Daulatabad, meaning city of Prosperity, has a long history. The hill it is built upon, and around, has been occupied since 100 BC. Most notably, in 1327 Muhammad bin Tughluq moved the capital of his kingdom from Delhi to Daulatabad, to include the entire population. Two years later, he abandoned the site due to the insufficient water supply. During my visit the lack of water was evident with a fairly dry and barren landscape, however during the monsoon season the area is transformed into a lush green landscape of waterfalls and black cliff faces. Based on the limited pictures I have seen and the many water stained cliff faces, the contrast must be stunning.
I traveled out to the fort via a local Jeep Taxi, which was packed to the gills with human commerce. I would imagine it is designed to seat about 12, but we probably had 20 people in ours. I have seen others with so many people inside that the best ride is hanging off the outside of the vehicle, where at least another six passangers were enjoying the fresh air as the taxi flew down the road! In my taxi, I was sitting in the front seat, where we had packed 5 people across. The driver could only drive with one hand because half the steering wheel was in front of the next guy on the seat. Fortunately, it was not a long drive and and the crowd wasn't rowdy.
The fort has about four layers of defensive walls, plus a dry moat and wet moat. The wet moat is met by a sheer cliff face that was cut away by the builders to make it next to impossible to summit without using the bridge and tunnel system that leads to the top. The cave/tunnel that lead up to the top is not lit, but I was prepared with a flashlight to get through it. However, I didn't need it because a local man snagged me at the opening with a small torch of his own and led me through, giving me a history of the fort in broken but animated English. I understood the parts I already knew and hadn't wanted a guide or tour, but ended up giving him 10 rupees at the end of the tunnel to move on with my sightseeing. This voluntary assistance, which turns into tour guides expecting money, is all too common at tourist attractions in India and can grow annoying at times. You often end up not wanting to ask anyone anything for fear of them turning around and asking for a hand out for the information. Below the hill lies the ruins of the ancient city as well as the current village that sits within the limits of the outer most wall of the fort.
During my visit I was stopped multiple times to pose in pictures with the Indian tourist that found a lone western tourist almost as interesting as the fort they were there to see. This was quite enjoyable and it was refreshing to chat with people who wanted nothing more than to learn where you were from and how you were enjoying their country.
After touring the fort, I headed up the hill outside the outer wall to take a picture of the fort as the sun was setting. As I hiked up the road a man stopped on his motorbike and asked if he could help me. I told him I was headed up the hill and he kindly offered to give me a lift, which I accepted. He was thoughtful and drove cautiously up the hill and didn't even complain when I accidentally knocked a watermelon off the bike that I suspect he was bringing home from market. While watching the sunset I chatted with a couple of boys that were surprise I was traveling alone. I told them I had friend in Aurangabad, and asked if I should be concerned traveling alone and they reassured me that the area was safe and the population friendly as I had experienced so far. After the sunset I headed down the hill and another kind cyclist picked me up and drove me down the road to the bus stop.
The warm reception throughout the evening was quite enjoyable and would become a theme for the majority of my trip through central India.
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