Aurangabad Diaries 2019_03

Day 03_02^nd Sept 2019

The most ‘packed ‘ day of the trip lay ahead of us. So an early wake up call and an in-room Breakfast and we were on our way to Ellora caves complex or Verul Caves as they are called in the local language. The drive upto Ellora is a super smooth one, with the view of the impressive Daulatabad fort , en route.

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We had timed our visit here since today was Ganesh Chathurthi.  Probably hence the crowd was comparatively less than what it normally is. The first view as soon as you enter the Ellora caves complex is that of the Kailas temple, the most popular complex in the campus. The first view of the Kailas Temple is not at all impressive. It looks a small rock cut cave, but the minute we stepped inside, we were blown away by its sheer magnitude, scale and the amazing rock cut art!!! It was absolutely spell binding and we were awestruck by the art of the olden times. It made us wonder how did people from that era were able to achieve this magnanimous feat with the help of basic tools. How did so many people working together over a period of a number of years manage to achieve perfect symmetry in this rock cutting technique? While a few of the casual tourist were busy posing in front of the awesome details, we chose to go separate paths and explore the entire complex all by ourselves individually.  Times like these you tend to get lost in the sheer beauty of these wonders that have been passed on to us by our ancestors. I completely went in to a zone where i was so fascinated by the space that it was difficult to get out from the Kailas temple and go have a look at the other rock cut caves which are equally fascinating if not less. The entire Kailas complex is just cut of a ‘black rock’ but if you have the ‘right vision’, the entire place is colorful. The breathtaking beauty of the carvings and sculptures makes your heart skip a beat. One tends to get lost in a world of fantasy. The scenes seem to be straight out of an Indiana Jones movie or an Arabian nights story!!!!

The Ellora Cave complex is much more vast and spread out than the Ajantha Complex and an entire day is less to cover the entire complex according to me. But since we were on a tight time schedule , we had to quickly visit the other caves. We were lucky enough to see the majestic waterfall which falls from a great height near Cave no 21(the caves have been numbered for easy governance, maintenance and administrative purposes by the ASI), the two storeyed staying quarters which are again cut out in the caves, the ‘carpenters’ cave and a few other significant cave structures. We were getting impressed and excited by each of the different caves but the kids were running out of patience and were tired and thirsty due to the humid weather. Even though we were saved from the harsh sun, the humidity wasn’t a great ally! Also the caves are quite far from each other and like I mentioned the entire complex is spread over  a vast area. So one has to walk a lot to see all the  sites.. So we then called it an end to the Ellora Caves sight seeing and headed towards the Ghrushneshwar Temple which is near by. It is one of the 12 Jyotirlings. But the area was extremely crowded being a Monday so we decided to give this a pass. We were actually lucky that we timed our visits to the Ajantha caves and Ellora caves , in such a manner , that we missed the days on which these are closed. We were totally ignorant about the timings but luckily it fell into place just right!!!

The Best Education that I have received is through Travel !

Lisa Ling

The next stop on the agenda were quick halts at 2 of the not so famous sites near Khultabad…. One being Aurangazeb’s Tomb and the other being the Bhadrya Maruti….

Bhadrya Maruti is the only Hanuman (the Monkey god) temple in the whole of the country which has an idol of hanuman/ Maruti in a sleeping position and hence it’s a bit unique .However the experience of this visit wasn’t unique! It was like visiting any other temple in India. But nevertheless , we have ticked off seeing a sleeping Hanuman!!!

The next stop was Aurangzeb’s tomb. This is the final resting place of the Mughal emperor. The tomb complex is in stark contrast to the historical stories about the rich Mughal Empire. It’s a very inconspicuous complex in white and green, nothing fancy and very simple in general. Apparently this was so as per Aurangzeb’s instructions that he wanted his tomb to be extremely simple and plain.

As we stepped out of this place, we came across a sweet shop right across the road where there was another local delicacy being prepared , called as Khoja. It’s a fried huge ‘puri’ with sugar syrup poured on it and served hot!! We just had one Khoja in the 6 of us and we were satisfied!!!!

It was almost lunchtime and we realized we had our dessert before lunch!!! A couple of friends had recommended a place called Fauji Dhaba close by so we decided to try out the place before visiting the Daultabad fort.  Fauji Dhaba is run by a Punjabi family and it serves some authentic Punjabi food. So the all time favourite ‘Butter  Chicken’ had to be ordered. After a yummy meal we headed for the Devgiri / Daulatabad fort. It was around 03.00 pm when we parked our vehicles at the parking facility. Everyone was apprehensive a bit to climb the fort after a heavy meal and the sunny weather, but this was a site not to be missed.

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One of the best forts that I have ever visited. Thought it is not a massive complex as compared to a number of fort complexes all over India, this one is definitely a must visit. A guided tour is absolutely recommended here. There are basically a couple of  major highlight in the overall complex. The first is a Tall watch tower which resembles the Qutub Minar in more than one way. The architecture, the texture, the finishes, the scale makes one draw easy comparisons with the Qutub Minar. Unfortunately , due to some incident the access to this tower has been now shut by the local governing body. After quickly passing through the other attractions like the hamam (royal bath complex), The huge mosque , the massive water haudh (water tank) we started climbing the fort. After passing through a series of steps with wonderful views of the surrounds, we came to a platform where the next attraction is placed. The Mendha tof (iron cannon).Its massive with one end of the cannon  having the head  of a mendha (Ram/ Sheep) This particular item was where the maximum number of selfies were being clicked by the tourists!!! After further climbing up the fort, the main attraction finally arrived. The Bhubhulaiya (the maze) this was specifically created by the rulers of the fort as a defense mechanism. Since the fort is not too elevated ,unlike the forts here in Maharashtra which get a natural first line of defense because of the topography, this maze is a true work of art which one has to experience to believe the way it has been though of and designed. Without a guide it is just impossible to get across this maze. Pitch dark passages, small openings for surprise attacks , small doorways, confusing pathways…you name it and it’s all there.  History is witness to the fact that this for was extremely difficult to capture.  Once you cross this, you reach halfway of the summit of the fort. Although we climbed up the remainder of the fort, there is not much of tourist attraction really on the summit except for a beautiful 360 degree view of outskirts of Aurangabad. 

Finally after an exhausting ‘touristy’ day, we were back at our hotel. After trying out most of the Local food we were in mood for some fast food and hence we went to the nearby Connaught Place Market (yes, they too have a Connaught Place in CIDCO, not to be confused with the Delhi one!!!) This is a lovely pace to roam around …Fast food shops, the famous Paan shops, small cafes, this area was truly full of energy and liveliness. We all had a nice meal of Pizza, sandwiches and ice creams and headed back to the Hotel only to check out the next day and head back home, thus completing a beautiful and memorable trip to Aurangabad.

 I strongly recommend this trip for a family, or a group of friends for 3 days . A Solo trip is too highly recommended but with more time on hands to visit the Ajantha and Ellora complex along with the other great sites to do full justice. A drivable distance from Pune, lovely places to see and experience, yummy food for foodies, interesting architecture, wonderful heritage and historical sites make the trip worthwhile.

A family that travels together, Stays together.

Anonymous