INTRODUCTION

Ajanta caves are buddhist rock-cut cave monuments in Aurangabad district of Maharashtra state. They lies in
Western region of India and declared as UNESCO World Heritage Site. These caves showcases painting and
sculptural work which is considered as finest surviving example of Indian painting art and sculptural work. Their are
about 30 such rock-cut Buddhist cave monuments, open for tourists. Among them 05 are "Chaitya Grihas" and
remainings are "Viharas". All the caves are situated in horse-shoe shaped rocky valley. These caves are estimated to
be built in phases from 2nd BCE to 7th AD. These monuments are first discovered by British officer in year 1819,
when he was in a hunting expedition and by mistake he reached this site. Currently these caves are under
supervision of Archeological Survey of India. They are easily accessible from Aurangabad (120kms) & Jalgaon
(50kms). Throughout the year, tourists, especially Buddhist followers, visit this site.

LOCATION
Ajanta caves are located in North Maharashtra state in West India. It geographical location is at latitude 19.87617 and
longitude 75.343. These caves are located in Aurangabad district of Maharashtra state in West India. Caves are
spread over the horse-shoe shaped hill which is part of Sahyadri hills. It is in North-central Maharashtra state. These
caves are about 120kms from Aurangabad and 60kms from Jalgaon town and can be reached by road.

In the North, as the result of merger of 35 princely of Bundelkhand & Baghelkhand, Vindhya Pradesh came into being
in April 1948 & in 1952 an elected ministry was formed with Rewa as its capital. The state of Bhopal came into existence
in June, 1949 & only in 1952 a popular ministry was formed. The state of Madhya Pradesh formed on 1st November
1956 was a conglomeration of Mahakosal, Madhya Bharat, Vindhya Pradesh, Bhopal state & Seronj sub division of the
Kota District of Rajasthan. On 1st November 2001 Chhatisgarh was carved out of Madhya Pradesh. At present
comprises of 45 district which are further subdivided into 264 tehsils & is the second largest state in India.

HISTORY
Ajanta caves were used as Buddhist monastery where students and monks do their study with lodging in recluse. It
was close to nature and away from materialistic world. It is designed as collection of colleges linked to a central
location. These caves were built in two phases. Here work started during the rule of Satvahana dynasty in 2nd BCE.
First phase was of 2nd & 3rd century in which 6 caves are excavated in which 2 are "Chaitya grihas" and remaining
caves are "Viharas". Chaitya Grihas are have beautiful mural paintings, ceiling and large windows. Earlier excavated
caves are similar to the caves found in Deccan like Kondane, Pitalkhora, Nasik etc. Second phase begins after span
of 4 centuries in which caves were made during rule of Vatakas which was most vigorous and artistic period and this
fact is reflected in caves art. Most of the painting work in caves were done during this phase.

features
TOURISM
Ajanta caves are declared as UNESCO World Heritage Site in year 1983. Similarly its nearby Ellora caves are World
Heritage Site. Tourist from all over the world reaches Aurangabad city for visiting both the caves. Ajanta caves are
purely Buddhist caves where you can find their religious believes, way of life, gracious sculpture work, mural paintings
etc. Whereas Ellora caves are divided between Buddhist, Hindu and Jain religions. To see how rocks have been given
shapes into temples, statues, caves in large scale along with rare mural painting work, tourist from all over the world
visits these places. These caves are important part of Buddhist tour packages. Aurangabad city offers good tourism
infrastructure like good flight connectivity, hotels of all category, good road etc. For sightseeing, manual and audio
guide service is available. Caves are open throughout the year due to which tourist comes to this place in any time of
year as per their tour plan.

Ellora

Location[edit]
Ellora Caves, general map (the rock is depicted as dark green).

The Ellora caves are located in the Indian state of Maharashtra about 29 kilometres (18 miles)
northwest from the city of Aurangabad, 300 kilometres (190 miles) east-northeast from Mumbai, and
about 100 kilometres (62 miles) west from the Ajanta Caves.
Ellora occupies a relatively flat rocky region of the Western Ghats, where ancient volcanic activity in
this area had created multilayered basalt formations, known as the Deccan Traps. The volcanic
activity that formed the west-facing cliff, which houses the Ellora caves, occurred during
the Cretaceous period. The resulting vertical face made access to many layers of rock formations
easier, enabling architects to pick basalt with finer grains for more detailed sculpting.[14]

INTRODUCTION

The Ellora caves, locally known as �Verul Leni� is located on the Aurangabad-Chalisgaon
road at a distance of 30 km north-northwest of Aurangabad, the district headquarters. The name
Ellora itself inspires everyone as it represents one of the largest rock-hewn monastic-temple
complexes in the entire world. Ellora is also world famous for the largest single monolithic
excavation in the world, the great Kailasa (Cave 16). The visit to these caves is enjoyed
maximum during monsoon, when every stream is filled with rainwater, and the entire environ is
lush green. The monsoon is not only a season of rains in this part, the local visitors are attracted
to visit these ideal locations to have a glimpse of the mother nature in full bloom.
Imp

Ellora (also known as Elura and, in ancient times, as Elapura) is a sacred site in Maharastra,
central India. Ellora is a UNESCO world heritage site and is celebrated for its Hindu, Buddhist,
and Jain temples and monuments which were carved from the local cliff rock in the 6th to 8th
century CE. The most spectacular example is the 8th century CE Kailasa temple which, at 32
metres high, is the largest rock-cut monument in the world.

Aurangabad

Temperature: Annual mean temperatures in Aurangabad range from 17 to 33 °C, with the
most comfortable time to visit in the winter – October to February. The highest maximum
temperature ever recorded was 46 °C (114 °F) on 25 May 1905. The lowest recorded
temperature was 2 °C (36 °F) on 2 February 1911. In the cold season, the district is
sometimes affected by cold waves in association with the eastward passage of western
disturbances across north India, when the minimum temperature may drop down to about
2 °C to 4 °C (35.6 °F to 39.2 °F).[15]
Rainfall: Most of the rainfall occurs in the monsoon season from June to September.Thunderstorms
occur between November to April. Average annual rainfall is 710 mm.The city is often cloudy during
the monsoon season and the cloud cover may remain together for days. The daily maximum
temperature in the city often drops to around 22 °C due to the cloud cover and heavy rains.

Tourist attractions[edit]
Main articles: Tourism in Marathwada and Tourist attractions in Aurangabad, Maharashtra
Aurangabad is a very historical city along with its surrounding towns and villages. It receives tourists
and surveyors from all over the world.

 Ellora and Ajanta Caves: The world-famous Ellora and Ajanta Caves are situated at 29 km
(18 mi) and 107 km (66 mi) respectively from Aurangabad city and come within the Aurangabad
district. The Ellora Caves consist of 34 caves built between 5th and 10th century CE under the
patronage of Rashtrakuta Dynasty. They represent the epitome of Indian rock cut
architecture.[32] The Ajanta Caves are also 30 rock cut caves around a gorge, built by
the Satavahana, Vakataka and Chalukya dynasties between 2nd and 5th century CE.[33] They
contain the rarest and finest surviving examples of ancient Indian art, especially painting.[34] Both
the Ellora and Ajanta Caves are UNESCO World Heritage Sites.
 Bibi Ka Maqbara: The Aurangabad city is known for the Bibi Ka Maqbara situated about 3 km
(2 mi) from the city which is the burial mausoleum of Emperor Aurangzeb's wife, Dilras Banu
Begum also known as Rabia-ud-Daurani. It is an imitation of the Taj Mahal at Agra and due to its
similar design, it is popularly known as the "Taj of the Deccan".[35]
 Daulatabad Fort: The Daulatabad Fort (aka Devgiri Fort) located about 15 km (9 mi) north-west
,of Aurangaabd was one of the most powerful forts during the medieval period. Built in the 12th
century CE by the Yadava Dynasty, it's a citadel that was never conquered by any military force.
The British called it the "best fort of India", due to its extraordinary military strength. Built on a
200 metre high conical hill, the fort was defended by moats and trenches running around the hill
at its foot besides the most complex and intricate defence system. The fort has two fixed
massive canons which can be pivoted. The fortifications comprise three encircling walls with
bastions.[36]
 Panchakki: The 17th-century water mill (Panchakki) situated at a distance of 1 km from the city
is known for its underground water channel, which traverses more than 8 km. to its source away
in the mountains. The channel culminates into an artificial waterfall that powers the mill.
 Gateways: The city is also famous for the 52 gateways built during Mughal era which gives it
the name of "City of Gates".[37]
 Aurangabad Caves: These are situated at a distance of 5 km (3 mi), nestled amidst the hills are
12 Buddhist caves dating back to 3 A.D. Of particular interest are the Tantric influences evident
in the iconography and architectural designs of the caves.
 Grishneshwar Temple: It is one of the 12 jyotirlinga shrines in India. The present temple was
built by Ahilyabhai Holkar in 18th century CE. The structure is a unique example of Bhoomija
architecture with a Maratha style influence.[38]
 Salim Ali Lake & Bird Sanctuary: Popularly known as Salim Ali Talab is located in the northern
part of the city near Delhi Darwaza, opposite Himayat Bagh. During the Mughal period it was
known as Khiziri Talab. It has been renamed after the great ornithologist and naturalist Salim Ali.
It also has a bird Sanctuary and a garden maintained by the Aurangabad Municipal Corporation.

Idol of Lord Shri Parshvanath at Kachner

 Tomb of Aurangzeb: The tomb of the last Mughal emperor Aurangzeb is located in the village
of Khuldabad, 24 km (15 mi) to the north-west of Aurangabad in Aurangabad district[39] It is
located in the south-eastern corner of the complex of the dargah of Sheikh Zainuddin.[39]

Natural vegetation

The coastal belt consists of eminent trees like the mango and the coconut and shrubs. The
forests have a very high value because they yield teak, bamboo,myrobalan etc. the vegetation
is rich in areas which have a good annual rainfall. Thick evergreen deciduous forests cover
17% of the land of Maharashtra.Jan 6, 2018

Religion
In the 1880s the city with cantonment has 59.1 per cent Hindus, 39.2 per cent Muslims, 1.1 per cent
Christians, 0.1 per cent Parsis and others were 0.5 per cent with total population of 30,209. During
that era, Brahmins were 7.1 per cent and Muslims were 38.5 per cent in the city area.
By 1971, the population grew to 1, 50, 514 (excluding the cantonment area) and the growth rate from
1961 to 1971 was 71.86 per cent. It was noteworthy that this was the highest growth in the state. It
was higher than Greater Bombay which grew by on 43.75 per cent.

Marathi and Urdu are the primary languages of the city. As per 1961 census, Marathi speaking
residents were 43.6 per cent, Hindi speaking were 11.99 per cent and Urdu speaking residents were
36.69 per cent.

Food and Cuisine in Aurangabad

The quintessential Mughlai or Hyderabadi flavour is strongly present in the local cuisines of
Aurangabad. With the spices and herbs sourced from the Marathi cuisines, the food available in the
city is generally considered to be an amalgamated form of Hyderabadi and Maharashtrian cuisines.

While Marathwadi (Maharashtrian)cooking generally entails fastidious management of powdered

masalas with the other ingredients, Hyderabadi dishes are born out of lavish garnishing. Tehri - a kind
of biryani- is one of the most popular food items available in the city, and made by adding meat to the
rice concoction unlike the traditional method of biriyani preparation which involves adding the rice to
the meat.

Naan Qalia/Khalia is one of the most famous dishes available in Aurangabad, with its origin traced
back to the army camps of Muhammad Bin Tughlaq in the medieval history of India. While ‘naan’ is a
kind of bread made from tandoor, over a hot furnace, the ‘qalia’ is spicy concoction of mutton.

Jhunkas, Pitlas, Chutney, Thecha and Thalipeeth are some of the other well known food items found
in Aurangabad.

Introduction
Named after the Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb, Aurangabad is one of the fastest growing cities in the
world. The city has already been expanding since past few decades as more and more industries and
companies have settled here and that has led to lot of development and industrial growth.
Aurangabad is the 5th largest city in Maharashtra after cities like Mumbai, Pune, Nagpur and Nashik
and contributes to the economy of Maharashtra in its own way. While Aurangabad is known for the
kind of industrial production and companies that provide employment to the local people the city is
known for being the tourism hub of Maharashtra. Aurangabad has been surrounded by many
historical monuments and structures like Bibi ka Maqbara and Ajanta and Ellora Caves which are now
UNESCO World Heritage Sites

Transportation in Aurangabad
Aurangabad is well connected with different cities in Maharashtra and across India. Locally,
Aurangabad has MSRTC buses and other private bus operators that provide bus services to any part of
the city. The city also has intra-city bus service called as Aurangabad City Bus that connects to
different parts of the city suburbs. Aurangabad also has rail connectivity to Mumbai, Hyderabad and
Delhi. It also connects to other major cities across India like Nagpur, Nasik, Pune, Madurai, Gwalior
and Bhopal.

The city also has domestic airport that has connecting flights to Hyderabad, Mumbai, Delhi, Udaipur,
Jaipur, Pune and Nagpur. Aurangabad is also well connected through roads across Maharashtra and
other states. The National Highway 211 from Dhule to Solapur passes through the city. Aurangabad is
also connected to Mumbai through four lane National Highway. The city is also going to make use of
Nagpur-Aurangabad-Mumbai Expressway which is being developed currently..

Festivals
The following are the most important fairs and festivals celebrated in the city of Aurangabad -

Ganesh Chaturthi, Shivaji Jayanti, Maharashtra Day, Pola, Gudi Padwa, Nag Panchami, Vat Purnima,
Narali Purnima, Paithan Fair, Ajanta and Ellora Festivals

Location
Aurangabad is a city found in Maharashtra, India. It is located 19.88 latitude and 75.34
longitude and it is situated at elevation 588 meters above sea level.
Aurangabad has a population of 1,016,441 making it the 10th biggest city in
Maharashtra. It operates on the BURT time zone, which means that it follows the same
time zone as Mumbai.

Occupation
As one of the largest cities in India, and as a result of its many colleges and universities, Aurangabad is
emerging as a prominent location for IT and manufacturing.
There is evidence to believe that Aurangabad was developed as a trading hub four centuries ago.
Aurangabad is one of the fastest developing cities in Asia. It tops the chart among the developing
cities. It lies on a major trade route that used to connect north-west India's sea and land ports to the
Deccan region.
 Climate data for Aurangabad

Ma Yea
Month Jan Feb Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
r r

35.
28.7 37.4 38.0 34.0 28.0 27.6 31.3 28.0 31.6
Average high °C 31.1 0 30.0 30.0
(83. (99. (100 (93. (82. (81. (88. (82. (88.
(°F) (88) (95 (86) (86)
7) 3) .4) 2) 4) 7) 3) 4) 9)
)

15.
9.0 12.0 19.4 22.1 21.2 20.3 17.0 12.0 9.0
Average low °C 0 22.8 20.0 16.7
(48. (53. (66. (71. (70. (68. (62. (53. (48.
(°F) (59 (73) (68) (62)
2) 6) 9) 8) 2) 5) 6) 6) 2)
)

132. 157. 152. 146. 739.

Average precipit 11.3 2.7 5.6 3.9 26.2 62.1 26.8 12.0
2 9 7 0 4
ation mm (0.4 (0.1 (0.2 (0.1 (1.0 (2.4 (1.0 (0.4
(5.2 (6.2 (6.0 (5.7 (29.
(inches) 45) 06) 2) 54) 31) 45) 55) 72)
05) 17) 12) 48) 11)

Source: India Meteorological Department (1952-2000)[14]

.
 TOPIC PAGE
SERIAL NO.
NO.
INTRODUCTION
 AURANGABAD
I
1.
GEOGRAPHICAL ACCOUNT
OF AURANGABAD:
 LOCATION
 BOUNDARY
 CLIMATE
II-VII
 NATURAL VEGETATION
 TRANSPORT
2.  OCCUPATION
 FESTIVAL
 RELIGION
 CUISINE
 IMPORTANCE AS TOURIST
SPOTS
AJANTA CAVES
 GEOGRAPHICAL LOCATION
 HISTORICAL IMPORTANCE VIII-XI
3.  FEATURES
 IMPORTANCE AS A TOURIST
SPOT
ELLORA CAVES
 GEOGRAPHICAL LOCATION
4.  HISTORICAL IMPORTANCE XII-XIV
 FEATURES
 IMPORTANCE AS A TOURIST
SPOT

BIBLIOGRAPHY
XV
5.
6. ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
XVI
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पo
पपपपप-2
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3