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. Daulatabad Fort is one of the best preserved Forts
in Maharashtra and also one of the best in Aurangabad tourist places.
The historical triangular fort of Daulatabad was built by
Yadava king Bhillama V in 1187 AD. 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
Nizam Shahi dynasty in 1607 AD. The fort passed several hands, captured and
re-captured by the Mughals, Marathas, Peshwas and finally placed under the
control of the Nizams of Hyderabad in 1724 AD till independence.
Daulatabad Fort was one of the most powerful forts during
the medieval period. Built on a 200 m high conical hill, the fort was defended
by a moat and a glacis. The fortifications comprise three encircling walls with
bastions at regular intervals. The moat is 40 feet deep with mechanical
drawbridges and filled with crocodiles. The entire fort complex consists of an
area measuring approximately 94.83 hectares. The combination of hill and land
fort is divided into small sectors encircled by fortification walls. The
fortified Ambarkot is planned for common people. Mahakot area having four
distant lines of enclosure walls served the residential area for higher class
of the society. The Kalakot is the royal residential area with double line of
fortifications.
The fort was enlarged and structures were added
subsequently as the fort passed on from one hand to the other. It consists of
structures like stepped wells, Kacheri (Court) building, Bharat Mata Temple,
Hathi haud, Chand Minar, Aam Khas, Royal Hammam, Chini Mahal, Rang Mahal,
Andheri, Baradari, water cisterns and 10 unfinished rock cut caves belonging to
the Yadava period. Chand Minar is a soaring tower inside the Daulatabad Fort,
which rises to a height of approximately 30 m. It was erected in 1447 AD by Ala-ud-din
Bahmani to commemorate his capture of the fort. The four-storied tower was
adorned with glazed tiles and carved motifs. It is believed that Chand Minar
was used as a prayer hall or a victory monument in the earlier times. Baradari
was the favorite summer residence of the Mughal emperors.
Devagiri is in the outskirts of Aurangabad. There are
many buses, cabs and autos are available from Aurangabad to Daulatabad Fort. It
takes 3 hours to visit major parts of the fort. There is lot of walking / trekking
inside the fort and is suitable for physically active visitors.
Timings: 9 AM to 6 PM.
Entry Fee: Rs. 10 for Indians and Rs. 100 for Foreigners.
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