ONE of India�s (and not just Aurangabad�s) most amazing engineering feats is the Panchakki in the city that was built in 1695 by Malik Ambar, the architect of Aurangabad and, some people say, a slave king. It is a water mill with a healthy ecology that displays the engineering skills of Ambar even in the late 17th century.

Very simply, water is drawn from a reservoir about six kilometres away into the city and fed to a large water tank from where, through an elaborate assemblage of ceramic pipes and a gigantic iron fan, it is churned to create energy that is used by a flour mill to grind grain for pilgrims. Though not in use anymore, the Panchakki serves as a great tourist attraction and everybody visiting Aurangabad is proudly taken there for a dekko by the locals.

The water wheel makes a pretty picture as its goes round and round. And in the water tank, to the great amusement of tourists who visit the Panchakki every day from sunrise to sunset for a small fee, large Khol fish glide around gracefully. They have been here since the Panchakki was erected. A small shop on the concrete bank of the tank sells channa which people buy and feed the fish with all through the day.