Khuldabad

22 kms along the Aurangabad-Ellora route, one reaches Khuldabad - the heavenly place where Aurangzeb's tomb is located. 630 m high Khuldabad is also renowned as Rouja. In the premises of the Alamgir Darga, there is a simple tomb. Later, the Nizam of Hyderabad built the latticework, which surrounds the tomb.

Khuldabad is a town in the Aurangabad district of Maharashtra, India. It is known as the Valley of Saints, or the Abode of Eternity, because in the 14th century, several Sufi saints of the Chishti order, chose to reside here. The dargah of Moinuddin Chishti, and the tomb of the Mughal emperor Aurangzeb are located in this town.

In the 14th century, several Sufi saints of the Chishti order, chose to reside in Khuldabad or the Abode of Eternity. The dargah, or tomb of Moinuddin Chishti, the spiritual guide of the Mughal emperor, Aurangzeb, is within this sacred complex.

The austere emperor himself rests nearby, in a grave as simple as that of a comman man's, in striking contrast to the grand mausoleums of his predecessors. Eloquent testimony to Aurangzeb's simplicity is the inscription on his plain tombstone: "No marble sheets should shield me from the sky as I lie there one with the earth."

As per the Emperor's instructions, the tomb was built only with the few rupees he had earned by stitching cloth caps. On his tombstone is inscribed in elegant Persian calligraphy: "No marble sheets should shield me from the sky as I lie there one with the earth." His simple tomb remains an articulate testament to the staunch faith and Spartan lifestyle of this pious Muslim ruler. The dargah, or tomb of Moinuddin Chishti - the spiritual guide of the Mughal emperor, Aurangzeb, is within this sacred complex.

About 24 kilometers outside Aurangabad is Khuldabad, a simple town, said to be modest about being the final resting-place of Emperor Aurangzeb. Legend has it that Aurangzeb would have wanted it this way, perhaps, for this most feared Mughal emperor saved money for his tomb Rauza (Abode of Peace) through the sale of skullcaps that he stitched and copies of the Koran than he personally wrote. The English rulers later and the Hyderabadi nizams added to the simple structure and today it is almost like a place of pilgrimage with tourists travelling from Aurangabad just to visit Emperor Aurangzeb's tomb and get a glimpse of history. Tiny shops outside the tomb sell blankets of roses called "chaddars" which the faithful drape over the emperor's tomb. And there are other small businesses in the verdant and peaceful surroundings of Khuldabad that sell attars and gemstones that some visitors take back as souvenirs. But almost everybody stops at the Roza Durbar Khaja Centre just outside the steps leading to the tomb where one of Aurangabad's most famous delicacies is made and sold. The Khaja is typical of Khuldabad. You must sample it if you are going there.

Getting there: Khuldabad is a part of the MTDC tour to Ellora. It can also be reached by private taxis.
Location: 22 Kms. From Aurangabad, Maharashtra.

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