Trekking to Daulatabad Fort, a Day Trip from Aurangabad
Continuing on my blog posts on our trip to Aurangabad … this one is on trekking to Daulatabad Fort in Aurangabad, Maharashtra India.
Daulatabad fort is 12 km by road from Aurangabad. We set off all fresh and eager to explore this largest and strongest fort of Deccan plateau, and one of the seven wonders of Maharashtra.
Entrance to Daulatabad Fort
This fort has only one entrance, designed such so that once the enemy enters, they are trapped with no other exit.
Devagiri Fort History
Originally Daulatabad was known as Devagiri (Deogiri), meaning hill of Gods. Located strategically on top of a 200m high hill top, it is visible from far. Trekking to Daulatabad Fort is worth an experience!
Devagiri Fort was ruled by as many as six dynasties and each of them may have conquered this fort by deceit or strength. This Fort was founded by Bhillama Raja of Yadava dynasty in 1187 and ruled by several rulers after him.
In 1327 it was conquered by Mohammed-bin-Tughlaq. He was so enamored by the fort and the city that he decided to shift the capital here and renamed the city as Daulatabad. The fact that his mission failed is another story!
There was severe shortage of water and within 2 years they shifted back to Delhi.
Daulatabad Fort Architecture
The fort is surrounded by three huge fortifications and is a unique combination of Ground fort and Hill fort. Amberkot, the first one, is around the city. Other two Mahakot and Kalkot are at the entrance to the citadel.
Walls surrounding it are steep and scaling them is near impossible. The fort is surrounded by two moats, (one of them now dry) and these must have been teeming with crocodiles then.
In the earlier days the bridge across the moat was made of leather which could be rolled up when attacked by enemies, we were told. The new iron bridge was built in 1952.
Pathetic Conditions at Fort
Well, today tourists too are leaving their marks. The condition of the moat is disheartening to say the least… filthy and full of plastic bottles. Earlier enemies wouldn’t have waded through this moat for fear of crocodiles, today one look at the filthy water none would dare to put a finger in it!
Trekking to Daulatabad Fort Aurangabad
We were awestruck seeing the massive gates at the entrance with spikes studded on them. They are still intact, though if you observe carefully some of the spikes are missing.
These gates prevented the entry and damage by elephants. Those days they used intoxicated elephants to crash through these huge doors at the entrance gates.
The trek upwards was a gradual slope. We must have climbed at least thousand steps, if not more, here on our clamber to the summit.
We climbed on from one gate to another gate, a serpentine path dotted with false doorways. The walls are peculiarly curved, steep and smooth to throw off the mountain lizard climbers. Several such architectural details made the trek to summit interesting.
They were meant to confuse the enemies, trap them and eventually protect the rulers from any surprise attack.
We had to go through series of pitch-dark tunnels with unbearable stench of bat droppings, zigzag paths, steep climbs at some stretches; we even crossed the bridge over a moat.
Canons are mounted at various points, which may have been strategically important for the defense of the fort. We took short breaks in between, taking a peep here and a shot there.
The Chini Mahal has many mysteries and skeletons enclosed within it. This is where the last king of Golcanda Abul Hasan Tanashaha, the last king of Bijapur Sikander Adilshaha, Ganapati the last king of Kakatiya dynasty of Warangal were held as captives till they died or were mysteriously killed.
Daulatabad Fort was the pride of many Kings and Emperors in the past. And many have left their mark in the form of architectural splendors. The Chand Minar was built by Ala-ud-din Bahamani in celebration of his victory over the fort in 1435.
Emperor Shah Jahan built the Baradari, the palace at the top of the hill.
Sri Janardhan Swami, (who was a quilledar, an officer in charge of fort) a great saint meditated in a cave in the fort and is believed to have left his footprints there.
The walls of Baradari (twelve windows) are scratched and scribbled on. It is disgusting to see the walls coated with telltale red stains that speak volumes about the thriving Indian paan industry. The Kings and Emperors will do several flip-flops in their graves if they ever come to know of the state of their palaces here.
Huffing and puffing, we reached the summit of Daulatabad Fort. The view from here is exhilarating. But for those few negative factors mentioned the Baradari palace seemed to be a well maintained one.
Walking through those corridors of the octagonal palace with twelve windows – the Baradari, gave me goose pimples all over.
Wasn’t this the same corridor through which Emperor Shah Jahan once walked?
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How to Reach Daulatabad Fort
Daulatabad fort is located 27 km away from Aurangabad. It takes approximately half an hour by buses or private vehicles from Aurangabad. State transport buses are frequent.
Tips to Trek Daulatabad Fort
- For proper understanding the history and architecture of Daulatabad Fort hire a local guide.
- Arrive early to avoid the heat, the final stretch of climb is steep.
- A torch will be helpful.
- Carry your own water bottle and eatables with you.
- There are no eateries or washroom within the fort.
- Wear proper footwear and comfortable clothes to trek to the top of Daulatabad Fort.
Tickets and Timings of Daulatabad Fort Aurangabad
Tickets cost 10INR per person.
Daulatabad Fort is open from 8am to 6pm. Tour time 2 to 3 hours.
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(This post was first written on Feb 13th 2008.)
I read this blog befour my journy to the fort and it helped me a lot, I went their by cab and the ride is so confortable and after visiting the fort we also went to H2O water park thanks a lot for this information
We were awestruck seeing the massive gates at the entrance with spikes studded on them. They are still intact, though if you observe carefully some of the spikes are missing. These gates prevented the entry and damage by elephants. Beautiful place to visit . Yes there are some spikes looks missing.
Thanks GMG for the compliments on my blog.
Since morning we have been at the Cow Parade… amazing! Difficult to decide now, which is the best. Thanks for sharing that.
First, thanks for your visit and comment to Blogtrotter! It allowed me to come here and discover a wonderful blog with superb pictures and an interesting text!
About the CowParade, I didn’t publish all my pictures elsewhere, but you can see all them at the official site of the Lisbon CowParade
Enjoy!