Aurangabad

Aurangabad Overview

Aurangabad was named after Emperor Aurangzeb. This city was situated in the ancient silk route of India and thus, it was very famous for silk. Also, this city is famous for cultural diversity due to numerous traders visiting the place frequently. This city is very famous for shopping exotic items like old art, iron articles and others.

This is also called as the city of Gates as the city has 13 ancient gates that guarded the city in the past, now in ruins. The most important feature of Aurangabad is Ajanta Caves. This collection of cave temples and monuments dates back to 1-3 BC. A little away from the city, you can find Ellora caves, which are similar ancient cave cut temples of Buddhism.

Best Time to Visit Aurangabad

Summer in Aurangabad is very humid and hot. The temperature can go to a maximum of 35 degree C but humidity will be very high. The summer starts in March and ends by May. The monsoon starts in July and ends by early October. The frequency and intensity of the showers are very high and thus, it is important to carry rain gears if visiting. The rain does no help in reducing the temperature. The humidity also lies on the higher end. Winter starts in November and ends by February. The temperature can go as low as 10 degree C. The winter is the right time to visit as the climate will be pleasing and the place will be very green.

What to See / Major Attractions of Aurangabad

The first and foremost attraction of the place is Ajanta caves. Although the site is a little away from the city, people usually visit Aurangabad for enjoying Ajanta caves. The same goes for Ellora caves too. These two attractions are also a part of luxury train itineraries like the one provided by Maharaja Express train.

Apart from these two ancient treasures, top attractions to visit in the city are

• Bibi ka Maqbara
• Aurangabad caves
• Ghrishneshwar temple
• Siddharth garden
• DevagiriDaulatabad fort
• Sunheri Mahal
• Bani Begum garden
• Gul Mandi
• Samvatsarana
• Panchakki
• Kailasanath temple
• Naukonda palace
• Khuldabad

There are a lot more interesting and ancient spots to visit in this city.

Shopping in Aurangabad

Aurangabad was once a part of Silk Route of India. Thus, traders from various parts of the world visited this city. Since then, Aurangabad was a spot to find interesting souvenirs and gifts.

• Himroo factory - handloom items, paithani saris, weaver products and others
• Nirula Bazaar - electronic items, gift items, souvenirs and street food
• Connaught market - kamkhab material, shawls, silk materials and others
• Gul Mandi - apparels and souvenirs
• Paithani weaving center - paithani sarees, bed covers, woven bags, wall hanging and others.

How to Reach Aurangabad?

Aurangabad has a domestic airport, which connects the place with many important locations like Delhi, Mumbai, Jaipur, Nagpur, Pune, Hyderabad and others. The nearest international airport is in Mumbai. From the airport, you can find cabs, autos and buses to reach required destination. Aurangabad has two main bus stands. You can find private and public buses to and from many cities in the country, every day.

Apart from luxury trains like Maharajas Express, Aurangabad is served by many high speed and regular trains from many destinations like Chennai, Bhopal, Madurai, Pune, Nasik, Shirdi, Delhi, Mumbai, Hyderabad and others. You can also hire cabs from surrounding cities to reach Aurangabad.