Panchakki is a water mill that incorporates a madrasa, mosque, a guest house dedicated to women and a sarai for travellers. It is a frequented picnic spot and one of the most visited tourist attractions in Aurangabad. Being painted all white with the surrounding water reflecting the blue colour of the sky, Panchakki is certainly a picturesque destination.  

Panchakki was built by Turktaz Khan, who was in the staff of King Nizam-ul-Mulk Asaf Jah. Its architecture was well engineered and stood ahead of its time by making use of scientific principles to generate electricity. The electricity was used to mill grain for military troops, saints and all the devotees who visited here. 

Highlights of Panchakki

• One can admire the calm waters of the reservoir that reflect the sky and create a magical view. 
• It is a haven for readers as Panchakki has a library inside it that holds about 2,500 books written in different languages. This library was closed earlier for administrative purposes and had 1,00,000 books at that time, which were moved to Hyderabad.  
• One must visit the cenotaph in Panchakki. It functions a memorial for Hazrat Baba Shah Musafir who was a spiritual mentor and a counsellor to Aurangzeb. He was also the one who founded the library in Panchakki.
• There is a 300 year old banyan tree that attracts a lot of people and adds to the magnificence of the site. 

Best time to visit Panchakki

The best time to visit Panchakki is during the winter and monsoon seasons as the weather in Aurangabad during these seasons is very pleasant. As a result, one can roam around comfortably without feeling like you have to rush through sight-seeing spots to get back to the comfort of your hotel.  Hence, the months from October to March and June to September are the best times to visit. 

The summer season and its scorching heat make sightseeing a bit of a challenge, which is why one might avoid the months of April and May. 

How to reach Panchakki

By Air: The nearest airport to Panchakki is the Aurangabad airport. It is well connected to major cities, and flights from Delhi and Mumbai fly on a daily basis to Aurangabad. The airport is at a distance of about 12 kms from the site and is an easy 45-minute drive away. 

By Road: Aurangabad is well connected to Pune, Mumbai, Kolhapur and Nashik by road and regular state transport and private buses are available all year round. This biggest advantage of using them is that their tickets are affordable. Panchakki is just a kilometer away from the main city and one can easily get any public vehicle to reach there. Ghati bus stop happens to be the nearest one to Panchakki, being just 350 metres away from it. 

By Train: There are regular trains from major cities like Hyderabad, Mumbai, Delhi etc. and one can also reach there by boarding an overnight train from Mumbai. The Aurangabad railway station is the closest to Panchakki and is located 4 kms away, which makes it is less than a fifteen minutes drive.  

To explore the wonderful city of Aurangabad, have a look at our travel packages that take you there!