The Abode of Wealth

Badshah Salamat Zindabad… the two of us said in unison to an old man in tattered clothes and a huge colourful turban sitting near the gate of the famous Daulatabad Fort. Sunil, our local driver- cum-guide at Aurnagabad had briefed us well. He had told us that he would be taking us to meet someone called Pagla Shah Baba, who narrates the history of the city in his own unique manner and most tourists love the same.

Salaam…said the Pagla Shah Baba… where are you from?

We are from Bombay, now called Mumbai.

Hmmm…that was the land of the Marathas who came in much later than my times. The Deccan was their territory where they fought the Mughals but they ruled this fort for a short while only in the middle of the eighteenth century. What gifts have you brought for His Highness?

Naan Khaliya from Abdul Jabbar Khaliya House your highness. This was exactly as Sunil had advised us.

I am happy you got this famous dish for me. I get upset when some youngsters get the local Kuntaki Chicken Pakodas for me.… it has no class as compared to Naan Khaliya. The slow cooked tender meat in a spicy and soupy gravy and served with the saffron tinted naan is my favourite. When I shifted my capital from Delhi to Daulatabad, my shahi bawarchis (royal cooks) dug hot furnaces and rolled out thousands of naans and served my army with khaliya. In those days, this was called ‘sipaaiyon ka khana’ or food for soldiers. One day my people served naan khaliya to me and I fell in love with it instantly. It is a specialty of this city and you will not get it anywhere else.

We were taken aback when the old man spoke about ‘my capital’ and ‘my army ‘and ‘shifting of the city’ as if he were Sultan Muhammad bin Tughlaq who ruled the Delhi Sultanate from 1325 to 1351 CE. Sunil looked at our amazement and put a finger on his lips as if telling us to stay quiet and listen to the Pagla Shah Baba without questioning or disturbing him. We obeyed him and heard the man with rapt attention as he began his discourse.

According to the Hindu folk lore, the original name of the city was Devagiri meaning ‘Hill of the Gods’. Lord Shiva is said to have lived in the hills surrounding this region. Not much is known thereafter but historical records show that this was a flourishing town enroute for trading caravans going to the western and southern parts of the country. It became the capital city of the Yadava Kingdom from 9^th century CE onwards. In the late 12^th century, Yadava King Bhillama built a fortress in this area. In 1308, Sultan Alauddin Khalji sent his general Malik Kafur to Devagiri as the local king Ramachandradeva had stopped paying tribute to the Delhi throne. Ramachandra was easily defeated and Kafur returned to Delhi with huge horde of booty which financed his later expansion in the Deccan and Southern regions. After that it was my time here in the region.

Trying to show off my knowledge of history, I said most respectfully… Ji Jahanpanah.

The old man got infuriated and shouted… Befakoof (idiot), if you think addressing emperors as Jahanpanah is appropriate, then let me tell you that it is not. Jahanpanah was the city I built at Delhi… the third city of Delhi in its glorious past after the initial two Qila Rai Pithora and Siri were destroyed. It means refuge (panah) of the world (jahan). It is better you keep your mouth shut or I will stop talking!

I apologised… Gusthakhi maaf huzoor (apologies my lord). Please continue the historical journey.

In 1325, I ascended the throne at Delhi after the death of my father Ghiyasuddin Tughlaq. In view of the constant invasions of the Mongols and Afghans as well as to be able to better control my empire from a central place, I decided to move my capital from Delhi to Devagiri which was renamed Daulatabad (abode of wealth) in 1328. In 1335, I decided to shift the capital back to Delhi as there were revolts in the northern parts and a plague in the Deccan where a lot of my people died. A walk around the Daulatabad Fort will tell you that this was one of the most impregnable fortifications ever built in India.

While the Pagla Baba Shah was narrating, I checked the historical facts on my mobile. Thanks to AI, all the old man was saying was matching including the dates. I shut off the mobile and kept myself open to what more the teller of tales had in store.

Among the people who travelled with me from Delhi to Daulatabad was a general named Hassan Gangu who went on to become Sultan and started the Bahmani Kingdom. Inside the fort you will see the tallest object which is 63 metres high, the Chand Minar (Tower of the Moon) which was a replica of the Qutb Minar of Delhi. It was erected in 1445 to commemorated Sultan Alauddin Ahmad Shah of the Bahmani Sultanate’s victory against the Vijayanagara Empire in 1443.

In 1499, Daulatabad, became part of the Ahmadnagar Sultanate, who used it as their secondary capital. In 1610, not far from the Daulatabad Fort, the new city of Aurangabad, then named Khadki, was established to serve as the capital of the Ahmadnagar Sultanate by the Ethiopian military leader Malik Ambar. Most of the present-day fortifications at Daulatabad Fort were constructed under the Ahmadnagar Sultanate. The fort is full of blind alleys and multi-layered fortifications, all of which show highest level of defensive strategic planning.

Inside the fort you will find another beautiful piece of architecture. It is called the Chini Mahal. The name is derived from blue Chinese porcelain tiles. It was once used as a royal prison by Aurangzeb for the last Golconda king, Abul Hasan Qutb Shah.

You may need more than a day to see everything that is there in this magnificent fort but most people see a portion of it. Apart from the places already named, you may see Jami Masjid, Bharat Mata Mandir and Elephant Tank. These are places you can easily cover in case you miss going to the top of the hill for the main fortifications. Do not miss the three hundred odd cannons on display of all sizes and make.

In 1633 CE, the place came under the control of the Mughals. The Mughal Emperor in his last days fought with the Marathas from this region. Both Aurangzeb and his wife, Dilrus Banu Begum also known as Rabia-ud-Durrani, have their graves close to this area.  Her burial place is called Bibi ka Maqbara (Tomb of the Lady) or Mini Taj as it is similar in design to the Taj Mahal at Agra. This was built in 1668-69 by Prince Azam Shah in memory of his mother.

In 1707, Aurangzeb breathed his last at Ahmednagar. His body was then carried to Khuldabad where he was laid to rest in a simple tomb covered with soil on which some shrubs were planted. This tomb was made as per Aurangzeb’s own wishes. It is said that Aurangzeb paid for his burial place by stitching caps during his last years and that it cost only 14 rupees and 12 annas. Later, Lord Curzon covered the site with marble and added marble screen around it. The tomb is still open to the sky. His was the most austere and simple of graves of any known ruler in Indian history. 

One last thing that you should see is the Panchakki in the city erected by Turktaz Khan, a noble on the staff of Nizam-ul-Mulk Asaf Jah in about 1695 A. D. The water-mill is kept fed with sufficient water by an underground conduit; the water is made to fall into the Panchakki cistern from quite a height in order to generate the necessary power to drive the mill. The watermill was used to grind grain for the pilgrims and disciples of saints as well as for the troops of the garrison. There is a huge banyan tree that is almost six hundred years old that provides shade and shelter to the people visiting.

Shukriya Sultan Shah, you have given us a wealth of knowledge about the history and beauty of the city of Daulatabad and its adjoining areas. Here is a small token of our appreciation for your help. Mind it, this is not the token currency that you introduced in the 14^th C during your times but something that will surely buy you naan khaliya for the next one week or so. 

The old man smiled and started eating the food as we walked towards the booth to buy the entrance ticket to the Daulatabad Fort. He called after us, don’t forget to buy some Paithani sarees before you go home.

Paithani sarees have a rich history dating back to the Satavahana Dynasty in 2^nd century BC. It was initially known as Pratishthani as it originated in the ancient trading town of Pratishthan. Paithani sarees are made of silk and zari with many motifs, popular among them being the Muniya (parrot), Mor (peacock) and Asawalli (flowering vines). We went to a shop in the city and by the time we left the place, it looked as if, it had been ransacked by Malik Kafur and the poor salesman looked completely exhausted.

SS