INTRODUCTION

After Preeti's wedding on 22 Jan 07, Bhawani asked me to accompany him to see Ajanta and Ellora caves. We took Madura Express to Aurangabad on 26th Jan midnight. After a very comfortable journey we reached there at 10 am. We took an auto to the MTDC office, less than a km away. They advised us to visit Ellora right away (27 km) by Auto or Taxi. On the way to Ellora caves we stopped at Dalutabad Fort. It is right on the highway to the caves. The fort is in a dilapidated condition, almost like Golcunda fort, just a shade better. On way back we visited the grave of Aurangzeb and Bibi Ka Maqbara. Enjoy the photos and read about the history behind this golden chapter of our history.

Bibi Ka Maqbara

Bibi ka Maqbara

Aurangzeb's wife Rabiya Durrani died several years before him. She was intially burried in a very ordinary grave, like his own grave . Later Aurangzeb's son Shahzada Ahmad Shah, felt that his mother deserved a better resting place. He built the Bibi ka Maqbara, which is strikingly similar to the Taj Mahal, albeit smaller and built out of a combination of marble and white plaster. It can almost be called poor man's Taj Mahal!

This remarkable monument is within the city limits of Aruangabad.

Aurangzeb's Grave

Nondescript entrance to the mighty and feared Aurangzeb's grave in an extremely narrow lane of a forgotten village called Khuldabad

Aurangzeb's Grave

Aurangabad is named after the most unpopular Mughal king - Aurangzeb. The city was founded in 1610 by Malik Amber and called Fatehpur. In 1653 Aurangzeb named it Aurangabad.

Aurangzeb died in Ahmednagar on February 20, 1707. As per his wish his body was burried at the feet of his guru Sufi Saint Khwaja Shirazi's grave at Khuldabad, a sleepy village about 26 km from Aurangabad, on way to Ellora caves.

Here is a interesting story. Emperor Aurangzeb though he was, ruling over almost three-quarters of Hindustan, Aurangzeb had dictated that his final resting place should be of simple earth, open to the sky. He had also instructed in his will that the expenses for his funeral should be met by selling the cloth caps made by him. The amount came to four-and-a-half rupees! A sum of 305 rupees, earned from the sale of Korans painstakingly copied by the emperor, was distributed to holy-men on the day he died.

Jain Cave (Numbers 30 to 34)

Jain Cave (Cave number 33)

Jain Caves - 30 to 34

Perfectly sculptured Elephant guarding Cave No. 33, a Jain Cave.