Ever heard of Aurangabad?

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Well, neither had we but this small city (India standards that is) and surrounding area sure did pack in quite the historical punch. Ancient hilltop forts, exquisite cave carvings and mini Taj-Mahal left us quite impressed. Is ignorance really bliss? Aurangabad proved otherwise.

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Photos

Daunting Daulatabad
In the 14th century, this hilltop fortress became the capital when it was populated by marching the good folks of Delhi 1100km to get here. Woe are those who had to truck it all the way back merely two years later.

Are you with me? Do you follow?
Indian schoolkids have the unenviable task of remembering their lengthy and complex history. Fortunately, the cities and surrounding countryside are sprinkled with thousands of historical ruins. Great for school field trips.

Buddhist Carvings
This is but one example of 34 impressive Buddhist, Hindu and Jain cave temples: multiple stories intricately carved from the top down.

Kailasa Temple
This Shiva temple in Ellora is the world's largest monolithic sculpture. Translation: it's the biggest sculpture made from one single piece of rock (200 000 tonnes of rock, 7000 labourers and 150 years).

Poor Man's Taj
If these are the crowds at the "Poor Man's Taj", we can't wait for the real thing.

Milk Anyone?
Vanilla, almond, rose, cardammon, banana...take your pick.