Daulatabad

Daulatabad (Marathi दौलताबाद; (Persian دولت‌آباد meaning “City of Prosperity”), is a 14th century fort city in Maharashtra, India, about 16 kilometers northwest of Aurangabad. The place, was once as known as Deogiri, (circa the sixth century AD, when it was an important uplands city along caravan routes and is now but a village, based around the former city of the same name.

Starting 1327, it famously remained the capital of Tughlaq dynasty, under Muhammad bin Tughluq (r. 1325-1351), who also changed its name, and forcibily moved the entire population of Delhi here, for two years, before it was abandoned due to lack to water.

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.

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.

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.

History

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.

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, 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.

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.

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).

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.

Monuments

The outer wall, convert|2.75|mi|km 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 convert|210|ft|m|abbr=on. high and convert|70|ft|m|abbr=on. 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 Tana Shah, the last of the Qutb Shahi kings of Golconda, was imprisoned by Aurangzeb in 1687.

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)

Rail Transport

DAULATABAD (Station Code:DLB) is a station located on the Kachiguda-Manmad section of Hyderabad(HYB) Division of South Central Railway(SCR). After Divisional adjustments in 2003, Daulatabad now comes under Nanded(NED) Division of SCR. Aurangabad(AWB) is a major station near to Daulatabad. So not many trains stop at Daulatabad. The trains that halt at Daulatabad are: Dharmabad-manmad Marathwada Express/Passenger, the prestigious Kachiguda-Manmad Passenger, Daund-Nanded Passenger, Nizamabad-Pune Passenger, Nagarsol-Nanded Passenger(erstwhile Manmad-nanded Passenger) and Nanded-Manmad Passenger.

External links

* [http://www.ioc.u-tokyo.ac.jp/~islamarc/WebPage1/htm_eng/daulatab-eng.htm Daulatabad at the Islamic Monuments of India Photographic Database]
* http://www.tribuneindia.com/2003/20030817/spectrum/travel.htm
* [http://carl.lindquist.googlepages.com/daulatabadfort History of the Mughal Pavilion and information regarding the fort]