Aurangabad Excursion : Places nearby Aurangabad - Maharashtra

Places to visit nearby destination - Aurangabad

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.