Aurangabad, India - the home of UNESCO World Heritage Sites



Ellora Caves, Aurangabad, India

AURANGABAD, Maharastra, India - My first trip to India was in July 2009. It was my first assignment with my current company and I was very excited as I was intrigued by positive and negative comments about the country. I took Singapore Airlines to Mumbai but my final destination was in Aurangabad.

Wikipedia.org describes Aurangabad as a tourist hub, surrounded by many historical monuments, including the Ajanta Caves and Ellora Caves, which are UNESCO World Heritage sites, as well as Bibi Ka Maqbara.

The administrative headquarters of the Aurangabad Division or Marathwada region, Aurangabad is said to be a City of Gates and the strong presence of these can be felt as one drives through the city.

Recently, Aurangabad has been declared as Tourism Capital of Maharashtra. It is also one of the fastest growing cities in the world. Aurangabad is home of manufacturing plants for several multinational companies.  

So what can we do in Aurangabad? There are 3 important places to visit. 

1. Ellora Caves. The first stop was Ellora Caves. The moment we arrived in Ellora Caves, I was really amazed because I like to visit historal and greate structures and Ellora Caves were great examples.  We took a lot of pictures and I was very happy to see these nice historical architectures. We felt privileged when a group of people approached us to have pictures. The locals were very happy to see foreigners and to take pictures with them.

Ellora Caves, Aurangabad, India

2. Bibi Ka Maqbara. Again, according to wikipedia.org, it was commissioned by the Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb in the late 17th century to build a mausoleum in the memory of his first wife, Dilras Banu Begum (also known as Rabia Durrani).

It bears a striking resemblance to the famous Taj Mahal, the mausoleum of her mother-in-law, Mumtaz Mahal. Aurangzeb was not much interested in architecture, though he had built the small, but elegant, Pearl Mosque at Delhi.

The Bibi Ka Maqbara was the largest structure that he had to his credit. The comparison to the Taj Mahal has resulted in a general ignorance of the monument. The mausoleum is also called the Dakkhani Taj (Taj of the Deccan). It is the most conspicuous landmark of Aurangabad and its historic city.


Bibi Ka Maqbara, Aurangabad, India

An inscription found on the main entrance door mentions that this mausoleum was designed and erected by Ata-ullah, an architect and Hanspat Rai, an engineer respectively. Ata-ullah was the son of Ustad Ahmad Lahauri, the principal designer of the Taj Mahal.

Even the mausoleum is considered to be smaller version of the Taj Mahal, I was already overwhelmed to see it. Anyway, during this time, I didn't see the Taj Mahal in Agra so I don't have the comparison of how it looks like. Again, locals came to us to take some photos and we were more than willing to grant their request.



Facade of Bibi Ka Maqbara, Aurangabad, India

The facade of Bibi Ka Maqbara was also fascinating. My eyes were filled and heart was satisfied to see these beautiful, historical structures.

3. Ajanta caves. Our second weekend was spent in Ajanta caves. To most visitors, Ajanta Caves are the better than Ellora caves (although both caves are UNESCO world heritage sites).

Wikipedia.org provides information about Ajanta Caves. According to the article, there are about 30 rock-cut Buddhist cave monuments which date from the 2nd century BCE to about 480 or 650 CE. The caves include paintings and sculptures described by the government Archaeological Survey of India as "the finest surviving examples of Indian art, particularly painting", which are masterpieces of Buddhist religious art, with figures of the Buddha and depictions of the Jataka tales.



Ajanta caves, Aurangabad

The caves were built in two phases starting around the 2nd century BCE, with the second group of caves built around 400–650 CE according to older accounts, or all in a brief period between 460 to 480 according to the recent proposals of Walter M. Spink. The site is a protected monument in the care of the Archaeological Survey of India, and since 1983, the Ajanta Caves have been a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

They are 100 kilometers(62.13 miles) from the Ellora Caves, which contain Hindu and Jain temples as well as Buddhist caves, the last dating from a period similar to Ajanta. The Ajanta Caves are cut into the side of a cliff that is on the south side of a U-shaped gorge on the small river Waghora (or Wagura), and although they are now along and above a modern pathway running across the cliff they were originally reached by individual stairs or ladders from the side of the river 35 to 110 feet below.



Paintings inside Ajanta caves, Aurangabad

The paintings inside the caves were really priceless. I cannot imagine how the ancient people did those paintings without modern tools like what we have right now. I truly appreciate and commend these people who made something that we can learn and enjoy in these modern times.

Thanks to all the people who made these historical and beautiful works of arts. I hope that they will be preserved and maintained so its not only us who can enjoy but the future generations as well.

 

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