This week, The Musafir Stories speaks to Sagar Senapati from Travel Safar aur Hum as we explore the historical town of Aurangabad.

Today's destination: Aurangabad, Maharashtra

Nearest Airport: Aurangabad Airport (IXU)

Nearest Railway Station: Aurangabad Railway Station (AWB)

Prerequisites - N/A

Packing - Pack light

Time of the year - October to February

Length of the itinerary: 2-3 days

Itinerary Highlights:

1. Sagar starts off the journey by taking an overnight bus to Aurangabad from Mumbai. The historic town is at a distance of about 300kms from Mumbai.

2. Sagar spends the first day exploring the Ajanta caves. Along with Ellora, these cave temples are the first UNESCO world heritage site from India.

3. Ajanta caves are about 4 hours away from Aurangabad. The caves contain intricate sculptures and frescos and are an exemplary form of buddhist architecture. Ellora on the other hand is a mix of Hindu, Buddhist and Jain rock cut caves and temples, the most popular being the Kailashnath temple or Cave 16.

4. The next day’s itinerary starts off with the Grishneshwar temple, one of the 12 jyotirlings of Hinduism. The temple is believed to be almost 1000 years old. The temple was reconstructed after previous Mughal destruction by queen Ahilyabai Holkar

5. On the way from Ellora to Aurangabad, Sagar makes his next stop at the tomb of Aurangzeb, a very modest structure given he was one of the last powerful Mughal emperors.

6. From here, Sagar visits the Devagiri fort, believed to be one of the most impregnable forts in India. The other structures within the complex include Chand Minar, similar to the Qutub minar

7. The final destination on the itinerary is the Bibi ka Maqbara, a mausoleum built by Aurangzeb for his first wife, Dilras Banu Begum. The monument resembles the Taj Mahal but is on a much smaller scale. Make sure to enjoy a sunset at the maqbara to cap off your visit.

8. Other places close by include Aurangabad caves, Panchakki and Shivaji Maharaj Museum. Also dont forget to try out the paan at the popular outlet Tara paan center and Paithani sarees.

Links:

Sagar Senapati’s travel on Travel Safar Aur Hum -

Sagar’s Aurangabad trip - https://travelsafaraurhum.com/bibi-ka-maqbara-the-dakkhani-taj/ and

Exploring Ajanta& Ellora Caves - https://travelsafaraurhum.com/exploring-the-most-visited-unesco-world-heritage-site-ajanta-and-ellora-caves-along-with-aurangabad-city/

Sagar’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sagar_senapati1/

Image Credit - Sagar Senapati (Travel Safar aur Hum)

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