Daulatabad Fort

Situated atop hill, the Daulatabad fort is one of the worlds best preserved forts. The architecture of the Daulatabad Fort excels in comparison leaving many historical architectural creations behind.

Daulatabad fort is situated in the city of Daulatabad or the City of Fortune, as named by Mohammad Bin Tughlaq, 13 km away from Aurangabad. Rising a height of 600 ft above the Deccan plain, the Daulatabad Fort is known for its royal fortress built in 12th century. The fort served as headquarters of the Yadava rulers and was known as Devgiri or the Hill of Gods. In the 13th century Mohammad bin Tughlaq marched into Daulatabad with all his soldiers and shifted his capital here from Delhi.

The Daulatabad Fort is situated atop hill. Surrounded by triple rows of colossal walls, spiked gates, steep slide ways and a deep trench the Daulatabad fort shows the extraordinary military and defense system of the fort over the ages. The 40ft deep trench around the fort and 5kn long walls made it impossible for the enemies to intrude inside.

The most noteworthy monuments inside the fort are Jami Masjid, Bharatmata Mandir, the Chand Minar, Elephant Tank, Royal Places and 'Chini Mahal' or Chinese Palace.

Built by Ala-ud-din Bahmani in the honor of his conquest of the fort in 1435, the Chand Minar is a 30 m high tower inside the Fort. It was used as a prayer hall and comprised of four storeys.

'Chini Mahal' or Chinese Palace has a great significance in the history. It is located a little higher than Chand Minar. The last king of Golcunda, Abdul Hasan Tana Shah was imprisoned here for 13 years until his death by the Mughal emperor Aurangzeb.

Jami Masjid was built by Qutub-ud-din Mubarak in 1318. It is a mosque inside the fort comprising 106 pillars.

The large Elephant Tank was the water supply system of the Fort. The water was channeled through the two enormous terracotta pipes from the hills into the fruit and vegetable gardens.

The Royal Places included spacious halls, pavilions and courtyards.

The Daulatabad Fort remains open till 6pm.

Getting there:

Nearest city is Aurangabad. It is connected to Mumbai and other cities too. The nearest airport is at Aurangabad. Private taxis and local bus can also be hired from Aurangabad.