Last Updated on: 19th October 2025, 12:31 pm
Aurangabad is mainly known for being the base from which to visit both the Ellora Caves and the Ajanta Caves. But with a population of over 1 million and a rich history, consider setting a full day aside to explore the city itself. The following guide covers the top things to do in Aurangabad that you shouldn’t miss.
Before going further, it’s important to note that the city is now officially known as Chhatrapati Sambhaji Nagar. It was named after a former ruler of the Maratha Empire, a major rival of the Mughal Empire.
The original moniker, on the other hand, was named after Aurangzeb, one of the most brutal and intolerant emperors of the Mughal era. He ruled the area while still a prince and then shifted his court here after becoming emperor.
At the time, the Mughal Empire was battling the Maratha Empire, and Aurangzeb surrounded the city with a massive wall in 1683. Even after Aurangzeb returned to Delhi, it remained an important military outpost.
Later in 1724, a Mughal general named Asaf Jah broke away from the declining empire, making Aurangabad his capital.
Despite the recent name change, many locals still call the city Aurangabad, and the local train station is still officially named the Aurangabad Railway Station. To avoid confusion, we’ll be calling the city Aurangabad throughout this guide.
For more information on reaching Aurangabad, getting around, and where to stay, be sure to check the end of the article.
Bibi Ka Maqbara
If you only have time to visit one attraction in central Aurangabad, make it Bibi Ka Maqbara. Upon first seeing pictures of it, you’d be forgiven for thinking it was the Taj Mahal. And Bibi Ka Maqbara was indeed directly inspired by it.
The Taj Mahal in Agra was commissioned in 1631 to entomb the wife of Shah Jahan, the fifth Mughal Emperor. Aurangzeb was Shah Jahan’s son, and he commissioned the Bibi Ka Maqbara in 1660 to entomb his own wife, Dilras Banu Begum.
The site is open daily from 8:00-20:00 and costs Rs 300 for foreigners (Rs 25 for Indians). Visitors enter from the south, and past the ticket gate, you’ll soon find yourself walking through the Main Entrance Gate, or Naqqarkhana.
It’s a hexagonal two-story structure adorned with geometric and floral patterns. Be sure to stop and admire the large teakwood door covered in brass and entirely covered in ornate patterns.
Stepping through the gate, you’ll find a view of the main structure across the large enclosed area that’s very reminiscent of the iconic views of the Taj Mahal. Except here, you can enjoy it with almost no people!
To be fair, there were already some large school groups present upon my arrival at 8:30 on a Saturday morning. But they left fairly quickly, and I was able to explore the site with just a handful of other people present.
As mentioned, the Bibi Ka Maqbara was commissioned by Emperor Aurangzeb. But the project was largely carried out by his son, Prince Azam Shah.
And the main architect was a man named Ataullah Rashidi, who was the eldest son of the Taj Mahal’s principal architect, Ahmad Ma’mar Lahori.
The Taj Mahal, though still regarded as one of the world’s most magnificent structures, went way over budget and put great financial strain on the empire. So while Aurangzeb surely would’ve liked to rival or even surpass it, there was no way he could afford to do so.
Nevertheless, it couldn’t have been cheap, with the marble used here having been transported all the way from Rajasthan.
As with the Taj Mahal, the main mausoleum is situated atop a large platformed structure surrounded by four towering minarets. There’s also a mosque to the west which was added later.
Walking around, you can enjoy the stunning marble carvings of the mausoleum’s exterior, while the platform offers great views of the surrounding hills and countryside.
For comparison, the Taj Mahal is about 57 m high, while the Bibi Ka Maqbara is 31.7 m high. The Taj’s base platform is 95 meters square, while this one is just about half of that.
But with all that said, seeing the Taj Mahal under ideal lighting conditions with very few visitors around is basically impossible. That makes visiting Bibi Ka Maqbara a unique experience.
Stepping inside, you’ll encounter the tomb of Dilras Banu Begum. The first wife and chief consort of Aurangzeb, she was born as a princess of Iran’s Safavid Dynasty. Tragically, she became ill and died after the birth of her fifth child.
Walking around, note the detailed floral patterns carved into the marble, along with the latticed screens carved into the stone, a type of decoration known as jali.
For those with just a day to explore the city of Aurangabad, note that the Bibi Ka Maqbara opens from 8:00 and the Aurangabad Caves open from 9:00. Most other attractions around the city, meanwhile, open from 10:00.
So if you got an early start at the Bibi Ka Maqbara, it would be wise to head to the caves next, ideally by grabbing an Uber.
But as we’ll cover below, you should also just consider a private rickshaw tour so you don’t have to worry about timing or transport.
The Aurangabad Caves
The state of Maharashtra is home to the highest concentration of manmade religious caves. Aurangabad, of course, is the base for visiting the two most spectacular cave complexes of them all: the Ellora Caves and Ajanta Caves.
But the city itself is home to its own cave complex, simply known as the Aurangabad Caves. While it can’t compete with Ellora or Ajanta, the site is still worth a look.
There are 12 caves in total, but the site is divided into two main sections that are about 10-15 minutes apart on foot. I started from Caves No. 1-5, which are accessed by turning left at the roundabout as you approach the site.
All Buddhist, the caves were carved between the 3rd-7th centuries AD.
One of the highlights here is the chaitya cave. Chaitya is another word for stupa, and stupas are often considered one of the most sacred parts of a Buddhist temple.
Interestingly, this cave is said to have been carved by the Theravada sect of Buddhism, the type now most popular in Southeast Asia. Many of the other caves, in contrast, were carved by the Mahayana sect.
Arguably the highlight of this section is Cave No. 3, which features a hall containing beautifully carved pillars and multiple shrines.
Numerous scenes depict the Buddha surrounded by various devotees and bodhisattvas, while some of them also depict the Jataka Tales, or stories of the Buddha’s past lives.
While, as mentioned, the Aurangabad Caves are no match for the Ajanta or Ellora Caves, this particular cave certainly rivals some of the ones you’ll find there.
Cave No. 1 is actually the last that you’ll approach, and it’s accessed via an additional staircase. It was officially off-limits during my visit, but a cleaning staff allowed me to go up and see it. It features pillars and carvings similar to Cave No. 3.
Next, I went back to the ticket gate and made the fairly long trek over to the other section of the site. Along the way, I happened to meet a Theravada Buddhist monk from a nearby monastery.
There’s also a monastery below Nashik’s Pandav Leni Caves, so it’s interesting to observe how the few Buddhist monasteries in India that are still active seem to be located by ancient Buddhist sites.
The most impressive cave of this section is probably Cave No. 7, which was carved in the 7th or 8th century AD. It served as a monastery and its striking sculptures are some of the most impressive of the entire complex.
The hall features carvings of the Buddhist deities Hariti and Panchika, various other goddesses, and Avalokiteshvara, a prominent bodhisattva of Mahayana Buddhism.
Bodhisattvas aren’t quite gods, but individuals who attained nirvana and then voluntarily chose to ‘stay behind’ to help others reach the same state.
The remaining caves aren’t as impressive as those covered above, but are still worth a quick look. At the end, you’ll even find an unfinished cave which helps one picture that tremendous amount of effort required to create the others.
Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar Marathwada University
While not as essential as the landmarks featured above, history lovers should consider a visit to the campus of Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar Marathwada University.
The university features its own History Museum which costs Rs 20 to enter. Unfortunately, no photos of any kind are allowed inside.
The small museum features art and artifacts ranging from the time of Ashoka all the way up to the Mughal period. While some Mughal emperors repressed non-Muslims, the museum contains Hindu texts like the Baghavata Purana written in the Persian script. It’s quite fascinating to see.
At the far western edge of the campus, meanwhile, is the Suneri Mahal.
It was established in the early 1650s by a chief named Pahar Singh who followed Aurangzeb to the area to demonstrate his loyalty. He was gifted this land and established this palace for himself.
It sits in the middle of an elaborate garden with views of the Satmala Mountains nearby. The main structure now houses a Regional Museum which was closed during my visit.
In fact, the entire site was closed for renovations during my visit, but a kind worker let me in. It may or may not be open again by the time of your trip.
Panchakki
Aurangabad is home to another unique destination known as Panchakki which, at the time of writing, costs Rs 100 for foreigners to enter. Essentially, it’s a medieval water mill situated next to the tomb of a Sufi saint.
Constructed around the late 17th century, water from a natural spring about 6 km away was diverted here, with the energy of the flowing water being used to turn the grinding stones of a flower mill. The excess water was then collected in a large reservoir.
Deeper into the complex, you’ll encounter a mosque and the tomb of Hazrat Baba Shah, who came from Bukhara and became the spiritual advisor of Emperor Aurangzeb himself.
More Around Aurangabad
There’s still more to see around the city of Aurangabad, such as its various old gates and the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Museum. The museum costs just Rs 5 to enter and is entirely dedicated to the life and military campaigns of the leader of the Maratha Empire, a major rival of the Mughal Empire.
As you already know, the main reason to come to Aurangabad is to visit the Ellora and Ajanta Caves, which we’ll be covering in detail in separate guides. While some people try to squeeze them together in one day, you should definitely try to visit them on separate days and take your time at each.
But there’s yet another worthwhile day trip from Aurangabad that often gets overlooked: Daulatabad Fort. Learn more in our dedicated guide.
Additional Info
For those coming from Mumbai, several trains depart per day, with the ride lasting 6-7 hours. There are also several trains per day from Nashik, with the ride lasting 3-4 hours.
You can also get to Aurangabad directly from cities like New Delhi, Agra, Bhopal, Hyderabad and more.
If you’re doing a long trip through India, it’s best to create an account on the official Indian Railways (IRCTC) website. But that’s much easier said than done!
If you’re just doing a shorter trip, it’s best to book train tickets through 12GoAsia. You’ll pay a significantly higher fee, but it’s a much smoother experience.
The above link is an affiliate link, but I did use 12GoAsia a few times before I got my IRCTC account set up, and I had no issues.
Aurangabad also has its own airport, with direct flights from Mumbai and Delhi.
Despite being the base from which to visit the Ellora and Ajanta Caves – arguably India’s most stunning tourist attractions – Aurangabad isn’t nearly as touristy as many Indian cities further north. And there doesn’t seem to be a designated tourist or hotel district.
For those willing to splurge a bit, Gateway Aurangabad is one of the highest-rated hotels in the city. Hotel JP International, meanwhile, seems like a good mid-range (by Indian pricing standards) option.
Being a long-term budget traveler, I stayed at Galaxy Residency which was a bit far from the center, but it was clean and had all the basics for less than Rs 1000 per night.
They will set you up with a driver, which has both its pros and cons. On the one hand, he offered reasonable prices and always showed up on time.
But he was also very persistent, and if he didn’t have any customers on a particular day, he’d just sit outside the hotel waiting for me to see what I had planned! On one of our outings, he also kept encouraging me to buy stuff from his acquaintances which I had to keep refusing.
I saw the sites featured above in a single day by using a combination of Ubers and long walks. After having great, hassle-free experiences with Uber in both Mumbai and Nashik, I was disappointed to realize that Uber doesn’t work nearly as well in Aurangabad.
Unless you’re right in the center or by a major road, it’s often hard to get drivers to come to you, and you’ll sometimes find it easier to just walk than stand there staring at your phone for 20 minutes.
To save yourself the hassle, you could consider booking a private tour in a car like this one. But such tours don’t come cheap.
Alternatively, many tuk tuk drivers around town offer package day tours to the city’s main sites. I can’t remember exactly how much I was offered, but I believe it was around Rs 1200. Given the difficulties with Uber in some parts of the city, it’s the most efficient way to get around.
But the typical routes don’t always include places like the Suneri Mahal. And sometimes, getting a bit lost and exploring on foot is part of the fun when visiting a new city.
Note that many popular online tours to the Ellora and/or Ajanta Caves may also include some of the sites around town, such as Bibi Ka Maqbara. If you’re short on time, then that would be the most essential destination in the city to see.
Just be sure to give yourself adequate time at Ellora and Ajanta, as each site takes at least several hours to explore in full! Learn more in our detailed guides to each.