled here and named the city as Fatehpur in 1626.  It was not until 1653 when the last Mughal rule Aurangzeb took the city over and renamed it to Aurangabad.

Aurangabad enjoys a strategic position on a peninsular and so Aurangzeb made Aurangabad his capital and used the city as a base to quell any fighting from the rising power of the Marathas.

Economy of Aurangabad

It is thought that Aurangabad was originally settled as a trading port close to four centuries ago.  It is set on a major trade route that connects the north-west Indian Sea with the Deccan plateau region.  These days industry is a major economic factor with much silk and cottons being manufactured here. Auto parts are also to be found here along with electronic goods and many other things.

Culture in Aurangabad

Like much of India Aurangabad culture has a focus on its food, dance and music. Many tourists will find a huge resemblance between Aurangabad culture and cuisine and that of Hyderabad this basically falls to a heavy influence by Hyderabad upon this city. A culinary specialty is meat cooked in fresh spices and herbs which comes from a blend of Mughal and Hyderabad cuisine and has a heavy influence from the Marathwada region when it comes to herbs and spices.  Aurangabad is also very well known for their delicious sweets.

Auto Rickshaw Info for First Time Torists to Aurangabad

Aurangabad has metered auto rickshaws however tourists are charged more especially when travelling from public transport areas etc.  Be sure to ask if the particular driver goes by their meter before you get in.  A healthy tip is 10% but only if you are happy with the services provided.  You should also be aware that there is a midnight fare which should be given a half hour consideration from 23.30-0.00 as the starting time and 5.00-5.30 as the ending time; this is usually 1.5 times the usual fare.