Aurangabad (city, Maharashtra)

The city was built in 1604-1610 on the site of the village of Hadki, Malik Ambar , Prime Minister of Murtaza Nizam Shah II, Sultan Ahmadnagar . The year of foundation of the city is 1610 . At the base, he was named Fatehpur, possibly in honor of the son of Barn, Fath Khan.

In 1634 Aurangzeb , appointed Governor of Deccan, arrived in the city. He lived here until 1644 , when he left for Agra to fight for the throne of the Mughals.

In 1681, Aurangzeb, who had already become emperor, returned to Aurangabad and made it his capital. From here he waged successful wars with the independent Deccan sultanates until his death in 1707 . Apparently, the city was renamed Aurangabad in these last years.

In the Mughal period, Aurangabad was nicknamed the “city of the gates”, as its characteristic feature is the numerous gates around the perimeter. Eight of them are preserved today - monuments of the Mughal era.

The tomb of Aurangzeb is located in Khuldabad , a small town near Aurangabad, where the Valley of Saints is also located - a place where 1,500 Sufi saints are buried. A small and simplified copy of the Taj Mahal, Bibi-Ka-Makbar in the north-west of the city, is also associated with the name of Aurangzeb.

Aurangabad has a semi-desert climate . The average temperatures throughout the year vary from 17 to 33 ° C; the most comfortable time to visit the year is from October to February. The absolute maximum temperature was recorded on May 25, 1905 and amounted to 45.6 ° C. The absolute minimum is 2 ° C and was recorded on February 2, 1911 ^[1] . Most precipitation falls during the monsoon season, lasting from June to September. Between November and April, thunderstorms are sometimes observed. The annual rainfall is 725.8 mm ^[1] .

The population (2011) is 1,171,330 people. 11% of the population are children under 6 years old. The main languages ​​are Marathi and Urdu. According to the census, 56.6% of the population speaks the Marathi language, 30.69% speak Urdu. Hindi is the main language for 11.99% of the city’s inhabitants .

Four centuries ago, Aurangabad was a significant trading center at the intersection of caravan routes, primarily between the ports of Northwest India and Deccan. Currently, it is one of the most important transit tourist centers of India due to its proximity to the world heritage sites of Ajante and Ellora. At the turn of the 20th — XIX centuries, the city turned into a significant industrial center, with a developed educational component and rapid population growth.

Industry

Traditionally, the city was a center for the production of silk and cotton fabrics. The combined silk and cotton fabric developed here is known as chimru. Currently, the importance of silk production has fallen, but part of the manufactories continues to maintain the tradition, among them Aurangabad Silk Mills and Standard Silk Mills . In Aurangabad, they also make Paythan silk saris (their name comes from the nearby city of Paythan ).

The main industries today are the production of pharmaceuticals, ferrous metallurgy (steel processing), the production of soft drinks and beer.

On the outskirts of the city and beyond are industrial zones: the Industrial District of Shendra, Chicalthana, Valuj. The factories of a number of international industrial corporations are located here, in particular, a large Audi company.

Banking and Finance

At the beginning of the 19th century , with the economic recovery of the city, all the main private and state-owned banks operating in India were opened here, including the State Bank of India, the State Bank of Hyderabad, Citibank , Deutsche Bank , ICICI Bank , Bank of India , HDFC Bank , YES Bank , SIDBI .

Information Technology

The proximity of the programming centers of Mumbai , Hyderabad and Pune has provided a constant increase in the number of branches of software companies in the city, due to its population and the availability of educational centers.

Aurangabad has one seat in the Lok Sabha , currently it is occupied by Chandrakant Khaira, a member of parliament from the Shiv Sena party. Aurangabad is also represented by two seats in the Assembly: Western Aurangabad as the Indian National Congress , East Aurangabad as the National Congress .

Road Transport

The bus company Aurangabad Municipal Transport (AMT) operates within the city and between the city and the suburbs.

Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC) and several other private bus companies operate between the city and other locations in the state.

Auto rickshaws equipped with counters are widespread. Payment is calculated based on the meter and the tariff card available to the driver.

Air Transport

Aurangabad Airport - Chicalthan Airport - serves domestic flights. Currently under construction, which will turn it into an international airport. The nearest international airports are located in Mumbai and Pune .

Rail Transport

The Aurangabad Railway Station (Station Code: AWB ) is located on the Kachiguda-Manmad Hyderabad (HYB) section of the South Central Railway (SCR). The movement became two-way in 2003. The most prestigious train here is the Ajanta Express, which runs through Aurangabad between Kachiguda and Manmad. The busiest route is between Aurangabad and Hyderabad (a number of express trains and passenger trains). Significant traffic between Aurangabad and Mumbai, it is served by four night and two day trains, as well as a comfortable high-speed Janashatabdi Express (travel time 6 hours 30 minutes).

Monuments of culture in the city and on the outskirts of the city

• Bibi-Ka-Makbara is the mausoleum of the wife of Aurangzeb in the north-west of the city.
• Aurangabad Caves are Buddhist cave temples carved in rocky hills in the university area and in the northwest outside the city.
• The gates of Aurangabad - eight of the thirteen gates ( darvaja ) built during the Mughal era, have survived to our days: Bhadkal, Dilly, Rangin, Katkat, Roshan, Barapulla, Paythan, Kala-darvaja. The most ancient and largest of them are the gates of Bhadkal-darvaj, next to which is the Nauhanda Palace, which belonged to the Nizams.

• Panchakki (19 ° 53'22 "N 75 ° 18'56" E) - a complex of watermills and fish farming : technologies of Indian antiquity. According to legend, the complex was built personally by Malik Ambar, the founder of the city.

Cultural Monuments Near City

• Ajanta - a complex of cave temples, a World Heritage Site .
• Ellora is a complex of cave temples, a World Heritage site .
• Daulatabad - 16 km, a half-abandoned fortified city of the 12th-14th centuries with Fort Devagiri on a hill, one of the capitals of the Tuglakov dynasty, in the first decades of the 17th century lost its importance with the transfer of administrative functions to Aurangabad.
• Pithalkora - a complex of Theravada cave temples of the 2nd century BC e., 78 km northwest of the city.
• Khuldabad with the tomb of Aurangzeb and the Valley of Saints.

Natural features

• Jayakvadi Reservoir Bird Sanctuary - a reserve through which bird migration from Siberia passes (45 km from the city)
• Lonar - a lake formed by a meteorite impact (near Mehekar, 150 km from Aurangabad)
• Gautala Wildlife Park and Bird Sanctuary
• Siddhartha Garden
• Mhaismal Hills
• Garden of the Holy Dnieshvar in Paythan (50 km from Aurangabad)

• Aurengabad // Brockhaus and Efron Encyclopedic Dictionary : in 86 volumes (82 volumes and 4 additional). - SPb. , 1890-1907.
• Aurangabad city info
•   Travel Guide " Aurangabad (City, Maharashtra) " in Wikigid (English)
• Aurangabad Art Architecture Archcelogy History Culture Study Project
• Government's tourism page
• Aurangabad Municipal Corporation