A Mughal prince who later would rule as the sixth Mughal emperor, when appointed as the viceroy of Deccan, Maharashtra, no one fathom that history of the land is going to be written in red, the 52 gates of Aurangabad would witness the bloodshed!
Of late, when I visited Aurangabad, I was keen to visit the 52 gates that I heard a lot about rather than the usual Bibi ka Maqbara and Panchakki, which I had already visited before. Bibi ka Maqbara a replica of the Taj Mahal and Panchakki are the major attractions of the city. But the gates of Aurangabad have a different story altogether.
Back in 1653, when Aurangzeb arrived at Khaḍkī, the land was potent and thriving. In no time, the prince shifted his military base to Khaḍkī and renamed the city, Aurangabad. On the other side of the land, relatively young ruler Sambhaji Bhosale remained an integral threat to the new military base and Aurangzeb’s regime. It was then he decided to raise giant fortification walls surrounding the land to prevent the enemy’s incursion. Four main gates were erected with poignant architectural designs inspired by Islamic stature. The Delhi Gate, Jalna Gate, Paithan Gate, and Mecca gate, but the biggest of all is the Bhadkal Gate. The Bhadkal gate however was constructed way back even before Aurangzeb landed on this land. Bhadkal gate has a history of standing witness to the fall of Mughal before Aurangzeb’s arrival. Hence, it is also called the victory gate! Along with these gates, major numerously significant big and small gates were pierced in the wall over the years. A total of 52 gates!
Nevertheless, the tall walls and impetus gates could not shackle Sambhaji’s ambition to overthrow the rule of Mughal from Maharashtra Bhoomi. He struck with a vengeance at every possible opportunity. But the young ruler was undignifiedly captured and brutalized to death which, later history quoted as ” the cruelest execution of all time”. It was known that people gathered his body parts, sewed them together for his last rites.
My trip to take a glimpse of Aurangabad Gates did not end well as I imagined. I was flabbergasted to know that only 13 gates are standing intact for now. Rest has either succumbed to the harsh weather due to prolonged years or become victim to the wrath of religious intolerance. As of now, the rulers have changed, new leaders emerged. When some of the leaders relentlessly suggested renaming Aurangabad to Sambhaji Nagar, the history remains silent and the enduring gates that witnessed the bloodshed ordeal are standing still, waiting for fate to kick in.
By: Sheeba Vinay
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