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.