Towering over the landscape on a 200-m-high conical hill and spread over 95 hectare, the Daulatabad Fort is the epitome of Deccan perseverance and strategic ingenuity. In its heydays, the fort was considered  impenetrable, owing to a complicated series of  defences around and inside it. Mahakot, or the four distinct walls with 54 bastions surround the fort for a length of nearly 5 km. The walls are about 6 to 9 ft thick and 18 to 27 ft high. Ammunition depots and granaries housed inside in the premises add to the thrill of exploring this historical stronghold. Another interesting feature is Hathi Haud, a gigantic water tank with a capacity of about 10,000 cubic m. Today, the huge crater leaves one in awe of its size. You can also visit the Chand Minar, which stands at a height of 30 ft. The Tughlaq era royal bath, an elite structure, is a must-visit. It has massage chambers, provisions for hot baths and steam baths for which water was supplied through well-laid tanks, channels, pipes, ventilators etc. 

Travellers should notice the remains of the moat, the fortified walls, the step wells, the court building, a unique temple dedicated to Bharat Mata, a hall of public audience, water cisterns and a rock-cut passage. A lower city complex consisting of main routes and by-lanes was also revealed through recent excavation.

Situated on the Aurangabad to Ellora road, the fort was built by king Bhillama V, a Yadava ruler, in 1187. The city was then known as Deogiri, or the abode of Gods. The grandiose fort was desired by a number of influential rulers throughout history because of its strategic importance. Muhammad Tughlaq, the ruler of Delhi, was so impressed by the fortress that he decided to move his court and capital there, renaming it Daulatabad, the city of wealth. The whole population of Delhi was shifted here en masse. Later, it passed on from the Bahmani rulers under Hasan Gangu to the Nizam Shahis of Ahmednagar. Even after this, Mughal emperor Aurangzeb laid a siege of four months before finally being able to capture it. It was then snatched away by the Marathas before being taken over by the Nizams of Hyderabad in 1724 CE. 

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