Pune Tourism Part I

Aga Khan Palace

The Aga Khan Palace was built by Sultan Muhammad Shah Aga Khan III in Pune, India. Built in 1892, it is one of the biggest landmarks in Indian history. Aga Khan Palace is a majestic building and is considered to be one of the greatest marvels of India. The palace is closely linked to the Indian Freedom Movement as it served as a prison for Mahatma Gandhi, his wife Kasturba gandhi, his secretary Mahadev Desai and Sarojini Naidu. It is also the place where Kasturba Gandhi and Mahadev Desai died.

Historically, the palace holds great significance. Mahatma Gandhi, his wife Kasturba Gandhi and his secretary mahadev Desai were interned in the palace from 9 August 1942 to 6 May 1944, following the launch of Quit India Movement.
The palace archives a number of photos and portraits depicting glimpses from the life of Mahatma Gandhi, the father of nation of India, and other personalities of the Indian freedom struggle. This palace is also the headquarters of the Gandhi National Memorial Society.It also hosts a shop that deals in khaadi and other hand loomed textiles
 It is located at about 2 km away from Bund Garden in Yerwada, on Pune-Nagar Road.

Shaniwar Wada

Shaniwarwada  was built in 18th-century  in the city of Pune. Built in 1732, it was the seat of the Peshwa rulers of the Maratha Empire until 1818, when the Peshwas lost control to the East India Company after the Third Anglo-Maratha War.

The fort itself was largely destroyed in 1828 by an unexplained fire, but the surviving structures are now maintained as a tourist site.

Peshwa Baji Rao I, prime minister to Chattrapati Shahu, laid the ceremonial foundation of his own residence on Saturday, January 10, 1730. It was named Shaniwarwada from the Marathi words Shaniwar (Saturday) and Wada (a general term for any residence complex).

Shaniwarwada has five gates:

•      Mastani Darwaja (Mastani's Gate) or Aliibahadur Darwaja, facing north. This gate was       used by Bajirao I 's wife Mastani while travelling out of the palace's perimeter wall.
•      Khidki Darwaja (Window Gate), facing east .The Khidki Darwaja is named for an armoured window it contains
•      Ganesh Darwaja (Ganesh Gate), facing south-east.Named for the Ganesh Rang Mahal which used to stand near this door. It could be used by ladies at the fort to visit the nearby Kasba Ganpati Temple
•            Jambhul Darwaja or Narayan Darwaja (Narayan's Gate), facing south.This gate was used by concubines to enter and leave the fort. It obtained its second name after Narayanrao Peshwa corpse was removed from the fort for cremation through this gate.
•      Dilli Darwaza The Dilli Darwaza is the main gate of the complex, and faces north towards Delhi. Chhatrapati Shahu is said to have considered the north-facing fort a sign of      Baji Rao's ambitions against the Mughal Empire and suggested that the main gate should be made chhaatiiche, maatiche naahi.

Sinhagad

Sinhagad (The Lion's Fort), is a fortress located roughly 30 kilometres southwest of the city of Pune. Previously called Kondhana the fort has been the site of many important battles, most notably the Battle of Sinhagad in 1671.

One of the most famous battles for Sinhgad was fought to recapture the fort by Tanaji Malusare and a general of Shivaji in March 1670.

Sinhagad Fort is located to the southwest of Pune at a distance of 25 km. The fort was strategically built to provide natural protection. There are only two gates to enter the fort, the Kalyan Darwaza and Pune Darwaza which are positioned at the south east and north-east ends respectively.Muhammad bin Tughlaq captured the fort from Nag Naik, Koli tribal chief. Since this time, many rulers attempted to capture the fort and it went into different hands at regular intervals. Shivaji, the ruler of Marathas took over the fort in 1647. Mughals gave a tough fight in capturing the fort, but Marathas never let the fort stay under any one for a long time. The fort was captured by other rulers and recaptured by Marathas at regular intervals, until the British finally captured it in 1818. The fort is also significant for holding the memorials of Tanaji Malusare and Rajaram, younger son of Shivaji. Tanaji was a general of Shivaji who lost his life in the Battle of Sinhagad. Twentieth Century history reveals that one of the renowned Indian freedom fighter Lokmanya Tilak erected a bungalow above the fort.

Parts of the once extensive fortification are now in ruins, but visitors can get a sense how the fort acted as an active military outpost. It is a popular weekend destination for many residents of Pune, with some enthusiasts trekking to the top of the fort from the base near Sinhgad village.. Visitors can see the military stables, brewery and a Kali (goddess) temple along with a Hanuman statue much to the right side of the temple, as well as the historic gates The fort also houses a television tower for broadcasting local TV signals. Currently some not much well constructed rooms and bungalows are available for staying at the top.Non-vegetarian food, alcoholic drinks and smoking are strictly prohibited on the fort.

There is a steep and narrow two lane road from the base of the fort to the top. In between the road is in bad condition and currently getting reconstructed. Also you have to pay vehicle toll at the base of the fort to continue your journey to the top. The local municipal transport service, the PMPML, runs buses every hour from Shaniwarwada and Swargate − to the Sinhagad foothills at Donje village. The climbing route from either side of the fort can be covered in around an hour, however it gets slippery in the rainy season. Shared taxi services to the base as well as the top of the mountain are also available

Dagdusheth Halwai Ganapati Temple

Shreemant Dagdusheth Halwai Ganapati Temple in Pune is dedicated to the Hindu God Ganesh. The temple is popular in Maharashtra and is visited by thousands of pilgrims every year. Devotees of the temple include celebrities who visit during the annual ten-day Ganeshotsav festival The main Ganesh idol is insured for sum of ₹10 million (US$150,000).

Dagadusheth Halwai (Dagadusheth Gadve) was Lingayat trader and Sweet maker (Halwai in Marathi). He originally came from Karnataka and settled in Pune. After he gained fame as a Halwai, that became his surname. His original Halwai shop still exists under the name Kaka Halwai near Datta Mandir in Pune.

Mr. Dagdusheth Halwai was a successful sweet seller and a rich businessman. In late 1800s, he lost his son in a plague epidemic. This caused Dagdusheth and his wife to go into deep depression. To heal themselves, their Guru, Shri Madhavnath Maharaj recommended building a Ganesh temple. This was completed in 1893.

Lokmanya Tilak the Indian Nationalist leader and a contemporary of Dagdusheth, was a close friend of him. Tilak saw his dedication and also the construction of the temple and it was here that the idea of celebrating public Ganesh festival struck him. It proved to be an epoch making event in Indian history.

The temple is a beautiful construction and boasts a rich history of over 100 years. Jay and Vijay, the two sentinels made of marble catch the eye of all at the outset. The construction is so simple that all the proceedings in the temple along with the beautiful Ganesh idol can be seen even from outside. The Ganesh idol is 7.5 feet tall and 4 feet wide. It is adorned with nearly 8 kilos of gold. The devotees of Lord Ganesh offer Him gold and money and with every offering the Lord gets richer and richer. Moreover, heaps of coconuts offered to the deity are yet another feature of the temple. Daily pooja, abhisheka and the arti of Lord Ganesh are worth attending. The lighting of the temple during the Ganesh festival is marvelous. Shrimant Dagdusheth Ganpati Trust looks into the maintenance of the temple. Various cultural activities like music concerts, bhajans, and Atharvasheersh recitation are organized by the trust.

Pataleshwar

The Pataleshwar Cave Temple (also called Panchaleshvara or Bamburde) is a rock-cut cave temple, carved out in the 8th century in the Rashtrakuta period.It is located in what is now Pune, in the state of Maharashtra, India. It was originally situated outside the town, but the city limits have expanded so that it is now located on the downtown Jangli Maharaj Road. It has been declared as a protected monument by the government.

The temple, made of basalt rock, is dedicated to the Hindu God Shiva. The sanctum - a cube-shaped room about 3–4 metres on each side - houses a linga - the symbol of Shiva and there are two smaller cells on each side. In front of the cave is a circular Nandimandapa, its umbrella shaped canopy supported by massive square pillars. This mandapa is one of the peculiar structures of Pataleshwar. The cave is located at a lower level than the present level of the road and the cave complex. There is an exquisitely carved circular Nandi shrine in the huge courtyard of the cave. The main cave is rectangular on plan and has a pillared porch. There are three sanctums in the cave temple and the central one houses the Shivalinga. There is a circumambulation path provided in the cave where one can see the unfinished part of the cave temple. It appears that after finishing the front and the sanctum the cave was left incomplete due to some reasons, one of which could be the faults in the rock. However the walls in the main cave have some outlines drawn suggesting the sculptures depicting stories from Indian mythology, especially involving Shiva.

The huge complex of the cave has been converted into a garden and there are a few architectural members stored in it probably belonging to some old temple nearby. As this is the oldest monument in Pune, which is over 1300 years old, the Pune office of the Archaeological Survey of India is located in the adjacent property.

The temple was left incomplete, possibly because of a fault line found at the back of the sanctum sanctorum, which made the further sculpting unsafe, or political upheaval resulting in loss of patronage. Still in use, the linga is anointed with ghee and yogurt. A brass temple bell hangs outside the basalt entryway.

 Parvati Hill 

Parvati Hill is a hillock in Pune, India. The hillock rises to 2,100 feet (640 m) above sea level (It includes Punes MSL which is 560m from sea level, so effecitvely it's 80m(263 feet) from ground base). Atop the hillock is the Parvati Temple, one of the most scenic locations in Pune. The temple is the oldest heritage structure in Pune and was built during the rule of the Peshwa dynasty.^[1] For visitors, Parvati hill is also an observation point that offers a panoramic view of Pune. It is the second highest point in Pune (after Vetal Hill). The hill has 103 steps leading to the top of the hill where the temple is situated.

The main temple, Devdeveshwara, is made of blackstone. It was completed under Balaji Baji Rao, in 1749. Other temples are dedicated to Vitthal and Rukmini, Vishnu, and Kartikeya.

Chattushringi Temple 

The Chattushringi Temple also spelt as Chattushrungi Temple is a Hindu temple in the city of Pune in Maharashtra state of India. The temple is located on the slope of a hill on Senapati Bapat Road. It is said to have been built during the reign of the Maratha king Shivaji. The temple is looked after by Chattushringi Devasthan (Temple) trustees.

Chattushringi (Chattu means four) is a mountain with four peaks. The Chattushringi temple is 90 feet high and 125 feet wide and is a symbol of power and faith. One has to climb more than 100 steps to reach the shrine of Goddess Chattushringi. In the temple premises there are also temples of Goddess Durga and Lord Ganesh. This includes eight miniature idols of Ashtavinayaka. These small temples are located on the four separate hillocks.Also includes the temple of vetal maharaj at the baner pashan end.

The legend associated with the temple is that, once there was a rich and prosperous merchant named Durlabhsheth Pitambardas Mahajan who was an ardent believer of Goddess Saptashrungi devi and visited all Her temples everywhere. But as he grew older, he could no longer travel and this hindered him from visiting the temples. Then one night the Goddess Saptashrungi devi appeared in his dream and told him, "if you cannot come to me, I will come to you & stay near you." She told him to come to a mountain situated in the North-West of Pune & dig there. The place as described by the goddess was traced out and miracle happened as he found a natural statue of goddess (swayambhu devi). He constructed the temple at that place and this is the same temple which was renovated time to time, which is the present temple.

The presiding deity of the temple is Goddess Chattushringi, also known as Goddess Ambareshwari. She is also considered as the presiding deity of the city of Pune. The temple is maintained by the Chattushringi Devasthan Trust. Every year a fair is held at the foothills on the eve of Navratri. Thousands of people gather to worship the Goddess Chattushringi.

Pune Population

Population

The vibrant city of Pune is one of the fastest growing industrial hubs in Maharashtra. Pune attracts students and professionals from all over India and abroad as it is one of India's leading industrial cities. Pune has witnessed a tremendous growth in population in the last 15 years due to overall development of various industrial sectors and information technology. With a total population of 5.9 million, Pune urban agglomeration is one of the fastest growing areas in Maharashtra. The urban agglomeration of Pune including Khadki, Pimpri-Chinchwad and Dehu has made a huge growth in its population in the last 15 years. From a small figure of 4,485,000 in 2005, its urban agglomeration has grown to over 5 million in 2011. Migrating Population is one of the prime reasons for such a rapid growth in population of Pune. The Migrating population in the city has witnessed a growth of 100% between years 2001 to 2005. Excellent growth in software and education sector has resulted in generating more job opportunities for working class. People from all over India are settled in Pune as it offers great career and job opportunities. A large number of Students from various parts of the world are studying in Pune as it offers best research institutes, information technology (IT) and educational institutes.

Current Population of Pune in 2016	5,926,606
Population of Pune in 2015	5,743,865
Literacy Rate	86.15%
Sex Ratio	948

Pune Weather

Weather

The climate of Pune has changed during the past 3 decades, especially since the rapid expansion of the industrial belts. Pune has hot and semi arid climate bordering with tropical wet and dry with average temperatures ranging between 19 to 33 °C (66 to 91 °F).

Pune experiences three seasons: summer, monsoon, and winter.

Typical summer months are from March to June often extending till 15 June, with maximum temperatures sometimes reaching 42 °C (108 °F). The warmest month in Pune is between 20 April and 20 May; although summer doesn't end until May, the city often receives heavy dusty winds in May (and humidity remains high). Even during the hottest months, the nights are usually cool due to Pune's high altitude. The highest temperature ever recorded was 43.3 °C (109.9 °F) on 30 April 1897.

The monsoon lasts from June to October, with moderate rainfall and temperatures ranging from 22 to 28 °C (72 to 82 °F). Most of the 722 mm (28.43 in) of annual rainfall in the city falls between June and September, and July is the wettest month of the year. Hailstorms are not unheard of in this region.

Winter traditionally begins in November; November in particular is referred to as the Rosy Cold which can be experienced typically during the festive season of Diwali. The daytime temperature hovers around 26 °C (79 °F) while night temperature is below 9 °C (48 °F) for most of December and January, often dropping to 5 to 6 °C (41 to 43 °F). The lowest temperature ever recorded was 1.7 °C (35 °F) on 17 January 1935. 

Pune History

Pune History

Pune is the 9th most populous city in India and the second largest in the state of Maharashtra after the state capital Mumbai. The history of the city is closely related to the rise of the Maratha Empire of the 17th and 18th centuries.

Pune became the political centre of the Indian sub-continent in the 18^th century as the seat of the Peshwas who were the prime ministers of the Maratha Empire. The new British rulers made the city one of their major military bases in 1818 after the fall of Peshwa rule. In the 19th and early 20th century, Pune was considered by the British as the centre of political unrest against their rule. The city population of the city and area grew rapidly after the Indian independence in 1947. The city has also seen further growth in the higher education sector during this period

Early and Medieval

Copper plates dated to 758 AD and 768 AD show that, by the 8th century, an agricultural settlement known as 'Punnaka' existed where Pune is today. The plates indicate that this region was ruled by the Rashtrakutas. Pune was first mentioned in a copper plate issued by Shilahar king, Aparajit in 993 AD.

Pune was a part of  Yadava Empire of Deogiri from the 9th century to 1327. Later it was ruled by the Bhamini sultanates. Under Islamic rule, Pune was a garrison town with the Muslim soldiers and few non-military Muslims living within the town walls. The Brahmins, traders and cultivators lived outside the fortified mud walls. The wall was built by Barya Arab, a commander of the Khiljis in the early 1300s. 

Maratha Rule

Pune first came under Maratha control in early 1600s. However, control shifted between the Bhosale family, the Adilshah and the Mugals for most of the century. In the early 1700s, the place came in the possession of Maratha Peshwa Balaji Vishwanath and remained in his family until his great grandson Bajirao II was defeated by the British in 1818.

In 1595 or 1599, Maloji Bhosale, the grandfather of Chhatrapati Shivaji, was given the title of Raja by Bahadur Nizam Shah II.

In 1640 Shahaji selected Pune for the residence of his wife Jijabai and son Shivaji the future founder of the Maratha Empire. Jijabai is said to have commissioned the building of the Kasba Ganpati temple herself. The Ganesh idol consecrated at this temple is regarded as the presiding deity of the city. The town changed hands between the Mughals and the Marathas many times during the rest of the century. Shivaji was crowned Chhatrapati  in 1674 of Maratha at his mountain capital of Raigad. The town remained in his possession, however, for most part of his active career, he operated from mountain forts like Rajgad and later Raigad recognizing the military potential of the place.
                                  

In 1714, Maratha ruler Chhatrapati Shahu appointed, Balaji Vishwanath a Brahmin, as his Peshwa. Around the same period, Balaji was gifted the area around Pune by the grateful mother of one of Shahu's minister. In 1720 BajiRao I, was appointed Peshwa, as a successor to his father by Chhatrapati Shahu Bajirao. He moved his administration from Saswad to Pune in 1728. Bajirao also started construction of a palace called Shaniwar Wada on the right bank of the Mutha River. The construction was completed in 1730, ushering in the era of Peshwa control of the city. 

The city grew in size and influence as the Maratha rule extended in the subsequent decades. The city further gained influence under the rule of Bajirao I 's son, Balaji Bajirao or Nanasaheb. After the battle of Panipat the city and the empire recovered during the brief reign of Peshwa Madhavrao. The rest of the Peshwa era was full of family intrigue and political machinations. The leading role in this was played by the ambitious Raghunathrao the younger brother of Nanasaheb who wanted power at the expense of his nephews, Peshwa Madhavrao and Narayanrao. Following the murder of Peshwa Narayanrao In 1755 on the orders of Raghunathrao's wife the power was exercised in the name of the son of Narayan rao, Madhavrao II by a regency council led by Nana Fadnavis for almost the century.

In Peshwa Pune, law and order was exercised by the office of the Kotwal. The Kotwal was both the Police chief, magistrate as well as the Municipal commissioner. His duties included investigating, levying and collecting of fines for various offences. The crimes included illicit affairs, violence and even murder. Sometimes even in case of murder, only a fine was imposed.

The patronage of the Brahmin Peshwas resulted in great expansion of Pune with the construction of around 250 temples and bridges in the city, including the Lakdi Pul and the temples on Parvati Hill. Many of the temples were built during this era. The city also conducted many public festivals. the main festivals were Holi, the Deccan New year or Gudi Padwa, Ganeshotsav, Dasara and Dakshina. Holi .The Dakshina festival where millions of rupees were distributed to Brahmins, attracted Brahmins from all over the country to Pune for the festival.

The Peshwa rulers and the knights residing in the city also had their own hobbies and interests.  The last Peshwa Bajirao II was a physical strength and wrestling enthusiast. The sport of pole gymnastics or Malkhamb was developed in Pune under his patronage by Balambhat Deodhar. Many Peshwas and the courtiers were patrons of Lavani, the Maharashtrian dance.  Lavani used to be essential part of Holi celebrations in the Peshwa Courts of Pune.

In 1802, Pune was captured by Yashwantrao Holkar in the Battle Of Pune, directly precipitating the second Anglo Maratha War of 1803–1805. The Peshwa rule ended with the defeat of Peshwa BajiraoII by the British East India Company under the leadership of Mount Stuart Elphinstone in 1818.

British Rule

British rule over more than a century saw huge changes that were seen in all spheres, social, economic and others as well. The British built a large military cantonment to the east of the city. Building cantonments was a peculiar British phenomenon in the Indian Subcontinent. Whenever the British occupied new territory, they built new garrison towns near the old cities and called them cantonments. The settlement of the regiments of the Lancashire Fusiliers, the Maratha Light Infantry and the others, led to an increase in the population. Due to its milder weather the city became the ‘Monsoon capital’ of the ‘Governor of Bombay’ thus, making Poona, one of the most important cities of the Bombay Presidency. For many decades, Pune was the center of Social reform and at the turn of the century, the centre of Indian Nationalism.

Everything about Pune

Pune

Pune is a city situated in the western Indian state of 

Maharashtra .Pune is home for those people who want a peaceful life in a healthy environment.

History

History of Pune started  from 858 AD till year 2106. Ancient copper plated show that in 8^th century an agricultural settlement known as Punnaka existed where Pune is today.

Population

Various types of people life in Pune regarding their religion. The population of Pune as calculated according to 2011 censes is 3,124,458.

Weather

Pune has a semi arid climate with average temperature between 19 c to 33 c. Pune has mostly 3 season summer, monsoon and winter.

Tourism

Pune is popular for its ancient history. For tourist attraction there are various types of forts on mountain various types of park, Temple ,rivers etc.

Area

Pune is 9^th largest city in India and 2^nd in Maharashtra. Pune is divided in various types of area like Deccan, Kothrud, Swargate etc.

Map

Pune is situated in western side of Maharashtra. To visit Pune there are various Types of route such as Airport , railways or by road transport.

Airport

Pune International Airport is an international airport located at Lohegaon operated by Airport  Authority of India. Any person can travel all over Indian by this airport.

Languages

Various types of languages are spoken in Pune. Marathi is the official language of Pune.

Religion

People with different type of religion stay in Pune. Hindu  is the main religion in Pune.

Education

Pune has over 100 educational institute which are part of Savitri Bai Phule University establish in 1948. There are also various types of research institute in Pune.

Industries

There are various types of industries in Pune. The industries from many brand company are located the outside areas of Pune.

IT

Pune is the IT hub of Maharashtra. Various IT companies are located in Pune.

Business

People in Pune do job and also. We can start up many types of business in Pune.

Hotels

Pune consist of many types of hotels according to the budget of the customer. Booking of rooms in Hotels can also be done online.

Food

Various types of food are available in Pune from street vendor of hotels. Puneri Misal Pav is famous in Pune.

News

There are various local news channel in Pune which gives us information about Pune daily.

News are shown 24/7 on television.

Newspaper

Famous newspaper are circulated in Pune according to their language. There is special edition of Times of India Pune and Pune Mirror.

RTO

The vehicle registration of Pune is MH 12(PMC) and MH 14(PCMC).