One of the original 52 gates in Aurangabad's 17th-century city walls, the Bhadkal Gate is the best-preserved of the four principal surviving gateways. Built by Malik Ambar, the Abyssinian regent who founded the city in 1610, it is a large double-storied stone arch with guardrooms on either side, flanked by octagonal towers. The name may derive from "bhadra kala" (auspicious time) or from a nearby village.
The gate stands at the edge of the old city where the lanes become narrow and the architecture becomes decidedly Mughal — a good entry point for walking the old bazaars. The other notable surviving gates — the Delhi Darwaza, Jalna Darwaza, Mecca Darwaza, and Delhi Gate — can also be seen on a walking tour of the old city.