About 25 km from Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar (Aurangabad) and only a few kilometres from the Ellora caves lies the small hill town of Khuldabad. It is known as the “Valley of the Saints”, because it holds the dargahs of some of the most important Chishti Sufis of the Deccan, and tradition says around 1,500 saints are buried in and around it. For people in Jalna, it is about 85 km away by road, an easy day trip.
How the Sufis came to Khuldabad
In 1327 the Delhi Sultan Muhammad bin Tughluq moved his capital from Delhi to Daulatabad, the great fort near Khuldabad, and ordered many of Delhi’s people to move with him. Among them were disciples of Hazrat Nizamuddin Auliya. Even after the capital returned to Delhi, several stayed, and Khuldabad became the spiritual centre of the Chishti order in the Deccan.
The main dargahs of Khuldabad
| Saint | Passed away | About |
|---|---|---|
| Hazrat Zar Zari Zar Baksh (Muntajibuddin) | 1309 CE | One of the earliest Chishti Sufis in the area; an eight-day Urs is held at his dargah every year |
| Hazrat Burhanuddin Gharib | 1337 CE | A senior disciple of Hazrat Nizamuddin Auliya; he came with the move to Daulatabad and made Khuldabad his home |
| Hazrat Zainuddin Shirazi | 1369 CE | Born in Shiraz, he came via Makkah and Delhi, served as a Qazi at Daulatabad, and became the successor of Burhanuddin Gharib |
| Amir Hasan Sijzi Dehlavi | 1336 CE | Poet and disciple of Nizamuddin Auliya, who recorded his teacher’s discourses in Fawa’id al-Fu’ad |
| Sayyid Yusuf al-Husaini (Raju Qattal) | 1330 CE | Chishti Sufi and father of Khwaja Bande Nawaz Gesudaraz of Gulbarga |
Hazrat Burhanuddin Gharib
Burhanuddin Gharib was one of the close disciples of Nizamuddin Auliya in Delhi and is said to have been given his teacher’s permission to guide others. In the Deccan he taught a large circle of disciples, and his conversations were written down in several books, which are among the most important records of early Chishti teaching in India. After his death in 1337 his dargah became the centre of Khuldabad. Some historians link the name of the nearby city of Burhanpur to him.
The tomb of Emperor Aurangzeb
The Mughal emperor Aurangzeb Alamgir died in Ahmednagar in 1707 and, at his own wish, was buried in Khuldabad in the complex of Hazrat Zainuddin Shirazi, whom he deeply respected. His grave is remarkably simple: open to the sky, without a dome, and, according to tradition, paid for with money he earned by sewing caps and copying the Quran. The marble screen around it was added by the Nizam in 1911. Nearby are the tombs of Malik Ambar of Ahmednagar (d. 1626), Abul Hasan Tana Shah, the last Qutb Shahi king of Golconda (d. 1699), and Nizam-ul-Mulk Asaf Jah I (d. 1748), founder of the Hyderabad state.
Visiting Khuldabad from Jalna
- By road: Jalna to Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar (about 60 km), then about 25 km towards Ellora. Buses and shared taxis run on the Ellora route.
- Combine with: Daulatabad Fort, the Ellora caves and Bibi ka Maqbara in Sambhajinagar.
- Etiquette: dress modestly, cover your head, and keep the Masjid times in mind for Salah.
Frequently asked questions
Why is Khuldabad called the Valley of Saints?
Because it holds the dargahs of many Chishti Sufis who settled there in the 14th century, including Burhanuddin Gharib and Zainuddin Shirazi, and tradition says about 1,500 saints are buried in the area.
Where is Aurangzeb buried?
Aurangzeb is buried in Khuldabad, near Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar in Maharashtra, in the dargah complex of Hazrat Zainuddin Shirazi. His grave is a simple open-air grave, as he wished.
Related: Great Sufi saints of India · Khwaja Gharib Nawaz · Ajmer Urs 2026 · Namaz timings Jalna
Sources: Khuldabad; Burhanuddin Gharib; Sahapedia – Tomb complexes in Khuldabad; Carl W. Ernst, Eternal Garden: Mysticism, History, and Politics at a South Asian Sufi Center (1992).
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