Aurangabad (اورنگاباد), Maharashtra

Bibi ka Maqbara, Aurangabad


Aurangabad (اورنگاباد) is a city and major tourist destination in the state of Maharashtra, India. Aurangabad means "built by the throne". It was named after the great Mughal emperor Aurangzeb. The metropolitan area covers 138 sq km (54 sq mi) and has a population of 1.2 million people (2012 estimate).

Aurangabad has been proclaimed the Tourism Capital of Maharashtra. This is because it is close to a number of famous historical sites including the Ajanta Caves and Ellora Caves, both of which are World Heritage Sites. Also close to Aurangabad is Bibi Ka Maqbara.

Aurangabad traces its founding to 1610, when it was established by Malik Ambar, the prime minister to Murtaza Nizam Shah, ruler of Ahmednagar. At that time, there was already a village here called Khadki, hence Aurangabad was originally called Khadki. The name was changed to Fatehnagar by Malik Ambar's son, Fateh Khan.

In 1633, Fatehnagar came under the rule of the Mughal empire following the fall of the Nizam Shahi dominions. In 1653, Prince Aurangzeb was appointed viceroy of the Deccan for the second time. He chose Fatehnagar as his capital and renamed it Aurangabad.

Aurangabad was part of the princely state of Hyderabad until the independence of India, when it because part of the state of Hyderabad until 1956, when Bombay state was created. Then in 1960, Maharashtra state was formed, and it became part of that state to this day.

Daulatabad fort in Aurangabad

Planning your trip to Aurangabad

You can reach Aurangabad by flight, train and road. There are train services from Delhi, Hyderabad, Mumbai and Pune.

Places of Interest in Aurangabad

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