CHH. SAMBHAJI NAGAR

Chhatrapati Sambhaji Nagar's architectural landmarks mirror the city’s historical position at the crossroads of dynastic power, trade, and cultural exchange. The city is known for its diverse architectural heritage, shaped by Buddhist, Hindu, Jain, Islamic, and medieval military traditions. The rock-cut Ajanta and Ellora Caves showcase early Buddhist monastic architecture and the evolution of mandir forms across faiths. Bibi Ka Maqbara and Bhadkal Darwaza represent Indo-Islamic and Mughal influences, while Soneri Mahal preserves traces of Rajput palace design. Daulatabad Fort stands as a remarkable example of medieval military engineering, blending natural and built defenses. Together, these sites make Sambhajinagar a living archive of architectural and cultural history.

The Ajanta Caves follow the rock-cut architectural style and are among the oldest surviving examples of ancient Indian Buddhist architecture. Located around 100 km from the city of Chhatrapati Sambhaji Nagar, these thirty caves were excavated in two distinct phases: first under the Satavahana dynasty and later during the Vakataka dynasty. Designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1983, Ajanta holds immense religious and artistic significance, serving as a monastic and educational center for Buddhist monks for several centuries.

The Ajanta Caves are carved into a steep horseshoe-shaped cliff above the Waghora River and include both chaityagrihas (prayer halls) and viharas (monasteries). Early Hinayana caves, such as 9 and 10, feature simple architectural forms with stupa-centered apsidal plans, rock-cut pillars, and showcase depictions of the Buddha. Later Mahayana caves, such as 1, 2, 16, and 17, are more elaborate, featuring sculpted images of the Buddha and Bodhisattvas, intricate carvings, and vibrant murals painted in the tempera technique. These murals depict scenes from the Jataka tales and portraits of royalty and international traders, offering insights into the cultural and economic exchanges of the time.

Architectural features such as barrel-vaulted ceilings, chaitya windows, fluted columns, and decorative brackets mimic earlier timber structures. Excavation methods, such as cutting from top to bottom, reflect advanced rock-cutting techniques. The unfinished caves, like Cave 24, reveal how the craftsmen shaped interior spaces from monolithic rock. The Ajanta caves are a landmark in the evolution of Indian mandir design and Buddhist visual culture.

The Ellora Caves follow a diverse rock-cut architectural style and are located in Khuldabad taluka, approximately 30 kilometers from Chhatrapati Sambhaji Nagar City. Carved between the 6th and 12th centuries CE, they form the largest continuous stretch of excavated cave-mandirs in the world. The site, historically known as Elapura and now called Verul, has been a living religious and pilgrimage center across centuries, with monuments belonging to the Buddhist, Hindu, and Jain faiths.

The Ellora Caves are excavated into the vertical face of the Charanandri hills and arranged in a linear north-south alignment. There are 34 numbered caves: 12 Buddhist (Caves 1–12) to the south, 17 Hindu (Caves 13–29) in the center, and 5 Jain (Caves 30–34) to the north. Additional smaller caves, known as the Ganesh Lena group, are located above Cave 28 on the hillside. These monuments were carved directly into basalt rock using both penetrative and deductive techniques.

The Buddhist caves represent the Mahayana phase and include monasteries with multi-storeyed viharas and shrines with sculptural reliefs, as well as a prominent chaitya hall in Cave 10 (Visvakarma). 

The Hindu caves display a full evolution of rock-cut mandir forms, culminating in the massive monolithic Kailash Mandir (Cave 16), carved top-down from a single rock to resemble a constructed mandir. This structure synthesizes elements of Nagara, Dravida, and Vesara styles and is widely regarded as the zenith of Indian rock-cut architecture.

Jain caves like Indra Sabha (Cave 32) showcase intricately carved pillars, detailed figural panels, and compact shrines, reflecting the sect’s emphasis on austerity and ornamentation.

Architectural features across Ellora include pillared mandapas, sculpted door jambs, circumambulatory paths, and elaborately carved facades. The site also exhibits regional influences emerging from early Malwa and Vidarbha styles to Pallava, Chalukya, and Rashtrakuta innovations. Particularly during the Rashtrakuta rule, monolithic architecture reached new heights, as seen in Kailash Mandir, which required a trench over 30 meters deep to isolate the rock block before carving began.

The Ellora Caves stand as a living archive of religious coexistence and artistic continuity, marking the culmination of India’s cave-mandir tradition and the transition toward structural mandir forms.

Daulatabad Fort is an example of medieval military engineering and is located 11 km northwest of Chhatrapati Sambhaji Nagar City. Originally known as Devgiri, the site was founded in 1187 CE by the Yadava King Bhillama V, and the fort was constructed during the reign of Simhana II (1210–1246 CE). It later came to be known as Daulatabad during the Delhi Sultanate period and served as a capital under Muhammad bin Tughlaq. The fort is renowned for its strategic location, complex defense systems, and its integration of natural and man-made military features.

The fort is built on a 200-meter-high conical hill and spreads over approximately 95 hectares. The entire fortification is carved from basalt rock and includes three concentric lines of massive defensive walls. The site’s military design includes a single, narrow, and winding approach path with sharp turns, sudden drops, and trap mechanisms to delay and disorient invaders. A deep rock-cut moat, known to have once contained crocodiles, encircles parts of the fort. The entrance gates are fitted with iron spikes to counter war elephants.

Architectural features of Daulatabad Fort include bastions at regular intervals, stepped wells, reservoirs, towers, hammams (baths), and religious structures such as mandirs and mosques. The Andheri, a rock-cut subterranean passage, was designed as a dark, confusing tunnel to mislead attackers.

Internally, the fort was divided into sectors: Ambarkot for commoners, Mahakot for the upper class with four lines of defensive walls, Kalakot for royal residences with double walls, and Balakot at the summit, which housed the flag tower. Powerful cannons were installed at vantage points for long-range defense, and hidden passageways provided for tactical movement within the fort.

The fort underwent multiple phases of expansion and adaptation under the Yadavas, Khiljis, Tughlaqs, Bahmanis, Nizam Shahis, Mughals, and Marathas. Its blend of medieval military engineering, strategic planning, and architectural ingenuity makes Daulatabad Fort a significant monument of Indian defensive architecture.

Bhadkal Darwaza follows the Indo-Islamic architectural style with Deccan regional influences. It was built in 1612 CE by Malik Ambar to commemorate the defeat of Mughal forces led by Abdullah Khan, the governor of Gujarat, and is considered the earliest surviving gateway of the city. Originally named Bahar-kul Darwaza, it served both as a city gate and a ceremonial victory arch for processions leading to the Naukhanda Palace.

Bhadkal Darwaza is a two-story masonry structure constructed in grey basalt and lime mortar. The gate is cuboid in shape and supported by eight stone columns. The central arch is flanked by smaller multi-foil arches with Mughal-style columns. Above the gateway is a wooden chamber, once functioning as a nagarkhana for musicians and drummers, with views overlooking the city. The domed ceiling and façade are decorated with carved lotus motifs, a recurring symbol in Malik Ambar’s architectural commissions.

Within the compound lies a pavilion, a simple five-bayed structure that faces a small courtyard with an ornamental cistern and a ceremonial fountain. The arches rest on baluster columns and host a display with the takht, or masnad, used during the coronation of the Asaf Jahs. Today, Bhadkal Darwaza stands as a historic and important gateway of the city.

The Soneri Mahal is located in Paharsinghpura and is built in the Rajput architectural style. Believed to have been constructed between 1651 and 1653, the structure once served as a royal residence and now houses a museum. It is regarded by many to be the only surviving palace from the Mughal era in the Chhatrapati Sambhaji Nagar region. The name "Soneri" or "Golden" Mahal is believed to derive from the Mahal's once richly painted interiors featuring gold and silver motifs.

The Soneri Mahal is a two-story rectangular building set on a high plinth, surrounded by a large rectangular garden. The palace has a pillared front hall, several rear rooms, and steep, narrow staircases leading to the upper floors. The second floor contains a central hall with corner antechambers and an open terrace. Above this, two staircases ascend to a smaller enclosed rooftop space that supports a watchtower. Each level reduces in scale as it rises, giving the structure a tapered form.

The current appearance of the palace is the result of extensive restoration work undertaken since the 1970s. Many of the original open arches were sealed with brick and mortar to accommodate the museum on the first floor. Architectural features such as the rectangular gateway, uniform proportions, and symmetry in the garden and layout reflect a strong sense of design coherence. While much of the original detailing has been lost, traces of ornamental work, frescoes, and structural elements still survive.

Bibi Ka Maqbara follows the Indo-Islamic architectural style with strong influences from Persian and late Mughal design. Located in the Begumpura locality of Chhatrapati Sambhaji Nagar, it was commissioned by Emperor Aurangzeb in 1660 CE in memory of his wife, Dilras Banu Begum, alias Rabia-ul-Daurani, and completed in 1668 CE. Historical records suggest that Aurangzeb sponsored the project as a symbol of imperial legitimacy in the Deccan. The site is often referred to as the "Taj of the Deccan" due to its visual and stylistic resemblance to the Taj Mahal.

Bibi Ka Maqbara is set within a rectangular char bagh garden measuring over 410 by 270 meters. The mausoleum stands on a high square platform accessed by three symmetrical staircases and is surrounded by four minarets with octagonal shafts and chhatris. The complex includes a mosque on the western side, an Aina Khana or Jamat Khana to the east, a baradari to the north, and a grand southern gateway with hand-painted tilework. The gardens are divided by walkways and central water channels with 61 fountains and connected reservoirs measuring 488 ft. in length. These are supplied by wells through a system of red sandstone and marble conduits.

Decorative features include stucco painting, glazed tile work, relief ornamentation, dado panels, and lattice (jali) screens.

Despite drawing inspiration from the Taj Mahal, the Bibi Ka Maqbara exhibits unique adaptations suited to the Deccan context, making it an original and regionally significant monument. It remains the most prominent Mughal structure in the Deccan and reflects the enduring legacy of Mughal architectural ideals in a southern setting.