Indian Antiquary Vol 59

Author(s): Richard Carnac Temple, Charles E A W Oldham, S Krishnaswami Aiyangar, Devadatta Ramkrishna Bhandarka
Publisher: Swati Publications

Page 16

THE INDIAN ANTIQUARY
[JANUARY, 1930
ANCIENT SITES NEAR ELLORA, DECCAN.
BY K. DE B. CODRINGTON. The Elora Caves take their name from the village which stands about a mile west of the Boarp in which they are exoavated. This runs north and south between two hills (2548 and 2800, Survey Sheet No. 46 P-4, 1 in. to 1 mile), the distanoe between them being about two miles. Above the caves and about three-quarters of a mile from them is Rauga (Khuldabad), & walled town, famous in the Deccan as a Mohammedan place of pilgrimage. It contains the tombs of Aurangzeb and his second son 'Azam Shab. of Asaf JAV, the founder of the present ruling house of Haidarabad and of his son NAgir Jang, of Tana Shah, the exilod king of Golkonda and of Malik Ambar, the Minister of the last of the Nigam Shahis. It also contains the shrines of the three saints, Burhanu'd-dîn, who died in 1344, Zainu'd-din, who died in A.D. 1370, and Muntazbudin Zar Zorf Bakhsh, who died in 1385. A few miles to the west there are also the shrines of Saiyid Khaksa and Ganja Bakhsh, near by two large irrigation tanks. Except for the three shrines mentioned above, which were perhaps the nucleus of the town, Rauza dates from the time of Aurangzeb, who built its walls. The name Rauza (garden,' and then 'tomby being changed to Khuldabad, when after his death, the title Khuld-makdní (* Translated to Paradise') was given to Aurangzeb.
The ground falls away between Raugs and Daulatabad, the intervening escarpment being crossed by the Pipal gh&t, which is said to have been paved by certain of Aurangzeb's courtiers. Between the ghat and Rauze is an ancient site of large extent, which is said to be known as "Buddra-vanti" or "Buddha-vanti” and to be associated with the "Yavana Raja" (Bilgrami and Willmott, Hist. and Descriptive Sketch of the Nizam's Dominions, p. 725). Coins of Tughlaq Shah are said to have been found there.
The hill fort of Daulatabad lies between the gh&t and the present railway line, the road from Ellora and Rauza here swinging north to Aurangabad, where it joins the Ajanta Road running north to Asîrgarh-this was the ancient high road to the north and was fed directly by three main routes from the coast. The first ran vid the Nâna ghat to Junnar and Paithan. The second ran near-by, vid the Malsej ghat to Utar and thence to Paithan. The third ran vid the Bor ghat to Poons and Ahmadnagar.
This last route was followed by Seeley when he visited Ellora. It is really part of a crossline of communication which runs from Poona to Junnar to Nasik (Clunes' Itinerary, No. VII) or from Poons to Ahmadnagar to Sangamner to Nasik (Clunes, No. XXXVI), and takes advantage of the Bor ghat, which seems to have been the easiest of the coast passes, although unfit for oarts. Clunes' description of the Målsej ghat is also applicable to the Nâná ghat, which he neglects altogether as a practicable route : it is "perfectly passable by camels and elephants but.......... their loads require to be taken off at the bottom..... there is a made road throughout." He describes the N&ni ghat as the shortest route from Kalyan to Ahmadnagar, but says that its rook-out steps are dangerous for the passage of cattle in the rains (p. 145). The thick jungle on the seaward slope of the ghats is an added obstacle to both these routes, and also the fact that several lesser ghata still remain to be crossed beyond Utar and Junnar. A third route from the coast ran við the Thal ghat to Nasik, Chandor and Malegaon (Clunes, No. LIV), at which place it was met by a third cross-line of communication from Daulatábåd (Aurangabad) vid the Ankai-Tankai gap. A fourth cross-line exists in the Daulatábad-Ellora-Kunur.Dhalia route vid the G&otala ghat. This seems to have been the only dependable pass in the sweep of the hills between Ajanta and Ankai-Tankai, before the engineering of the Aurangabad-Devgaon-Kasari-Nandgaon road to the south of it. An alternate route to Ajanta may be taken vid the Ellora gh&t, and is 80 marked in early maps (e.g., that published by Kingsbury, Allen and Parbury, 1825); but its last stages must be very difficult.
It must be pointed out that these several lines of communication are not definite routes, except where they are necessarily defined by hill-passes, fords and large commercial towns.