The city of Aurangabad

We left for an apparel store selling the famous Paithani Silk Saree and other scarves and handicrafts like Himroo. Paithani Saree comes from a town Paithan in Aurangabad. We left for the Daulatabad fort, which is built on a 200m high conical hill. ‘Daulatabad’ means ‘the city of wealth’; this city was also the capital of India for a short while. It has been handed over time and again from one king to another and hence it holds a prominent place in history.

The defence system was superbly built consisting of moats and glacis. It is also the place which played an important role in the spreading of Sufism that time. As a result, this the Daulatabad Fort became a matter of pride and prestige for all the kings that time. One can see a lot of canons in this fort which have been used to fight wars like Durga cannon, Kala Pahad cannon and Mendha tope.

The Bharat mata temple

We discovered a little wonder just behind this fort – The Bharat-mata temple – which is a temple of the Bharat mata! There is an idol of the Bharat mata which people worship. We met a caretaker outside this temple, who said that people from all religions come to the temple and pray to the Goddess of our country. I have never seen such a temple before in India, but I really hope to see more of these in the future.

We left for the Bibi ka maqbara(the mausoleum of Aurangzeb’s wife), which is an imitation of the Taj Mahal, made by Aurangzeb’s son for his mother. It is known as the ‘Taj of Deccan’. It is almost like the Taj Mahal and we reached just before evening fell. A trip to these magnificent caves is a must if you live in India or even if you are planning a long trip here.