AURANGABAD - ELLORA CAVES (FROM AURANGABAD)

At a distance of 3 km from Bibi Ka Maqbara and 8 km from Aurangabad Railway Station, the Aurangabad Caves are 12 artificial rock-cut Buddhist Caves located on a hill running roughly east to west in Aurangabad. Sculptural carvings of Aurangabad Caves can be compared to the best paintings of Ajanta. These are one of the the popular Aurangabad tourist places.

The first reference to the Aurangabad Caves is in the great chaitya of Kanheri Caves. The caves are datable from circa 2nd - 3rd century AD to 7th century AD. Aurangabad Caves are among the best heritage places to visit near Mumbai. These caves were dug out of comparatively soft basalt rock during the 6th and 7th century. The caves are divided into three separate groups depending on their location. The first group of caves consists of cave number 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5, the second group comprises of cave number 6, 7, .....

At a distance of 5 km from Aurangabad Railway Station, Bibi Ka Maqbara is a beautiful mausoleum situated in Aurangabad. Maintained by Archeological Survey of India, Bibi Ka Muqbara is one of the top tourist places to visit in Aurangabad.

The Bibi-Ka-Maqbara is dedicated to Rabia-ul-Daurani alias Dilras Banu Begum, the wife of Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb. Aurangzeb's son, Prince Azam Shah built the mausoleum between 1651 AD and 1661 AD in the memory of his mother Begum Rabia Durani. This mausoleum is a replica of the world-famous Taj Mahal. Also known as Mini Taj, the mausoleum is far less ornamental than the Taj Mahal in Agra. It is one of the must include places in Aurangabad tour packages.

An inscription found on the main entrance door mentions that this mausoleum was designed and erected by Ata-Ullah, an architect, and Hanspat Rai, an engineer .....

At a distance of 5.5 km from Aurangabad Railway Station, Chhatrapati Shivaji Museum is located near Nehru Bal Udyan in Aurangabad. This is one of the best tourist attractions in Aurangabad.

The museum is dedicated to Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, the great Maratha ruler. Founded by the Municipal Corporation of Aurangabad, the cost of the museum is around 194 lakhs. The building has a total of 6 exhibition halls. A visit to this museum takes visitors back into the days of Maratha valor and their love for their homeland.

The exhibits on display tell stories of the glorious reign of the brave king, showcased in six galleries. The display comprises Maratha war weapons and other artifacts from the battlefield of some of the most popular wars that the Marathas fought. The main exhibits here include the 500 year old war suit, a copy of the Aurangzeb's handwritten Quran, and a 400 year old Paithani sari.

The first hall is decorated with the wooden craft which reminds us the .....

At a distance of 3 km from Aurangabad Railway Station and 4 km from Bibi Ka Maqbara, Siddharth Garden is a sprawling garden, park and zoo together situated at Samarth Nagar in Aurangabad City. This is one of the popular picnic spots in Aurangabad and is mostly crowded on evenings especially on weekends.

Siddharth Garden is a landscaped garden spread over a large area and it has a green outlook. The garden has 2 parts - one a garden with lawns and another one is a small zoo. The garden also has a small aquarium, though the major attraction of the tourist is the Siddharth Garden Zoo. The zoo is the abode of a number of wild animals like tigers, lions, leopards, Civet cats, snakes (snake house), crocodiles, emu, fox, deer, hyena, etc. It was quite an enjoyable visit with the children. A musical fountain and statue of Buddha are also adorning this park.

Garden Timings: 10 AM to 7 PM on all days except on Tuesdays.

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At a distance of 16 km from Aurangabad Railway Station, Daulatabad is an ancient hill fort situated on the way to Ellora Caves from Aurangabad in Maharashtra. It is one of the best-preserved places of heritage in Maharashtra, and also one of the best Aurangabad tourist places.

The historical triangular fort of Daulatabad was built by Yadava king Bhillama V in 1187 AD. It is one of the best historical places near Pune. The city was then called 'Deogiri', meaning the hill of gods. Daulatabad or 'the abode of wealth' was the name given by Muhammad-bin-Tughlaq when he made his capital here in 1327 AD. The region and the fort passed on into the hands of Bahamani rulers under Hasan Gangu in 1347 AD and Nizam Shahis of Ahmednagar in 1499 AD. Daulatabad became the capital of the Nizam Shahi dynasty .....

About Ghrushneshwar/Grishneshwar Temple

At a distance of 1 Km from Ellora Caves, and 29 Km from Aurangabad, Grishneshwar or Ghrushneshwar Jyotirlinga Temple is a revered Hindu temple located at Verul village in the Aurangabad district of Maharashtra. Dedicated to Lord Shiva, the temple is an important pilgrimage site in the Shaiva tradition of Hinduism, which considers it as the last or twelfth Jyotirlinga (linga of light) in India, and among the 5 jyotirlinga temples in Maharashtra. The other four are Aundha Nagnath Temple, Trimbakeshwar near Nashik, Vaijnath Temple in Parli, and Bhimshankar near Pune. It is one of the famous places of pilgrimage in Maharashtra, among the must-visit places as part of the Ellora tour packages. Grishneshwar Temple is sometimes referred to as the Ghrushneshwar Jyotirlinga or Dhushmeshwar temple. Ghrushneshwar means 'the lord of compassion.

History of Ghrushneshwar/Grishneshwar .....

At a distance of 28 km from Aurangabad, 98 km from Ajanta Caves, 104 km from Shirdi, 176 km from Nashik, 253 km from Pune, and 344 km from Mumbai, Ellora Caves are ancient historical caves located at Verul near Aurangabad in Maharashtra. Ellora is the most visited monuments of heritage in India, and among the top tourist places in Maharashtra.

Locally known as 'Verul Leni', these caves are were designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1983. Ellora is one of the top places to visit near Aurangabad. The caves at Ellora were carved out of the vertical face of the Charanandri hills between the 6th and 10th centuries AD. The carving work began around 550 AD, about the same time the Ajanta Caves were abandoned. Kailash Temple (Cave16), which is the most .....