Linda: Fort Daulatabad, Aurengabad, Feb. 14

Linda: Aurengabad
Fort Daulatabad


Three days were spent outside in the verdant and fertile area around Aurengabad in central-west India. This area has seen the rise and fall of many dynasties with its greatest period during the time when Aurengzeb, son of Shah Jahan, made it his capital. Interestingly, not only is there a significant Muslim population here, but there is also a large Christian population. At present, the area has roughly 50% Hindu, 25% Christian, and 20% Muslim, with a small minority of Jain and other sects. I am not sure why there is such a strong Christian heritage in this particular area, far from the ports of the East India Company of old.

Situated majestically on a nearby hilltop (actually an old volcano) the ancient fortress of Fort Daulatabad. Its original name was Devgiri, or Abode of Gods and was already an impressive fortress by the 12th century. In the 14th century, it was renamed Daulatabad, City of Fortune, by the Sultan of Delhi, Muhammad Tughlaq, and was a favorite abode of Shah Jahan and his young son, the future Aurengzesb. What is impressive about this fortress is the emphasis on defense. One can tell much about a people by how they design their cities; it tells you what is truly important to them. This citadel is an abode for peace. Instead of works made to promote the machination of offensive warfare, all efforts were made of a defensive nature. The area is surrounded by two enormous walls, quite far apart from each other and separated by a flat, empty plain and a dry moat. No army could encroach on the outposts of the citadel without detection. The second wall is many meters high and thick and undulates at a distance from the base of the hill/mountain upon which the citadel sits. Then, around the base of the conical mountain (volcano) is another wall with impressive ramparts, guard towers, and series of gate houses zig-zagging down narrow streets. The area between the second wall and the wall (third) around the base of the citadel itself was for the common people. It had enough land to grow all that was necessary for the city. One can still see the remnants of fields and gardens on its fertile grounds and there are several public and private baths dotting the countryside, as well as several deep, deep wells and tanks with cool, clear water – spring fed as well as filled by seepage. Water was carried throughout the citadel – including the very top – by a major feat of engineering, which remains mysterious to this day. Through earthenware pipes, water was transported from a river 6 kilometers away. Thus, all parts of the fortress had water from the river at all times and water from the many wells and tanks during times of siege. The next section was surrounded by a deep, deep moat that had been filled with crocodiles at one time. The walls of the fortress and the depths of the moat were dug by hand – absolutely straight so that “even a reptile could not scale it”. This area contains the ruins of some lovely palaces – small enclosures with a courtyard surrounded by modest rooms on the outside. In the design of the palaces, one sees the play of weather on the decisions of the architects. Everything is designed with a view to nature. The palaces are not large, meandering manors where one room leads into the next, designed to keep the weather out and people in – as in England. Here, the palaces are rooms, airy and small, designed to capture every bit of air, with impressive cooling systems that not only capture air from any cross-breeze, but sometimes channel it through water to cool it before its welcome breeze cools the people. The courtyards and gardens must have been lovely, with shade trees and pavilions; it is clear that people spent most of their time outside. The path to the top of the citadel then goes through a series of small courtyards and narrow passageways, each which can be closed off. There is also a long, meandering, pitch-black tunnel (filled with bats) that, in times of siege, could be blocked off. An intruder would be plunged in darkness, and hot rocks, fire, boiling oil, traps, and hidden guards would await the person thus entrapped. There were two sets of these tunnels, after which the pathway was wider and better paved, climbing, climbing, climbing to the top of the hill. The palace at the top, built by Shah Jahan, was beautiful in its simplicity. It had a lovely courtyard flanked by 4 rooms, one on each side. One room was a mosque, a second led to a stairway to the roof and another fortress (very military) at the summit, a third room, and an audience chamber with two small, octagonal private chambers on each side as well as a lovely balcony overlooking the countryside – an impressive view for miles around. The ingenuity of design, bent on retreat rather than attack, was stunning, as was its situation in the center of this beautiful plain. It reminds me of some of the areas of sacred geography that one sees, where a large, large hill is in the center of a large, open plain. Some places in the west come to mind, as well as Cashel, in Ireland (now THAT is a wonderful place).

This was a place of peace and aptly named. It had never been taken by force, though had once been taken by deception. Though it is largely in ruins, one could happily spend many days here, wandering around the vast perimeter, finding hidden pockets of lovliness – and perhaps some beautiful rocks and old coins, which seem to abound in this area!