AURANGABAD, a city of India, in the dominions of the nizam of Hyderabad, north-west division, situated 138m. from Poona, 207 from Bombay via Poona, and 27o from Hyderabad on the river Kaum. It gives its name to a district. It was founded in 1610 by Malik Ambar, an Abyssinian slave who had risen to great influence. Subsequently it became the capital of the Mogul conquests in south India. Aurangzeb, who erected here a mau soleum to his wife which has been compared to the Taj Mahal at Agra, made the city the seat of his government during his viceroy alty of the Deccan, and gave it the name of Aurangabad. It thus grew into the principal city of a province including nearly all the territory now the northern division of the presidency of Bombay, and was for long capital of the nizams after they became inde pendent of Delhi. They subsequently transferred their capital to Hyderabad, whereupon Aurangabad began to decline. In recent years the jungle has been cleared from the ruins of the citadel, mosque, etc., 2m. from the cantonment, and government offices have been built near the ruins. North of the city are Buddhist caves of the 7th century. Aurangabad is a railway station on the Hyderabad-Godavari line, 435m. from Bombay. In 1931 the population, with that of the military cantonments, was 36,87o.
The district of Aurangabad has an area of 6,212 square miles. The population in 1931 was 944,793. It contains the famous caves of Ajanta, and also the battlefield of Assaye.