Deogiri redirects here.

Track within Daulatabad Fort. A view from the top of the Devagiri fort. Note the tunnel entrance, cannon post, and narrow access bridge.

Daulatabad (Marathi दौलताबाद; from Persian دولت‌آباد meaning either "Built by the Government" or “City of Prosperity”, depending on the source;also known as Deogiri.), was once (circa the sixth century AD) an important uplands city along caravan routes and is now but a village, based around the former city of the same name. It is in Maharashtra, India, about 16 kilometers northwest of Aurangabad. Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (2048x1536, 1477 KB)[edit] Summary Track within Daulatabad Fort. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (2048x1536, 1477 KB)[edit] Summary Track within Daulatabad Fort. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1433x952, 309 KB) Summary photographed by self Licensing File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1433x952, 309 KB) Summary photographed by self Licensing File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Marathi is one of the widely spoken languages of India, and has a long literary history. ... Farsi redirects here. ... , Maharashtra (Marathi: महाराष्ट्र , IPA  , translation: Great Nation) is Indias third largest state in area and second largest in population after Uttar Pradesh. ... , For other uses, see Aurangabad. ...

Fort of Devagiri

The area of the city includes the hill-fortress of Devagiri (Marathi देवगिरी) (sometimes Latinised to Deogiri). It stands on a conical hill, about 200 meters high. Much of the lower slopes of the hill has been cut away by Yadava dynasty rulers to leave 50 meter vertical sides to improve defences. The fort is a place of extraordinary strength. The only means of access to the summit is by a narrow bridge, with passage for not more than two people abreast, and a long gallery, excavated in the rock, which has for the most part a very gradual upward slope. Marathi is one of the widely spoken languages of India, and has a long literary history. ... The Yadava Dynasty ruled a kingdom in what is now Maharashtra, India from the 12th century to the 14th century. ...

About midway along this gallery, the access gallery has steep stairs, the top of which is covered by a grating destined in time of war to form the hearth of a huge fire kept burning by the garrison above. At the summit, and at intervals on the slope, are specimens of massive old cannon facing out over the surrounding countryside.

Daulatabad Fort -- Devagiri (Deogiri).

Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (2048x1536, 1358 KB)[edit] Summary Daulatabad Fort. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (2048x1536, 1358 KB)[edit] Summary Daulatabad Fort. ...

The city

The original widespread capital city is now mostly unoccupied and has been reduced to a village. Much of its survival depends on the tourists to the old city and the adjacent fort.

Mughal Pavillion, high up the fort.

Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (2048x1536, 1373 KB)[edit] Summary Daulatabad Fort. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (2048x1536, 1373 KB)[edit] Summary Daulatabad Fort. ...

History

Canon pointing into distance from Mughal Pavillion.

View from Mughal Pavillion.

The site had been occupied since at least 100 BCE, and there are the remains of Buddhist caves similar to those at Ajanta and Ellora. These have been occupied and reused since. Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (2048x1536, 1521 KB)[edit] Summary Daulatabad Fort. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (2048x1536, 1521 KB)[edit] Summary Daulatabad Fort. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (2048x1536, 1378 KB)[edit] Summary View from Daulatabad Fort. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (2048x1536, 1378 KB)[edit] Summary View from Daulatabad Fort. ... Pliny the Younger advances to consulship. ... Ajanta takes the name after the village Ajinţhā in Aurangabad district in the state of Maharashtra(N. lat. ... Kailasanatha Temple Ellora is an ancient village 30 km from the city of Aurangabad in the Indian state of Maharashtra famous for its magnificent rock cut architecture comprising of Buddhist, Hindu and Jaina cave temples and monasteries built between the 6th and 10th century A.D. These structures were excavated...

The city is said to have been founded c. 1187 by Bhillama V, a prince who renounced his allegiance to the Chalukyas and established the power of the Yadava dynasty in the west. In 1294 the fort was captured by Ala-ud-din Khilji, (He came to devgiri to beg for the job assignment taking 12000 force with him )and the rajas, so powerful that they were held by the Sultans of Delhi to be the rulers of all the Deccan, were reduced to pay tribute. The tribute falling into arrear, Devagiri was again occupied by the Muslims under Malik Kafur, in 1307 and 1310, and in 1318 the last raja, Harpal, was flayed alive. The Chalukya dynasty (Kannada: ಚಾಲುಕ್ಯರು) was a powerful Indian royal dynasty that ruled large parts of southern and central India between the 6th and the 12th century C.E. They began to assert their independence at the decline of the Satavahana empire and rapidly rose to prominence during the reign of... The Yadava Dynasty ruled a kingdom in what is now Maharashtra, India from the 12th century to the 14th century. ... The Delhi Sultanate, or Sulthanath-e-Hind/Sulthanath-e-Dilli refers to the various dynasties that ruled in India from 1210 to 1526. ... The Deccan Plateau is a vast plateau in India, encompassing most of Central and Southern India. ... Malik Kafur (fl. ...

Devagiri now became an important base for the operations of the Delhi Sultanate's conquering expeditions southwards. In 1327 Muhammad bin Tughluq determined to make it his capital, changed its name to Daulatabad , and tried to march the whole population of Delhi to it. A coin of Muhammad bin Tughlaq Muhammad bin Tughluq (Arabic: محمد بن تغلق) (born c. ...

The project was interrupted by troubles which summoned him to the north; during his absence the Muslim governors of the Deccan revolted; and Daulatabad itself fell into the hands of Zafar Khan, the governor of Gulbarga. It remained in the hands of the Bahmanis till 1526, when it was taken by the Nizam Shahis. It was captured by the Mughal emperor Akbar, but in 1595 it again surrendered to Ahmad Nizam Shah of Ahmednagar, on the fall of whose dynasty in 1607 it passed into the hands of the usurper, the Nizam Shahi minister Malik Amber, originally an Abyssinian slave, who was the founder of Kharki (the present Aurangabad). Gulbarga is a town in the Indian state of Karnataka. ... The Bahmani Sultanate was a Muslim state of the India. ... The Mughal Empire (alternative spelling Mogul, which is the origin of the word Mogul) of India was founded by Babur in 1526, when he defeated Ibrahim Lodi, the last of the Delhi Sultans at the First Battle of Panipat. ... For other uses, see Ahmednagar (disambiguation). ...

His successors held it until their overthrow by Shah Jahan, the Mughal emperor, in 1633; after which it remained in the possession of the Delhi emperors until, after the death of Aurangzeb, it fell to the first Nizam of Hyderabad. Its glory, however, had already decayed owing to the removal of the seat of government by the emperors to Aurangabad. Shahabuddin Mohammed Shah Jahan (also spelled Shah Jehan, Shahjehan. ... Events February 13 - Galileo Galilei arrives in Rome for his trial before the Inquisition. ... For other uses, see Delhi (disambiguation). ... Aurangzeb (Persian: (full title Al-Sultan al-Azam wal Khaqan al-Mukarram Abdul Muzaffar Muhiuddin Muhammad Aurangzeb Bahadur Alamgir I, Padshah Ghazi) (November 3, 1618 – March 3, 1707), also known by his chosen Imperial title Alamgir I (Conqueror of the Universe) (Persian: ), was the ruler of the Mughal Empire from... Flag Capital Hyderabad Government Principality Nizam  - 1720-48 (first) Asaf Jah I  - 1911-48 (last) Asaf Jah VII History  - Established 1724  - Annexed by India September 18, 1948 Hyderābād and Berar   (Telugu: హైదరాబాదు Urdu: حیدر آباد) under the Nizams, was the largest princely state in India. ...

Monuments

The outer wall, 2.75 miles in circumference, once enclosed the ancient city of Deogiri (Devagiri), and between this and the base of the upper fort are three lines of defences.

Besides the fortifications Daulatabad contains several notable monuments, of which the chief are the Chand Minar and the Chini Mahal. The Chand Minar is a tower 210 ft. high and 70 ft. in circumference at the base, and was originally covered with beautiful Persian glazed tiles. It was erected in 1445 by Ala-ud-din Bahmani to commemorate his capture of the fort. The Chini Mahal, or China Palace, is the ruin of a building once of great beauty. In it Abul Hasan, the last of the Qutb Shahi kings of Golconda, was imprisoned by Aurangzeb in 1687. Persia redirects here. ... The Bahmani Sultanate was a Muslim state of the India. ... The Qutb Shahi dynasty was the ruling family of the kingdom of Golconda in southern India. ... Golconda is a ruined city and fortress 11 km west of the city of Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh state, India. ... Aurangzeb (Persian: (full title Al-Sultan al-Azam wal Khaqan al-Mukarram Abdul Muzaffar Muhiuddin Muhammad Aurangzeb Bahadur Alamgir I, Padshah Ghazi) (November 3, 1618 – March 3, 1707), also known by his chosen Imperial title Alamgir I (Conqueror of the Universe) (Persian: ), was the ruler of the Mughal Empire from... Events March 19 - The men under explorer Robert Cavelier de La Salle murder him while searching for the mouth of the Mississippi River. ...

This article incorporates text from the Encyclopædia Britannica Eleventh Edition, a publication now in the public domain. Encyclopædia Britannica, the eleventh edition The Encyclopædia Britannica Eleventh Edition (1910–1911) is perhaps the most famous edition of the Encyclopædia Britannica. ... The public domain comprises the body of all creative works and other knowledge—writing, artwork, music, science, inventions, and others—in which no person or organization has any proprietary interest. ...

Tourist Information

Daulatabad is just 16 km from Aurangabad and is easily accessible by road. Visit to the Daulatabad fort is a half day affair. One can book a taxi cab from Aurangabad from near the central bus stand. Its advisable to go for taxis thru the authorized taxi union which has its office just adjacent to the 'out gate' of the central bus stand. Alternatively, single tourist can also go by the state transport busses or many private busses which ply from Aurangabad.

Have some nice guavas at the entrance (Daulatabad is famous for those) and start off inside the fort. It opens at 7 AM.

After a brief hike, you will reach the magnificent 'Mendha Tof' (A cannon with its head resembling like a sheep) pointing out towards the enemy.

Further up, you will encounter a great moat which separates the fort from the outer boundaries.The moat would be filled with water and hungry crocodiles once upon a time.

The marvellous 'bhul bhullaiya' (Maze) follows the trench and is a dark corridor maze which anyone has to pass to climb further up. The bhul bhullaiya has some perfect traps for the enemy where he could slip and slide down directly into the trench ! The 'bhul bhullaiya guides' present there would explain many things and show you around using a flame torch for a price. For the non-enthusiast, you can always take the outer stairs constructed later by the government.

Many tourists back off after this but for the committed and enthusiastic, you would like to climb further up and in the end, you reach the Moghul Pavilion (the white colored structure at the top) which seems to be the top of the fort but wait ! Climb up all the way to the flagpole which offers a panoramic view of the place around.

The decent is comparatively easy, but dangerous due to the huge speed one can attain if he is over enthusiastic.

It would be a nice idea to club the visit to Daulatabad with Aurangzeb's tomb at Khultabad, Bhadra Maruti Mandir, Ellora Caves (11 km ahead) and the Grisneshwar Temple of lord Shiva (One of the12 jotirlinga's)

External links

• Daulatabad at the Islamic Monuments of India Photographic Database

• http://www.tribuneindia.com/2003/20030817/spectrum/travel.htm

• History of the Mughal Pavilion and information regarding the fort

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