Travel guide to plan an Aurangabad trip for 4 Days travelguide travelplan itinerary

We took passanger train from Mumbai to Aurangabad on Thursday after office and arrived next day 4am in city of gates Aurangabad

It was an extended weekend during Mahashivratri in the month of Feb 2020 and I quickly planned an Aurangabad trip. Four days is all I had and it was sufficient time to explore Aurangabad, strictly from a corporate slave point of view

Aurangabad is great for history lovers. There are temples, caves, forts, Mughal architecture and traces of Buddhism. Aurangabad is easily accessible from metro cities.

I’m sharing my itinerary here which will surely help you if you planning to visit Aurangabad.

Day 1

We arrived in the city of gates on Mahashivratri day. Number of stone gates in Aurangabad quickly caught my attention. Aurangabad is called the city of gates with over 52 such gates like Delhi Gate and Barapulla Gate to name a few.

On arriving in the city, we had a typical Maharashtrian breakfast Misal Pav and drove straight towards our first stop Bibi-Ka-Maqbara, it is almost indistinguishable from another memento of love and its inspiration, the Taj Mahal.

Entry to Bibi-Ka-Maqbara is Rs. 5 for Indians. And for Foreigners Rs. 100. Timings: 6am to 10pm.

Next, we stopped at Panchakki- a structure that gets its name from a watermill that grinded flour using water power built in 1624. Highlight of Panchakki is its simplistic yet brilliant engineering. Its underground clay pipes go up to a distance of 11 kms and circulate water around Aurangabad city.

Timings: 6am to 8:30pm

You can find many restaurants and dhabas on Highway very easily.

After lunch we went to Daulatabad Fort, originally the fortress of Deogiri. Daulatabad Fort gained wide attention as the ruling fort of Mohammed bin Tughlaq.

A place at the hilltop offers a panoramic view of Daulatabad, trekkers would love this because getting there is a trek in itself. What makes the climb thrilling though, are the Andheri kholi that were designed to mislead enemies. Some of these dark passages are still open for visitors which make for a fun climb. Better to carry touch. The fort is very massive and can take 2-3 hours to fully explore. The entry to the fort post 5pm is restricted.

Day 2

We kept the entire day for Ajanta Caves i.e. 115 km away and almost two and half hour drive from Aurangabad city. 80% of the journey had bumpy roads. I don't know if it was usual but, we saw few road construction work around.

Ajanta Caves consist mostly of Buddhist sculptures. Highlights are the intricate paintings on the walls depicting stories from Jataka tales drawing connection to Buddhism. There are 26 caves, out of which cave no. 1, 2, 16, 17, 19 and 26 should not be missed.

Private vehicles have to be parked at the base of Ajanta Caves complex. Thereon, you are required to take the 30 minute drive government tourist transport to Ajanta Caves. Buses run every 15-20 minutes

Entry charge for Ajanta Caves was Rs. 25 per person

Day 3

You need an entire day for Lonar Lake 140 km away from Aurangabad. Which took almost three hours to reach Lonar. Lonar is one of its kind. Stepped in both mythology and science.

it is the only hyper-velocity impact crater in basaltic rock on our earth. 52,000 years ago, a meteor weighing 2 million tonnes hurtling at a speed of 90,000 kilometres per hour smashed into the earth’s surface at this point. Lonar offers one of the experiences to hike a wee bit into the bowels of the earth and back up to ground level.

Next we stopped at Daitya Sudan temple.

This temple is an example showing how a temple gets converted to mosque. There are clear visible evidences of invading Muslim forces who tried to convert this historic Hindu temple into a mosque. Attempts have been made to layer the main gateway of the temple with red bricks in Islamic style.

Wonderful erotic carvings of the temple resembles to the popular Khajuraho temples and definitely reminds you about the exquisitely rich elaborated carvings of Badami or Pattadakkal

Day 4

Early morning, we headed towards Ellora Caves. En route, we made a quick stop at Grishneshwar Temple, A Centuries-old Jyotirlinga Temple near the Ellora Caves. it is home to the 12th and the last Jyotirlinga on earth. It is an ancient shrine that finds mention in the Shiva Purana. To avoid Mahashivratri festival crowd we kept this temple on 4th day of our trip. so this is a quick 10 min stop and back on your onward journey towards Ellora Caves.

Ellora Caves is another UNESCO World Heritage Site monument and an integral part of your Aurangabad trip. There are a total of 34 caves at Ellora, Cave no. 5, 10, 12, 21 22, 29 and 32 are worth visiting. But you must most definitely check out cave number 16. This is the best cave at Ellora and also the world’s biggest carved Kailash Temple.

Tickets cost Rs. 10 per person. Visitors are required to move out from the site by 6:30pm.

5 pm, I left from Ellora Caves and bid adieu to Aurangabad for Mumbai. By 11pm, we were back in Mumbai for a good night sleep – all prepared to head back to work monotony.