Saturday 18 March 2000

The first stop on the tour was Daulatabad fort and we were pleasantly surprised to find that  the cost of this tour included entrance fees.  There has been a fort here since the 9^th Century and rumour has it that the only times it has fallen to invaders were as a result of corrupt guards!  It certainly has impressive defences.  It is perched on a steep hill, has a deep moat (originally stocked with crocodiles) and has a maze of disorientating passages which allowed plenty of opportunity for boiling oil.  Unfortunately, the tour didn’t allow enough time to climb right to the top of the hill.  The views would have been stunning.  I suspect that given the opportunity, we would have declined anyway – the heat and sun would have been too much! 

After a quick chai and samosa break, we visited the tomb of Aurangzeb.  This is in a small mosque.  Nothing very elaborate or impressive, quite modest in fact.  Women weren’t allowed into the tomb so I don’t know if that was any different.  The most interesting part was manouvering the bus through the narrow gates that lead in and out of the village! 

The next stop was at the Ellora caves.  These follow that same sort of gameplan as the ones at Ajanta.  However, where the Ajanta group is reknowned for the paintings, it is the sculptures and carvings that really stand out at Ellora.  The other major difference is that the caves at Ellora represent the work of 3 separate religions: Buddhism, Hinduism and Jainism; while those at Ajanta are solely Buddhist.  We saw a good selection of caves made by members from each religious group.  The most spectacular cave was a Hindu temple which looked as if it had been built from the ground up – in actuality, it was carved from the top down.  Vast amounts of rock must have been removed to make it. 

It was far more beautiful than the garish brick temple that we visited after the caves.  I can’t remember it’s name but it was supposedly one of great significance to all Hindus.  Here we observed a new rictual – that of breaking coconuts (or as the sign requested “Broke your coconuts here” at the coconut broking place).  We didn’t ask what this was in aid of – no doubt it brings luck or prosperity.  It certainly does to the coconut salesmen around the temple. 

The Bibi Ka Maqbara was our next port of call.  This is a Moghul tomb garden which is clearly a copy of the Taj Mahal – spot the difference.  It makes a peaceful setting, but having seen the Taj in all of its marbled glory, this mausoleum somehow looked ungainly and off-balance.  Very interesting to see, though and a great place to relax and spend some time alone. 

This was the first Tourist Office tour that did not include a visit to a handicraft shop.  This was only because the Himroo Handloom shop was closed allowing us to go directly to our final destination – Pan Chakki.  This is a water mill.  It was conceived and designed in 1700s by a Russian who wanted a way for the locals to grind flour quickly and easily.  Water for this purpose was channelled from a reservoir some 6km away.