‘Aurangabad’, which literary means ‘built by the throne’ is an ancient Mughal conurbation and the present day headquarters of the Aurangabad District in the state of Maharashtra. Christened in the honor of the most notorious Mughal emperor Aurangzeb, Aurangabad, bequeathed with a number of historical, architectural and archaeological monuments such as the World Heritage Sites - Ajanta & Ellora Caves, Bibi Ka Maqbara, Delhi Gate, Rangeen Darwaza, Kala Darwaza and celebrated mosques namely Jumma Masjid, Shahganj Masjid, and so on is today reckoned all over the map as a foremost tourist destination of the country. Accredited with the moniker ‘the City of Gates’, Aurangabad has been recently conferred upon the laurel; ‘the Tourism Capital of Maharashtra’. Nestled on the banks of the river Kham and bounded by the soaring hills on all the sides, Aurangabad boasting of its extensive artistic and cultural history and heritage today receives great international tourist traffic. Though being one of the fastest growing cities in the world, Aurangabad has successfully retained its entire past lure and grandeur. Under the governance of Aurangzeb, Aurangabad furnished as the command post of the mighty Mughal Empire and became the only metropolis other than Delhi to serve as the capital of India. Aside from its highly esteemed Muslim monuments and Buddhist caves, Aurangabad has also made a mark on the world front for its popular Himroo and Mishroo fabrics, Kimkhab weaves, Paithani saris, Bidri art, and its mouthwatering Hyderabadi and Mughlai cuisines.

The city Aurangabad was founded by the Prime Minister of Murtaza Nizam Shah of Ahmadnagar; Malik Ambar in the year 1610 on the site of a rural community named Kharki. The soldiers of Malik Ambar’s army built their houses here and in a few years Kharki grew into a densely inhabited and architecturally imposing civic. After the demise of Malik Ambar in 1626 AD, his son and heir Fateh Khan took up the reigns and renamed Kharki as ‘Fatehnagar’. Soon after, in the year 1633 Fatehnagar, along with other Nizam Shahi Territory came under the custody of the Mughals. 20 years later in 1653 when Prince Aurangzeb was designated as the viceroy of the Deccan plateau for the second time, he chose Fatehnagar as his capital and rechristened it as Aurangabad. The chronicles dating back to the period of Aurangzeb’s domination occasionally refer to Aurangabad as ‘Khujista Bunyad’. During the later years Aurangabad stood witness to the incessant conflict between Marathas and Mughals. In 1660 AD, the most prominent landmark of Aurangabad; Bibi Ka Maqbara was erected under the patronage of Aurangzeb’s son Azam Shah in the fond memory of his beloved mother; Dilras Bano Begum. Subsequent to the death of Aurangzeb, Mughals lost the charge of Aurangabad and the capital was shifted to Hyderabad by the orders of Emperor Muhammad Shah. Consequently, Aurangabad remained a part of Nizam’s princely state of Hyderabad until its annexation to Indian Union. The rebellion of 1857 was one of the most eventful chapters in the history of Aurangabad. The first regiment of British East India Co. that had exhibited the signs of hostility and initiated the revolt had marched from Aurangabad to Malegaon. A ‘Dafadar’ named Mir Fida Ali of Aurangabad had fired a gunshot at Captain Abbott; his commanding officer, for which he was court martialed and hanged. After the independence of India, Aurangabad was a constituent part of the Hyderabad until 1956 when it was integrated into the newly formed Bombay State and later in 1960 AD; it was incorporated with the state of Maharashtra.