Aurangabad (Marathi: औरंगाबाद Auraṅgābād), now known officially as Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar (Marathi: छत्रपती संभाजीनगर Chatrapatī Sambhājīnagar), is a city in the Indian state of Maharashtra. It sees a lot of international tourist traffic due to its proximity to the two UNESCO World Heritage Sites, namely Ajanta and Ellora caves. Aurangabad, a dream destination of Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb, founded in 1610, is known today as one of the four important cities in Maharashtra.
Photos: Wikimedia Commons contributors.
Travellers to Aurangabad will find history dating back to the 2nd century BCE, when the Satavahana rulers established their capital in Pratishtanapura, today known as Paithan. It was around this time that the viharas (monasteries) were carved out of caves in what is now Ajanta, and the stunning cave paintings were made, to be lost and rediscovered in the early 19th century. The carvings in the Ellora caves track the changing fortunes of three major religions Buddhism, Hinduism and Jainism between the 5th and the 10th century CE. Aurangabad has a long association with the concept of heritage.
The city of Aurangabad has all forms of transport right from intra-city buses, metered auto-rickshaws to chauffeur-driven taxis. Intra-city Bus service is Municipal Corporation owned but privately operated. AMT (Aurangabad Municipal Transport) buses ply throughout the city and outskirts reaching thousands of citizens to their offices, schools, colleges efficiently and in a cost effective manner. AMT (Aurangabad Municipal Transport) intra-city buses ply throughout the city including the outskirts and connect different parts of the city and adjoining suburbs together. The AMT bus service is affordable and thus masses use it for their daily transport.
1 Aurangabad Caves (2 km north of Bibi ka Maqbara). 24/7. This is a fine piece of architecture, is presented in the most unembellished manner. The caves lie just outside the city and are believed to have been excavated between the 2nd and the 6th century. They house the most stunningly intricate carvings. There are nine caves in all, most of them being the viharas. The 4th and the 7th cave are worth a dekko. The 4th cave stands well supported on 12 columns carved with scenes depicting the stories from the Jataka tales, whereas the 7th cave is embedded with carvings of women, adorned with jewels. The main attraction is the sculpture of a 'Bodhisatva' praying for deliverance. 200 INR.
1 Siddharth Garden, Mhada (Next to Aurangabad Central Bus Station). This is a beautiful landscaped garden, with good variety of trees and shrubs. There is a small aquarium inside the garden, however the biggest attraction is the Siddharth Garden Zoo, with a large variety of animals, viz. lions, tigers (white & Bengal), leopards, crocodiles, snakes (snake-house), civet cats, hyena, fox, porcupine, emu, deer and sprawling lawns to sit and have a great picnic.
Aurangabad has a fairly good restaurants and eating joints spread across the town. Apart from the star category hotels there are many restaurants in the city. Indian Vegetarian (à-la-carte) Smile - Nirala Bazaar Laadli - Jalna Road Madhu's - Adalat Road Mrignayani - Sutgirni Chowk Red Velvet - Sutgirni Chowk Indian Vegetarian (Thaali Meals) 'Thaali' in Marathi & Hindi means a complete meal. Thaali meals consist of Assorted Indian breads, Rice varieties, 2 or 3 vegetables, Munchins, Dals, Kadhi, Traditional cold drinks, Indian Desserts, etc. Bhoj, Near Varad Ganesh Mandir is one of the oldest Thaali restaurants in the city. The contents keep on changing daily.
Although Aurangabad is not a very Alcohol friendly place, there are a number of good bars in the city. Do not try the very cheap looking bars as they can be unsafe at times. Usually all good hotels have in-house bar facilities. Some good places to enjoy a drink in Aurangabad are: Angeethi - Seven Hills, Jalna Road Atithi-Rooftop - Seven Hills, Jalna Road Bubbles - Near Cannought Gardens, CIDCO City Spice - Restaurant & Fluid Lounge - Cannought Gardens, CIDCO Gharonda - Nirala Bazaar Kohinoor Plaza - Nirala Bazaar Lucky Juice Centre - Paithan Gate Garden Bar (Taj Residency) - Rauza Baug, Harsool Road is a semi-open bar in a sprawling campus of the Taj Residency inspired by Mughal Archit…
Aurangabad is a fairly safe place. The people in city are by and large decent with the international and domestic tourists. The local buses (AMT & MSRTC) are very safe for women even at late night. If a lady is traveling alone on an overnight bus from Aurangabad usually the seat next to her is given only to a lady traveler as a courtesy but make sure to request for a 'ladies-seat' while making your bookings. Walking on the streets up to 9:00 PM is usually safe for women but avoid going into small lanes and by-lanes after it is dark and make sure that you are not wearing any jewelry while walking on the streets.
Guide content from Wikivoyage contributors (CC BY-SA) — abridged; the full article has much more.
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In Jul, Aurangabad typically sees ~28°C daytime highs and 24 rainy days.
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