History of Aurangabad
With the capture of Daulatabad Fort by the imperial troops in 1633, the Nizam Shahi dominions, including Fatehnagar, came under the possession of the Moghals.
In 1653 when Prince Aurangzeb was appointed the viceroy of the Deccan for the second time, he made Fatehnagar his capital and called it Aurangabad.
For this act, he was severely reprimanded by Jai Singh and made to pay a courtesy call on Chatrapati Shivaji.
In the same year, Khan Jahan Bahadur erected a wall around Aurangabad to protect it against surprise attacks of the Marathas.
Bibi Ka Maqbara is a monument built in 1660 by Aurangzeb's son Azam Shah to his mother, Dilras Bano Begam.
In 1720, Nizam-ul-Mulk Asaf Jah, a distinguished General of Aurangzeb with the intention of founding his own dynasty in the Deccan, arrived at Aurangabad.
In 1853, Aurangabad was the scene of a conflict between the contingent troops and a body of Arab mercenaries (Chaush) belonging to Mansing Rav, the Raja of Devalgaon.
This precautionary measure on the part of the British alarmed the cavalry, and the men turning out without orders threw pickets in the direction of the cantonment.
In the meanwhile, the artillery was also showing signs of rebellion, but the rumour of Bombay troops marching towards Aurangabad had a quieting effect.
Upon his arrival, General Woodburn marched straight to the encampment of the 3rd Cavalry, and the disaffected regiment was ordered out to a dismounted parade.
A dafadar of the cavalry, Mir Fida Ali by name, fired a shot at his commanding officer, Captain Abbott.
[citation needed] Photographs taken by Lala Deen Dayal & others in the 19th century, sourced from the British Library, Views of HH the Nizam's Dominions, Hyderabad, Deccan.
Aurangzeb caused a wall to be built round the city in 1682, during the second viceroyalty of Khan Jahan, in order to protect it from the sporadic attacks of the Marathas.
The Barapul had also been walled up for some time; and at a distance of three-fourths of a mile from it, the city road runs through a large square stone gateway, called Barkul, ascribed to Malik Ambar.
The buildings are neatly concealed in thick foliage, and were it not for a dome or minaret peering out here and there, the observer might imagine that he was gazing upon a forest.
Seldom is a more varied and beautiful landscape than is here presented; and the palms and minarets scattered about the town, confer a character peculiarly eastern upon the scenery.
On the summit of one of them stands the remarkable fortress of Daulatabad; and behind it the bluff headland of the northern range fades way into misty indistinctness".
