Daulatabad (दौलताबाद Daulatābād), also known as Devagiri (देवगिरी Devgirī), is a town in the Marathwada region of Maharashtra, close to Aurangabad.
Understand
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The Yadava kings established their capital in Devagiri and built a fort that stands to this day. The fort was reputed to be impregnable, but Alauddin Khalji of Delhi captured it by laying siege on it and renamed it to "Daulatabad". Malik Kafur, his general, consolidated his hold on the region. As the Delhi Sultanate was captured by Muhammad bin Tughluq, the fort passed to him. Tughluq is famous for his famously botched plan to move his capital from Delhi to Daulatabad, along with the entire population of the city, only to have to return because he had not planned for a water supply at his new capital. This fiasco ensured fame for his name, as Indians took to describing the oft-shifting plans of their rulers as "Tughluq policies".
Get in
[edit]Daulatabad is at 13 km (8.1 mi) northwest from Aurangabad.
By train
[edit]- Daulatabad CR .
By bus
[edit]Take an MSTRC bus from Aurangabad Central Bus Station, cca. half hourly.
Get around
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See and do
[edit]- 1 Chand Minar (Tower of the Moon). Inspired by Delhi's Qutb Minar, the Chand Minar is considered to be among the finest specimens of the Islamic architecture in India. It was erected in 1445 by a Bahmani slave and commemorated to Bahmani Sultan Alauddin Ahmad Shah for his victory against the Vijayanagara Empire in 1443.
- 2 Daulatabad Fort. It houses a stupendous 12th-century fortress well placed atop a charming hill. This invincible fortress boasts of a 5 km (3.1 mi) sturdy wall and an intricate series of ramparts. Don't miss the climb to the very top through the bat cave.
