Blogs from Aurangabad, Maharashtra, India, Asia - page 2

A region as diverse and rich in geography, biology and people and customs, naturally has a long and varied tradition of art and crafts. Aurangabad is the proud home to various different artistic techniques which have flourished under the many rulers including the Marathas, the Mughals and the British. From the paintings at Ajanta, so many hundreds of years ago, to today’s Warli paintings, Aurangabad’s ties with the Arts have always remained strong and nurturing. Mashru and Himru Aurangabad is famous for Mashru and Himru fabrics made of cotton and silk with the luster of satin. Himru is an age-old weaving craft, and was originally known as kum khuab. Bidriware Bidriware, another one of Aurangabad’s ancient crafts, is made from a combination of zinc and copper. It usually involves intricate workmanship of pure silver, either embossed, ... read more

It is not just another fort in ruins - this fort was the centre of power in medieval times and no ordinary one. Some ruins themselves are so magnificent today that one can’t help wondering what the fort was like in its glory days. The story of this fort is long one riddled with treachery, greed, religious prejudice and plunder. Obviously, few succeeded in keeping it for long: it changed hands often. Huge tank for elephants, replica of Qutb minar(tower), temples, mosques, fortresses, moats, palaces, caves, canons, dudgeons you have them all in here. With backdrop of clear sky the fort shines despite being in ruins and its mossy walls. Gaudily painted tower (Chand Minar) is no comparison to Qutb minar in carved and engraved red sandstone, but had its utility and historic significance. Complicated design ... read more

Hey guys, I’m getting better at my frequency of blogging, two in two weeks, not bad.... So this week we went to Aurangabad to see the Ajanta and Ellora Caves, according to our Lonely Planet those are part of the highlights in Maharashtra, definitely not to miss, so we went to Aurangabad to see as archaeological treasures. In Aurangabad we stayed at the MTDC hotel (5 minutes walking from the train station), you will find those hotel all across India since they are government owned. This one is particularly basic, don’t even count on a soap bar.... However the price is very interesting and since most of tourist are there only for a day or two, the time to see the caves, so who cares about the hotel? One huge advantage of this place is that ... read more

Sorry for the delay in posting......didn't realize how unreliable the internet would be here! Anyway....Aurangabad. This was our first stop mostly as a base to explore Ellora & Ajanta caves. Aurangabad itself was a very strange mix of urban and rural.....mass traffic jams caused by people, dogs, goats and cows. People on cell phones digging through garbage. very strange. Our first day we spent hanging around town adjusting to the thick Indian air (filled with spices, incense, sweat, and, of course, pollution) went to the Bibi Ka Makbara, also reffered to as "the poor man's Taj" or "mini Taj" it was very beautiful and never having seen the real Taj Mahal, it could have fooled us. We also met some very nice college students who were happy to talk with us for a bit. After meeting ... read more

From the moment they stepped off the train, Lai and Aaron could feel the difference. Mumbai was choked with people, sweat, and dirty air while Aurungabad was idyllic, quiet, and sleepy. Even the train tracks smelled less of piss, not that it wasn't noticeable anymore - just not quite as prevalent. They could see the blue in the sky between the darkening monsoon clouds and the air was misty while a gentle breeze blew over them, which they haven't felt in a while with Mumbai's tall buildings blocking all the wind. A taxi driver approaches them. They were ready for him, with much practice dealing with the aggressive tourist vultures of the Mumbai variety. "You need taxi?" "NO!!!" and they start running from the guy. But then a peculiar thing happened. The taxi driver didn't chase ... read more