The meaning of Aurangabad is "built by the throne”, and it is located at the central part in Maharashtra, India. The city is a tourist hub, surrounded of many historical monuments like Ajanta and Ellora Caves renowned as UNESCO World Heritage Sites, as well as Bibi Ka Maqbara. Aurangabad is said to be a City of Gates as one can not miss the strong presence of these as one drives through the city.
Aurangabad has been a place of great importance from ancient times, due to it’s location on the famous "Silk Route” that traversed across the breadth of Asia to reach Europe.
Aurangabad was developed as a centre of culture and learning under royal dynasties such as Satavahanas, Vakatakas, Chalukyas and Rashtrakutas. Therefore philosophers like Dyaneshwar, Eknath and Ramdas, Wali and Siraj and saints born and received inspiration of this amazing city.
The history of Aurangabad can be traced back to 1610, when Malik Ambar, the former Abyssinian slave and then prime minister of the Muslim kingdom of Ahmednagar, establishment a city on the site of an old village called Khirki. Then it was named Fatehpur in 1626 by the Fateh Khan rule, son of Malik Ambar.
The region’s history goes even farther back when the Buddhism was introduced to this region during the reign of the powerful Mauryan Emperors, the Hindu temples of Ellora built by the kings of the Satvahana and Rashtrakuta dynasties predate the influx of Buddhism. The region strategically located in the centre of India was considered the safest from the marauding armies of the Afghan and Central Asian raiders.
Later on, the Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb renamed the city Aurangabad when the control of the Deccan kingdoms passed into the hands of the Mughals. Due to its strategic location in peninsular India, Aurangzeb -the last great Mughal Emperor-made it his capital from where he tried to quell the rising power of the Marathas. In 1707, after his dead, the city was taken over by the Nizam of Hyderabad who retained control till it was merged with Maharashtra in 1956.
Previously known as Khadke, Aurangabad is named after Aurangzeb, who established a capital here in 1633. Nowadays the city is one of the most visited travel destinations in India and it retains an Islamic ambience retaining an old world charm. The city is also emerging as an industrial center, with silk fabrics as the major industry for pharmaceuticals, automobiles, textiles and electronics and as the gateway to the cave temples of Ajanta and Ellora.
It has a number of awesome monumental attractions, and the world renowned Ajanta and Ellora caves. Between these monumental attractions we can mention Panchakki, (Water Wheel) a mill considered as an amazing wonder of engineering.
It is driven by water that is brought earthen pipes from the river 6km away; Bibi Ka Maqbara is a finest example of Persian Architecture with its own beauty; Himroo Factory produces hand-woven traditional Himroo shawls from cotton, silk and silver threads and they are considered the best buys in Aurangabad.
This art is known as Kan Khab; The Aurangabad Caves consists in 10 caves Buddhist, carved out of the hillside around 6th or 7th century AD. Other attractions are Kailash Temple, Daulatabad Fort, Siddhartha Garden and Soneri Mahal among others.