Shani Shingnapur and Aurangabad

Shani Shingnapur is a village in the Indian state of Maharashtra. Situated in Nevasa taluka in Ahmednagar district, the village is known for its popular temple of Shani, the Hindu god associated with the planet (graha) Saturn. Shingnapur is 35km from Ahmednagar city.

Shingnapur is also famous for the fact that no house in the village has doors, only door frames.

He told the shepherd that he is "Shaneeshwara". He also told that the unique looking black stone is his swayambhu form. The shepherd prayed and asked the lord whether he should construct a temple for him. To this, Lord Shani Mahatma said there is no need for a roof as the whole sky is his roof and he preferred to be under open sky.

Grishneshwar is an ancient pilgrimage site where one of the twelve Jyotirlinga manifestations of Lord Shiva is found. It is located at a distance of around half a kilometer from Ellora and 11 km from Daulatabad near Aurangabad in Maharashtra.

The Grishneshwar Temple is also known by several other names like Kusumeswarar, Ghushmeswara, Grushmeswara and Grishneswara. The inscriptions on the temples are a source of attraction to devoted travellers. The temple is built of red rocks which call for the enchanting look that it delivers. Built in the 18th century the temple is cubicle in shape. There are beautiful carvings and attractive sculptures of Indian Gods and Goddess.

Ellora (also known as Elura and, in ancient times, as Elapura) is a sacred site in Maharastra, central India. The Ellora Caves are listed by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site and is celebrated for its Hindu, Buddhist, and Jain temples.

Located in the Sahyadri hills near Aurangabad, Ellora is the most important second-wave site of ancient rock-cut architecture in India. In the western face of one hill, composed of volcanic Basalt rock, there are 35 caves and rock-cut temples, largely produced during the reign of the Kalachuri dynasty in the 6th and 7th centuries CE.

The Bhadra Maruti Temple, located in Khuldabad near Aurangabad, is dedicated to the Hindu deity Lord Hanuman. This is one of the only three temples in India where the idol of the presiding deity, Lord Hanuman, is seen in the Bhav Samadhi or the sleeping posture, the other two being at Allahabad and Madhya Pradesh. Situated just 4 kms from the renowned Ellora Caves, Bhadra Maruti is thronged by devotees, especially on Saturdays during the months of "Shravan" according to the Marathi calendar.

The legend of Bhadra Maruti is associated with King Bhadrasen, the erstwhile ruler of Khuldabad, which was known as Bhadravati in ancient times.

Bibi Ka Maqbara is situated 5 km away from Aurangabad. Aurangazeb’s son, Prince Azam Shah built it in 1678 in the memory of his mother Begum Rabia Durani. This mausoleum is a replica of the famous Taj Mahal. Despite the layout and surrounding of the tomb is very much similar to Taj Mahal, somehow the architecture fails to produce the magic of the Taj. Hence, it is considered to be a poor imitation of the Taj Mahal.The chief architect of the monument is a Persian called Ustad – Ata – Ullah.

MTDC organizes a fair every year in the month of October as the Bibi Ka Maqbara festival. There is an archaeological museum located just behind the main structure. The museum houses rare collection of artifacts and articles of personal use from the times of the Mughal era.