Legend has it that Panchakki, the water mill at Aurangabad, Maharashtra, and the library within its premises was founded by Hazrat Baba Shah Musafir, a Sufi saint who came from Bukhara in Russia. It is also popular that the Holy Quran preserved at the library is gold-covered on both sides.
The water mill dating back to the 17th century runs on scientific principles. This medieval Indian architecture was designed with the aim to generate electricity drawn from a nearby spring. In the early 17th century, the Panchakki was used to grind grains for the pilgrims and troops of the garrison without physical effort.
An 18th-century library on the premises, comprising many precious manuscripts treasuring around 1, 00,000 literary books related to history, law, Sufism, medicine, religion, and philosophy in Arabic, Urdu, and Persian languages until the time of independence. However, in the mid-70s, these literary works were shifted to Hyderabad due to administrative factors. It is disheartening that this rich treasure trove now has shrunk to around 2,500 books only!