Aurangabad (Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar)

Aurangabad, renamed Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, serves as the natural gateway city for visiting the nearby UNESCO World Heritage cave complexes of Ajanta and Ellora, its own historical layers including the Bibi Ka Maqbara — a mausoleum closely modelled on the Taj Mahal, sometimes called the 'Taj of the Deccan' — and the imposing Daulatabad Fort. The city's Mughal and Nizam-era heritage reflects centuries as a significant Deccan political and military centre.

While most visitors use the city primarily as a practical base for the wider cave circuit, Aurangabad's own historical sites — particularly Daulatabad's dramatic hilltop fortifications, once briefly serving as an imperial Delhi Sultanate capital — reward those with time to explore beyond simply passing through en route to Ajanta and Ellora.

Built by Mughal prince Aurangzeb, who later became emperor and gave the city its former name, Aurangabad developed as a significant Deccan administrative centre, later passing to the Nizams of Hyderabad before its 2023 renaming.

The city has its own airport and is a major railway junction, roughly 375km from Mumbai.