This building is situated in paharsinqpur,a suburb Aurangabad at a distance of about half k.m. To the north west of the famous BiBI-KA MAQBARA. This was -roe the residence of Maharaja of i)ichha who helped Aurangzeb in the (inquest of the Deccan The building is in stone and lime and has a high plinth. It is sad in have obtained its name suneri Mahal from the paintings of gold which at one time decorated it.
It is a spacious building of Iwo storeys, constructed in and typical Rujput style. The cut-plaster decoiation and the five lion plaster which ihines like a mirror, are worthy of no-lice. The main gateway is in tact but compound wall has practically disappeared.
The Sunheri Mahal was constructed by a Bandalkand chief who came with Auranzeb into the Dakhan. The Mahal is located in Paharsingpura, which is a suburb of Aurangabad. The structure is made of stone and lime. The Mahal has a high pedestal but it is now in dilapidations. The paintings in the Mahal were once painted of gold and so the name Sunheri Mahal.
The Sunheri Mahal finishes the Mughal grandness with its remnants of glory that rejects to fade.
Indians are charged Rs 10 and foreigners Rs 100 as entrance fee and the timings are from 8 am - 6 pm.
The Ellora Ajanta Aurangabad Festival takes place in Aurangabad's 17th-century architectural marvel, the Soneri Mahal haveli. Virtuoso Indian musicians and dancers perform classical and folk dances, instrumental pieces and songs, while hundreds of stalls in Kalagram sell regional artisans' work.
Aurangabad Festival, organised for the first time, has been clubbed with Ellora Festival and both will be held from December 21-24 at the historic Soneri Mahal, situated at the expansive Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar Marathwada University campus. The venue of the Ellora Festival has been shifted to Soneri Mahal, with a backdrop of the Aurangabad Caves hillock due to the ongoing landscaping at Ellora Caves.
Soneri Mahal, the venue for the Ellora-Aurangabad Festival
The four-day extravaganza will provide a panoramic insight into the city’s rich local art and cultural heritage through classical dance performances, folk dances, classical vocal recitals, mushaira, qawali, ghazals featuring India’s well known artistes like ghazal singer Talat Aziz, Bharatnatyam exponent Anita Ratnam, sitarvadak Sahid Parveez, Odissi danseuse Surupa Sen, singer Shubha Mudgal etc.
Apart from the performances, there will be a host of events like competitions and athletic events involving everyone from 5-85 years. A village ambience will be created at the venue complete with bullock cart races and traditional folk art performances of Tamasha, Lavani, Powadas, Gondhals, Dhol Nritya etc. A street bazaar offering the experience of Aurangabad city will be recreated leading up to the venue. Passes for the cultural programmes in the evening at the festival have been priced at Rs 50 (daily) and Rs 150 (season). Donor passes will be available for Rs 500.
It is a festival of dance and music held in November in the magnificent Soneri Mahal in Aurangabad. Dating
back to 17th century, this architectural marvel was built by Pahadsing, an Orchha chieftain.
The festival was previously held in the splendid surroundings of the World-heritage listed cave temple of Ellora, about 30km from Aurangabad, Maharashtra. Ellora comprises of about 34 caves cut out of the sloping side of the Chamadri hills. Excavated between 600-1000 AD, the caves belong to Buddhists, Jain and Hindu faiths. Ellora represents some 300 years of experiments carried out by different faiths with their very different iconography and structural compulsions. Another 28 caves have been discovered later by the archeological Survey of India. The masterpiece of Ellora is the Kailash Temple. It is the world's largest monolithic sculpture, sculpted out of a rock by 7000 labourers over a 150 year period.
This festival showcases a mix of classical and folk- dances, instrumental, vocals, milajula mushaira etc from the best talents in Indian music and dance. The Festival aims to put the historical and pictorial sites in and around Aurangabad in the spotlight. It is a unique and charming way to experience some of them such as Daulatabad, Bibi-ka-Maqbara, Panchakki (A watermill), Lonar, Shirdi, and the magnificent caves of Ellora and Ajanta, imbibing centuries of history and culture. The Ellora Ajanta Aurangabad Festival is organised by Aurangabad Festival Committee under the chairmanship of the Divisional Commissioner Aurangabad in association with Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation (MTDC) where India's renowned artists perform their talents in music and dance.