Tourism Potential Aurangabad (With Ajanta, Ellora, Daulatabad Fort)

About the Book The book Putin Ausgabe about the story of the way which explores it's sis right is birth throes, tering feveloped prominence The book arths in early history and find touristic value. The contri has been thedaid and their significance ex nded. This book for the first time discloses Aurangabad in its diversity of tourism potential which is not merely the historical alles but also ins culture of textiles, folk dances, folk music, handicrafts cuisine, museums and art galleries. Besides its pilgrim Age centres, the city has also flourished into an important business and indus trial city compounded with adven turists and naturalists, who have augmented and elevated Aurangabad Eco-tourism and Adventure tourism.

Aurangabad has successfully evolved all the related tourism services and developed its infrastructure like. accomodation, transportation and tourism related Govt. bodies. The book traces the history of each of these services and its present condition. The book has further attempted to investigate the problem areas which are responsible in checking Aurangabad's tourism growth despite its valuable treasures. The book also offers suggestions, if actually imple mented, could be responsible for a quick growth and progress of Aurangabad's tourism industry and bring in the much needed foreign currency and also increases employ ment for educated local population.

About the Author The author of this book "Tourism Potential in Aurangabad" was in Museum of Babasaheb Ambedkar Marathwada University and now in teaching faculty of "Master Tourism Administration" in the same university. The author Dr. Dulari Gupte Qureshi has done her doctorate in 'Art and Vision of Aurangabad Caves. She also did Bachelor's in Journalism and Diploma in Tourism Management. She has written around 200 articles in national and regional newspapers on Art, Architecture, History, Culture and Tourism. She has written four books on Art, Architecture and Tourism. She is a Member of Tourism Advisory Board (MTDC) Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage, (INTACH). She is also a member of the Aurangabad Manage ment Forum. She has been a visiting lecturer at the Indian Institute of Hotel Management (Taj Group) in Aurangabad. Dr. Dulari has been invited several times to deliver lectures on Indian History, Art, Architecture and Religion to visiting University and college faculty members of various foreign universities to Aurangabad. Lately, she has been invited as a member of Museum Committee, Aurangabad Municipal Corporation and Aurangabad Development Committee from Tourism point of view (MTDC).

Dr. Dulari has acted as a guide to the students of 'Masters in Tourism Administration' for their project work and dissertations. She has guided 24 students so far in varied subjects related to Tourism.

Foreword When Mrs. Dulari Gupte Qureshi asked me to write a foreword for her recently authored book, I was perplexed as to why she-such a highly respected historian and scholar, had thought of me-a person involved in the daily nimy-gritties of hoteliering and travel, for such an honor However, when I read the preprint copy of the book, I realised she had chosen a subject on which I could "bore" people for hours together. I am pleased to be a part of the many invaluable pages which will, I am sure, bring history alive for all of you!

Aurangabad, the Gateway to the Cultural India, lost in obscurity. A meaningful effort made by Mrs. Dulari Gupte Qureshi, shall hopefully wake and shake up the "powers-that-be" and remove the casualness in their approach in marketing and selling this cave city, steeped in history Her well written pages give an inescapable impression of the total void in research work done by earlier scholars, who have summed the various places of interest in and around Aurangabad. Mrs. Qureshi's work is truly an authentic and complete package of an intro to the interesting places in the region, her despair at the chronic government apathy, an insight into the industrial development and the excellent infrastructure available for the comfort of the business and leisure tourist and a definite message to one and all to preserve the invaluable legacy and inheritance in its true grandeur.

Mrs. Qureshi has synchronised her work of art and research with the perceptions and dreams of the AH & RA, a group of like-minded professionals and entrepreneurs-visualising Aurangabad as a tourist metropolis of the future. For Aurangabad, the state and Central Governments' attitude, the theme of the recently held convention of the Pata holds so very true-Tourism-everybody's business, yet nobody's concern!!

I indeed laud the detailed study of Mrs. Qureshi on not only the caves of Ajanta and Ellora, but also the so-many strategic gates (Darwazas) of the city, the wall fortifying the old city.

A fitting appreciation and reward for her book would be to get Aurangabad is well deserving place on the world's tourist map-as the best choice of tourist destination. I hope, the concerned ministries and the bureaucracy also get the aimed direction and move towards the categorical promotion of tourism with a difference, rather than a mere eyewash!!

Wishing Mrs. Qureshi all the best and many more such awakening pieces of valuable art.

Introduction Turism Potential in Aurangabad is a sincere esercise in a synthesis of all the aspects and components of Tourism its strength and weakness in the historical city of Aurangabad. It is also an examination, exploration and enquiry into the various componenia like attraction, accommodation. accessibility and other related areas, their present position, advantages and lacunaes in Aurangabad In this miniscule space an exhaustive analysis has limited scope and hence a comprehensive study was not possibile. Therefore the possiblity of errors, slips, laxity cannot be ruled out. The study has been based on secondary sources like books, journals, magazines, newsletters, brochures, folders, maps and directories. Extensive use of primary sources especially interviews, discussions dialogues telephone calls and mail has been made. The first chapter deals with the history of Aurangabad. Since Aurangabad's early history is still obscure I have made a pioneering effort to build up this history by weaving in some of the Jost pearts and string them together. The second chapter highlights the various types of tourism that Aurangabad is endowed with It focuses on historical attractions, Business Tourism, Eco Tourism, Adventure Tourism.

Pilgrimage Tourism and Cultural Tourism. I have also ventured to include Educational institutions imparting tourism education in Aurangabad.

The third chapter traces, the origin of accommodation sector in Aurangabad right from the ancient to the modern period. Most of the types and kinds of Hotels which are located within the precincts of Aurangabad have been included in this study and the facilities and cuisines they offer. It is quite possible that some hotels might have escaped my notice and I genuinely offer my regrets for this omission. Fourth chapter tracks the trials of Railways in Aurangabad uptill the present time. The air services, car rentals and bus services have been dealt on similar lines. I have exerted myself in rummaging into all available photographs of old cars or buses and succeeded to some extent.

Fifth chapter again pursues backwards into the past of Travel Agencies and Tour Operators.

It presents an interesting account of the early difficulties of travel agents, tour operators who sincerely made an effort to rope in more tourists by offering them better services and more facilities.

Aurangabad also prides in a very early emergence of the guide services as otherwise the cave history language would have been difficult for the tourist to understand. The sixth chapter surveys the various tourism related government bodies, their initial beginnings in the city, their growth and their role in development of Aurangabad and promotional activities of these bodies I have exerted myself to the maximum extent to make the book a good reading, information, a ride into the past history of this beautiful city.

**Contents and Sample Pages**