AURANGABAD

Aurangabad is located along the river Kham is a historical city named after the great Mughal emperor Aurangzeb. There are two World Heritage Sites in the city which are Ajanta and Ellora. The city has a number of attractive sites which include caves, museums, monuments and other natural spots.

Aurangabad has many artificial caves build out of soft rocks in the 6th and 7th century. These caves are found on two separate Locations called Western Group Caves (caves 1-5) and Eastern Group Caves (Caves 6-10) about 1 Kms from each other. The Bibi ka Maqbara is the most famous monument it is said that Shah Jahan built the Taj Mahal, in Agra, in loving memory of his wife Mumtaz. His son Aurangzeb, who overthrew him, built the Bibi-Ka-Maqbara as a mausoleum to his wife Rabia-ud-Durrani. This is the monument for which Aurangabad is best known, probably because it was obviously intended to rival the Taj Mahal, which it imitates. The Khuldabad lies 3 kms from Ellore It was the place where Aurangzeb finally rested. The Ban Begam Garden is 24 kms from Aurangabad , you can find the tomb of Bani Begam - companion to one of Aurganzeb's sons. It lies amidst sprawling landscaped gardens, interspersed with fluted pillars, elegant domes and aesthetic fountains - showcasing the splendid architecture of the times. Paithani sarees are manufactured in aurangabad. The Ajanta and Ellore are the two world famous caves in Aurangabad
Ajanta:
In 1819, 100 kms. From Aurangabad, a group of British officers stumbled upon a secret held by the Sahyadri Hills for centuries. The horseshoe-shaped gathering of the 30 rock-hewn caves of Ajanta. Dating back to the 2nd century BC, the exquisite legacy of paintings, sculptures, 'chaityas' (halls) and 'vihar as' (monasteries) took around 800 years to complete.

Ellora:
A mere 30 kms. From the city are the equally impressive Ellora caves. What makes this group of 34 caves temples unique is that they are dedicated to 3 different religions - Hinduism, Buddhism & Jainism. One of its key attractions is the monumental Kailas Temple - the largest single monolithic structure in the world.