Awrangabad (Aurangabad)

In the reign of 'Ala al-Din Khalji the Hindu rulers of this part of the Deccan were forced to pay tribute to the Muslim invaders. In 1347 the area was incorporated in the Bahmani kingdom, and when that kingdom broke up it became part of the Nizam Shahi sultanate of Ahmadnagar. Under Malik 'Ambar, an able Abyssinian minister, Ahmadnagar resisted the Mughal invaders stubbornly, but after his death in 1626 it was annexed to the Mughal empire. In the first half of the eighteenth century, as Mughal power declined, Awrangabad was added to the dominions of the Nizam of Hyderabad. In 1956 it was incorporated in the state of Bombay. ¹

The town was previously named Khirki and was the capital of the Ahmadnagar sultanate in the days of Malik 'Ambar. It was burned to the ground by Mughal forces in 1612, but it was rebuilt and renamed Awrangabad in honour of Aurangzib, who lived there during his second viceroyalty of the Deccan. The neighbouring village of Khuldabad contains the tombs of Malik 'Ambar, Aurangzib and Asaf Jah, the founder of the Hyderabad state. The town was once famous for its gold brocade, but this and other industries have declined. ¹