Panchakki (Aurangabad)

Panchakki has its own underground water channel (naher). The whole system is a typical example of medieval engineering. The source of water is 6 kms away to the north of the city. Water is made to reach the final reservoir through earthen pipes. It is then raised by a siphon to the top of the rectangular masonry pillar, from where it is made to fall in a large reservoir below. A huge banyan tree on the southern margin of the reservoir provides shade and adds beauty to the whole scene. In the north-west corner, adjacent to the cistern. is the water-mill driven entirely by water power. It is said that in the olden days, flour was obtained for the people from the mill without human effort. It was built in the year 1744 to commemorate Hazrat Baba Shah Musafir. He was a great religious teacher, who had migrated here from a Russian town Gazdavan (Bukhara).

Ajanta (Aurangabad)

The 30 rock-cut caves at Ajanta have been excavated in a panoramic, horseshoe shaped gorge of the Waghora River. They belong to two distinct phases of Buddhism - the earlier Hinayana phase from the 2nd century BC to the 1st century AD; and the later Mahayana phase from the 5th century AD to the 6th century AD. 

Among the finest examples of early Buddhist architecture, cave-paintings and sculptures, these caves comprise Chaitya halls or shrines and Viharas or monasteries. 

Some of the magnificent paintings, for which Ajanta is world-famous, can be seen in caves 1, 2, 9, 10, 16 and 17. They depict episodes from the life of the Buddha and scenes from the Jataka tales which relate to the Buddha's previous incarnation as a Bodhisattva.

The sculptures on the façade of some of the caves and in the shrines contain superb images of the Buddha. More remarkable among these is the one depicting the Buddha's Mahaparinirvana - his ultimate release from the cycle of rebirth, in Cave 26, evoking a sense of awe and reverence.