Why Aurangabad should be your next holiday travel destination

It’s the most joyful time of the year and travel is the most popular way to spend the holidays! India has a thriving range of popular Christmas and New Year’s holiday destinations, so much so, that repeated trips to such locations year after year may have rendered them moot as an option! But our recent visit to Maharashtra’s Aurangabad, officially renamed Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar in 2023, made us realise that this destination can be an enriching, affordable and an offbeat option to explore this holiday. As a result, we have curated an informative guide of places you must visit along with a preview of an exciting festival coming up early next month in the city!

Among the list of must-visit places in the city, Ellora is an hour-and-a-half drive away from the Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar Airport. A UNESCO World Heritage Site in the district of Aurangabad, this cluster of close to 100 caves preserved carefully for many years after its excavation is a reflection of the marvel of human capabilities and a peaceful co-existence among people of different faiths – a feature that our land has possessed since aeons.

The destination can make for a great New Year’s location this year especially because of the upcoming Ellora Ajanta Festival. Set to begin on January 20, this three-day festival is going to feature great cultural performances. Becoming a household celebration of the cultures and traditions of Aurangabad, along with paying respects to the marvels of Ajanta and Ellora, this festival has grown to become one of the biggest fests to come out of the city. The festival will include a dance performance by Nidhi Prabhu, a folk music performance by Shahir Ramanand Ugle, a tabla performance by Sai Barabote and lots more.

Featuring carvings from 600 to 1000 AD, Ellora Caves contain the largest range of structures carved out of rock including temples, monasteries, idols carved out of single pieces of rock, lava channels situated along these caves and more! With generations of history stored in the carvings of the ceilings, walls and even floors of these temples, Ellora’s Cave 16, known as Kailasa is ‘the world’s largest single monolithic structure’ as described by the Archaeological Survey of India.

While the natural landscape embedded in its ecosystem in its full force can be witnessed during monsoons, winters provide bright yet energetic sunlight, a blue sky, pleasant walks leading up to each successive cave and more! For us munching on some fresh cucumber (available outside the entrance of the premises) kept us going for hours.

With over a 2-hour drive from the airport, Ajanta Caves is another must-visit site for you should you choose to head to Aurangabad. Sitting atop the hills on the banks of the Waghora River, the Ajanta Caves is a cluster of 30 caves that house a vast range of paintings and murals. This UNESCO World Heritage Site reflects the best of the age-old Buddhist rock carvings, as well!

As you head out for this excursion be sure to carry loads of fluids to keep yourself hydrated. If you aren’t big on cardio exercises, we advise you to do so as the various flights of stairs on the terrain connecting the caves ascend and descend quite a bit.

Bibi Ka Maqbara is also a popular site to visit! About 30-40 minutes from the airport, it is an enriching option for a day filled with sightseeing. Constructed by the Mughal prince Azam Shah for his wife Dilras, it reflects a spitting image of the Taj Mahal in Agra. Made using porphyritic stone, the Taj of Deccan, as it is also known can make for a beautiful evening filled with the winter breeze, a pleasant stroll and enriching conversations.

Stay: Hyatt Place Aurangabad Airport

Nearest airport & railhead: Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar