Things to Do in Aurangabad After You Get Off the Train

The city long known as Aurangabad was officially renamed Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, and its railway station code CPSN reflects that. Whatever you call it, this is the practical base for two of India's most important cave temple complexes, Ajanta and Ellora, both UNESCO World Heritage sites, and a handful of other Deccan-era monuments close to the city itself.

Distances from the station

Can it be covered in a single day?

Not all of it, realistically. Ellora Caves, Daulatabad Fort and Bibi Ka Maqbara can be combined into one full day if you start early, since they're all within about half an hour of each other and the city. Ajanta is a separate full day on its own: the round trip alone takes five to six hours, and the caves themselves need two to three hours to see properly, so trying to fit both Ajanta and Ellora into one day means rushing both. Most travellers give this trip two full days, one for each cave complex, with the city sights on a spare morning or evening around them.

Ellora Caves

Ellora is the easier of the two to combine with other sights, since it's close to the city and to Daulatabad Fort. The complex has 34 rock-cut caves representing Buddhist, Hindu and Jain traditions side by side, carved between roughly the 6th and 10th centuries. The Kailasa Temple, cave 16, cut entirely from a single rock face, is the highlight and worth allowing extra time for.

Ajanta Caves

Ajanta is older and further out, a horseshoe-shaped set of 30 caves cut into a cliff above a river gorge, famous for their Buddhist murals and sculpture dating back over two thousand years in parts. Because of the distance, plan to leave the city by 7-8 am to have a proper few hours at the site and still be back by evening. Ajanta Caves are closed on Mondays; check the current schedule before you go since this affects planning around a short trip.

Daulatabad Fort and Bibi Ka Maqbara

Daulatabad Fort is a hilltop fortress with a history running from the Yadava dynasty through the Delhi Sultanate, worth two to three hours including the climb to the top for the view. Bibi Ka Maqbara, close to the city centre, is a smaller echo of the Taj Mahal built by Aurangzeb's son for his mother, and makes an easy sunset or early morning visit since it's the closest major sight to the station itself.

A note on the station itself

The station sits on Station Road in the southern part of the city, within walking distance of a cluster of hotels if you'd rather not take a vehicle for your first move after a long overnight train. Check the reasons a train can run late if your arrival is a long overnight run, since it helps to know whether a delay is likely to be minor or significant before you commit to an early cave-temple start the same morning.

Getting around from the station

Prepaid and metered autos operate outside the station, and ride-hailing apps also cover the city, but neither is practical for the Ajanta or Ellora trips; a full-day car hire, either self-arranged or through a local tour operator, is the normal way to do both, and is often cheaper per person if you're travelling in a small group and splitting the cost.

Best time of year

November to February is the most comfortable season, with cooler daytime temperatures that make the walking and climbing at Ellora, Ajanta and Daulatabad far more manageable. March to May turns hot enough that a full day out at the caves can be genuinely tiring; carry water and start early if you're travelling in that window. The monsoon (June to September) greens the surrounding hills but road travel to Ajanta can be slower after heavy rain.

Where to stay

Staying near the station or anywhere central keeps both the Ellora/Daulatabad road and the Ajanta road reasonably convenient, since neither trip is more than a short drive through the city before you are on the open road. There's no need to change hotels between the two cave trips; a single central base works for the whole visit.

Food to try

Aurangabad's Naan Qalia, a slow-cooked mutton dish served with a distinctive local naan, is worth seeking out at a local restaurant rather than a hotel menu. The city also sits close enough to both Marathwada and Hyderabadi culinary influences that biryani here has its own regional variation worth trying if you have a spare meal.

Which trains connect to Aurangabad

Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar station connects to Mumbai, Pune, Hyderabad and other Maharashtra cities on a mix of express and overnight services. Check your specific train's live running status on its CPSN arrival board before locking in an early-morning Ajanta departure the same day you arrive, since a delayed overnight train can eat directly into the daylight hours you need for the trip out and back. Our trip planner also helps if you're weighing Aurangabad against a connecting-train route from further away.