Aurangabad is a town and the district headquarters of Aurangabad District, one of the 38 districts of Bihar state, India. Aurangabad has a population of 101,520. Aurangabad is situated on the NH 19 (Grand Trunk Road) (old number NH 2) at its crossing with NH 139. The people of this region primarily speak Magahi and Hindi. The district is home to myriad[clarification needed] tourist attractions. Temples, historical places and Islamic pilgrimage centers are located in the district while excellent connectivity via road and efficient means of local transport have boosted tourism. As a result, the number of tourists visiting the place has increased considerably. Touring the district is a pleasant experience from October to March, which is considered the best time to visit Aurangabad.It is situated west of Bodh Gaya at a distance of about 70 kilometres (43 mi) and 140 kilometres (87 mi) from Patna, the capital of Bihar. Some of the well-known residential areas of Aurangabad are Block colony, Shri Krishna nagar, Club Road, New Area, Karma Road, Naga Bigha, Sahpur, Islamtoli, Nawadih. The District Court and District Magistrate Office are located close to Ramesh Chowk. Club Road is home to the town hall, district jail and social club, while Karma Road houses the headquarters of the district electricity department, police center and forest department. It is also referred as Chittorgarh of Bihar because of its dominant Rajput population and has a rare distinction of sending only Rajputs to Parliament ever since the first general elections in 1952. The history of Aurangabad is a part of history of the ancient Magadh, which included the undivided district of Patna and Gaya. This city is well connected to the Mauryans, Guptas and also Gahadavalas (locally spelled as Gadhwal, Gaharwal in Bihar), Rajput Dynasty of Suryavanshi lineage. Third -fourth of India’s early history is the history of Magadh and the area that forms the present district of Aurangabad shared this glory. Although it was a part of the Mahajanpad of Magadh, it had its distinct racial and cultural character. Aurangabad formed part of the first vast territorial empire of Magadh and was ruled by Bimbisara and Ajatsatru, and later on by Chandragupta Maurya and Ashoka. The Magadh empire was bounded in the west by the river Sone. Aurangabad continued to enjoy its own cultural identity under the rule of Ashoka, the Magadh emperor. Even during the height of his regime, this region resisted the spread of Buddhism. Later on the people of Rajputana came there to offer pind "Dan" to their ancestors at Gaya. Attracted by the natural beauty of the region, they settled there. The rulers of Deo, Mali, Pawai, Chandragarh and Siris were the descendants of those Rajput warriors. Due to their militant character, they resisted the domination of the Sultanate Mughals and Britishers. During the regime of Sher Shah Suri, the area became strategically important. It formed a part of the Rohtas Sirkar. The Afghan ruler built the famous Grand Trunk Road (Now N.H. No.-02). After death of Sher Shah Suri; it came under imperial domain of Akbar. The Afghan upsurge in the area was suppressed by Todarmal and the area between Sherghati and Rohtas was brought under the Mughal Empire. But the glimpses of Afghan architecture are still visible in the old buildings of this region. After the downfall of Mughal Empire, the area came under control of zamindars of Deo, Kutumba, Mali, Pawai, Chandragarh and Siris. The rebellious character of the zamindars of Siris, Kutumba and Pawai, is the proud-preserve in the history of this area. The credit of first rebellion against the British authority belongs to Raja Fateh Narayan Singh of Deo, whose forefathers claimed to be the descendents of Maharana Pratap and were very close to Kunwar Singh during the war against Britishers. The veteran freedom fighter Veer Kunwar Singh had his personal relationship in the family of Deo State of Raja Fateh Narayan Singh of Sisodiyas Clan as they were his in-laws. He also had cordial relationships with Gahadvalas, Chauhans, Kandwar, sikarwar bisens and his own Parmar Rajputs of Gaya-patna-shahabad Districts of Bihar. A joint army of all the Rajputs led by the men of Raja Fateh Narayan Singh started their ride towards Jagdishpur to help Veer Kunwar Singh during the year 1857. He also had supports of Raja Chet Singh of Varanasi, Pitambar Singh of Tekari. A ferocious battle took place at the banks of the river Sone, where thousands of Britishers and soldiers of Raja Narayan Singh were killed. The Sepoy War broke out in Danapur and Benaras in 1857. The following year, the British Government tightened their grip over the administration. Aurangabad is also the birthplace of nationalist and first Deputy Chief Minister of state, Bihar Vibhuti Anugrah Narayan Sinha who is regarded one of the [4] architects of modern independent Bihar. Bihar District of Gaya was separated from Patna District, and Aurangabad was made Sub Division in 1865. It remained part of Gaya District until 1973. Stement was first S.D.O. of Aurangabad Sub-Division. The first member of Parliament from the district was veteran leader and former Chief Minister of unified Bihar Satyendra Narayan Singh alias Chhote Saheb. The district of Aurangabad was separated on 26 January 1973 as per the govt. notification no 07/11-2071-72 dated 19.01 1973 from parent District Gaya. Sri K.A.H. Subramanyam was the first district magistrate and Sri Surjit Kumar Saha was the then sub-divisional officer.