Ajanta
 Famous for its
caves, Ajanta is one of the few historical and architectural
marvels of India. Recognised as the World Heritage site
today, it was discovered during the 19th century by a
group of British officers who were on a tiger hunt. The
Ajanta group of caves, located deep within the Sahyadri
hills above the Waghora, depict the story of Buddhism
that prevailed here during 200 BC to 650 AD.
Daulatabad Fort
 Daulatabad fort
is located just 13 kilometres from Aurangabad en route
Ellora. Easily accessible from the major towns nearby,
the fort was built during the 12th century. Due to its
uncommon location on a pyramid shaped hill, this impressive
fortress attracts the attention of all. According to the
locals here, the Daulatabad fortress was earlier known
as ’Devgiri’. It was built by king Bhillama of Yadav dynasty.
Later the name of the entire place was changed to Daulatabad
by Mohammed Bin Tughlaq, Sultan of Delhi. Apart from this,
a 5 km massive wall surrounding the fort, spiked gates
of the fortress and the 30 metre high Chand Minar built
by the Bahmani rulers also attract a number of tourists
to this place every year.
Ellora
 Ellora is one of the highly visited World heritage
sites of India. Just 30 kilometres Northwest of Aurangabad,
Ellora is easily accessible from the nearby major towns.
It houses 34 monasteries and temples with some exclusive
uninterrupted sequence of monuments that date back from
600 to 1000 AD. The temples of Ellora are dedicated to
Brahmanism, Jainism, and Buddhism. It also has some of
the excellent stonework depicting the legends related
to Lord Shiva.
Shirdi
 Approximately
144 kilometres from Aurangabad, Shirdi is a tourist destination
considered holy by the Hindus. A large number of tourists
come here all through the year to visit the shrine of
Sidhi Sai Baba. Moreover, there are some more holy shrines
closely related to Sai Baba here. Easily accessible from
the nearby towns, Shirdi is an important excursion destination
from Aurangabad. |
