Daulatabad Fort is also known as the Devgiri Fort or the Hill of Gods. The fort is in the vicinity of the historical city of Aurangabad.

Districts/Region

Aurangabad District, Maharashtra, India.

History

Daulatabad alias Devagiri fort is near the city of Aurangabad. The city as well as the fort was well fortified. The citadel of the fort is located on the top of a hill.
The Fort of Daulatabad has seen many dynasty’s fall and rise. Yadava King Bhillama V built it in the 11th century C.E. It was their capital until the end of the 13th century C.E. till AllauddinKhilji bought it under the Delhi Sultanate. The quick succession of political events led it under the Tughlaq. Muhammad bin Tughlaq shifted his capital from Delhi to Daulatabad in the 14th century CE. Daulatabad served as the capital of India for around a decade.
It was later on captured by NizamShahis of Ahmednagar in 1499 C.E. and was made as their capital in 1607 C.E. After a prolonged siege of around four months it was successfully captured by the Mughals. For a short period, this was under the Maratha Empire. It was then captured by the Nizams of Hyderabad, who took over the fort around 1724 CE and handed over the fort to the government of India after Independence.
The fort is unique. The artisans have chiselled out the hill of the citadel to make it undefeatable. The fort was surrounded by a moat. The approach road to the citadel is through a tunnel in the same hillock. This makes the fort virtually unapproachable. This rock-cut tunnel was made during the Yadava period in the 11th century CE. There are numerous bastions in the fortification walls. Many ruins of palace-like structures, temples and public buildings are found in the surrounding area. 
The Chand Minar is a 210 ft high free-standing minaret that was constructed in the 15th century CE.The fort has numerous canons scattered all over. The most famous canon is the Mendha canon. The canon is known so due to the depiction of Ram at the end of the canon. The canon has two inscriptions carved on it including one by Mughal king Aurangzeb.

Geography

This fort is around 17.4 KM northwest of the main city of Aurangabad. Its elevation above sea level is 200 metres.

Weather/Climate

The region has a hot and dry climate. The summers are more extreme than winters and monsoon, with a temperature up to 40.5 degrees Celsius.
Winters are mild, and the average temperature varies from 28-30 degrees Celsius.
Monsoon season has extreme seasonal variations, and the annual rainfall in the region is around 726 mm.

Things to do

There are many things to see in this fort:
●     The Court building (Kacheri)
●     Stepped wells (Baolis)
●     Bharat Mata temple
●     Elephant tank
●     Chand Minar
●     AamKhas building
●     ChiniMahal
●     Rang Mahal
●     Various Cannons.

Nearest tourist places

There are various places around this fort that one can visit after Daulatabad Fort.
●      Ellora caves (13.2 KM)
●      BibiKaMaqbara(15.9 KM)
●      Tomb of Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb (9.3 KM)
●      Tomb of Malik Ambar (11.1 KM)
●      Delhi Gate (17.6 KM)

Special food speciality and hotel

There are various hotels near this fort that will serve you the local cuisine.

Accommodation facilities nearby & Hotel/ Hospital/Post Office/Police station

There are various sources of accommodation near this fort-like Hotels, Home Stay, Bed and Breakfast, etc.

Visiting Rule and Time, Best month to visit

●      The Daulatabad Fort is open for the people from 9:00 A.M. to 6:00 P.M. every day.
●      There is an entry fee to enter this fort which might range from INR 10-100.
●      The best time to visit this fort is in the monsoon and winter season as the weather during this time is pleasant. Aurangabad Tourist is the closest MTDC resort near this fort (18 KM).

Language spoken in area 

English, Hindi and Marathi.