Pune Travel Guide(Poona)
Location : Southwestern Part
of Maharashtra
Area : 146.11 sq. km
Attractions : Agakhan Palace, Raja Denkar Kelkar Museum, Osho
Commune International
Ideal Time To Visit : October To March
Pune is not a cosmopolitan city like
Mumbai, but is a pleasant travel getaway destination to spend a quite
holiday. Situated in the southern part of Maharashtra, Pune is a calm
and peaceful city. It offers a comfortable respite from the busy life
of Mumbai, the capital city of Maharshtra.
 This
beautiful city has many exotic locales attracting innumerable
tourists. Pune is famous for the Osho Commune International, which was
the home of Osho Rajneesh. This ashram attracts a large number of
people to Pune from around the world to practice Osho's new-age
meditation techniques.
Pune is also well-known for its internationally acclaimed educational
institutes. There are many reputed institutions here like the Film and
Television Institute of India, Armed Forces Medical College, National
Defence Academy and Symbiosis Educational Society.
¤ History
Pune was the capital of Maratha Empire in 1750 during the reign of
great Maratha warrior Shivaji. Pune was also under the charge of Nizam
of Hyderabad for a short period. Later, the British occupied it in
1817, who tried to develop Pune as the summer capital of Maharashtra
and a military cantonment. Today, Pune is known for its natural beauty
and rich heritage.
¤ Attractions In Pune
There are many beautiful travel attractions here, which are not very
renowned but still have their own charm. One can find many places in
Pune having a mark of Maratha Empire. At one point of time Marathas
ruled over much of the north and western India and even tried to
overpower the might of Mughal Empire as well as that of British.
Agakhan Palace
The Agakhan Palace is one of the major tourist attractions in Pune.
This palace is famous due to the fact that the father of the nation,
Mahatma Gandhi along with his wife Karturba Gandhi and Mahadeobhai
Desai were imprisoned here in the year 1942, while participating in
the "Quit India Movement". Do not forget to visit the marble
memorials of Kasturba Gandhi and Mahadeobahi Desai who died here.
Shaniwar Wada
Shaniwar Wada Palace is another major attraction of Pune. It was
built by Balaji Rao (the grandfather of the last Peshwa) in 1736.
Today, only the massive outer wall of the Palace is left as the rest
of it was burnt down in 1827.
Pataleshwar Cave Temple
This temple is a quite and an elegant temple that takes you to the
world of spirituality. At the entrance of this small underground
temple, stands a stone gazebo (Nandi mapandapam). This adds to the
charm of this exquisite temple. Definitely, a must visit.
Raja Denkar Kelkar Museum
This museum is a passionate collection of Dr. D.G.Kelkar. The museum
has a vast collection of unique and peculiar exhibits. The Raja Denkar
Kelkar museum displays the diversity of India's culture in a subtle
and delightful way. The elephant-shaped foot scrubber, a brass
scorpion that reveals a secret lock and eight images of Lord Ganesha
carved on a bean make it a place to see in Pune.
Raj Bhavan
The Raj Bhavan or the Government's House was built in the year 1866.
In the summers it housed the government of Bombay Presidency during
the colonial times. This spell binding building was designed by James
Trubshawe and is situated in Ganeshkhind. It is one of the must visit
places in Pune.
Kasturba Samadhi
Kasturba Samadhi is located near the Aga Khan Palace. It has now
been turned into Gandhi National Museum. The samadhi contains the
ashes of Kasturba.
Film and Television Institute of India
The famous and reputed Film and Television Institute of India (FTII)
is situated in the Law College Street of Pune. It is one of the most
prominent film schools in Asia. The institute has produced many famed
actors, directors, and technicians for the Hindi Film Industry. This
institute is a worth visiting place in Pune.
Osho Commune International
This is an ashram of Osho, also known as Rajnish. It is located in
Koregaon Park and is spread over an lush green area of 24-acre. It is
described as the "spiritual Disneyland for disaffected First
World yuppies" by the Wall Street Journal. Here you may
participate in a number of programs with special emphasis on new-age
meditation. Do not miss visiting this place.
¤ Excursions
During the time of Maratha Empire, Pune was the hub of power. The
places around this city also represent the strength and laurels of
Marathas.
Sinhagad
Sinhagad is also known as the Lion Fort and is situated around 25
kilometers southwest of Pune on top of a steep hill. This fort is now
almost in a finished condition. It was in the year 1670, that Tanaji
Malusre, a general of Shivaji climbed the steep hill in dark with his
men and defeated the forces of Bijapur. This is also the place where
Mahatma Gandhi met another stalwart of Indian freedom struggle, Bal
Gangadhar Tilak in 1915 for the first time. Don't forget to visit this
excursion destination.
Raigad
Raigad is situated at a distance of around 126 kilometers from Pune.
Shivaji was crowned at Raigad in 1648 and he also died here in 1680.
This fort is located on an isolated hilltop, from where you can get a
breathtaking view of the Western Ghats.
Bhimashankar
Bhimashankar is a small travel excursion destination situated around
95 kilometers from Pune. It is rich in natural beauty and cultural
heritage with deep forests, temples, rivers and many historical
structures. But this place is particularly famous for the temple of
Lord Shiva, one of the 12 Jyotirlingas in India. The river Bhim
originates from this place. This place is also ideal for trekking,
nature watching, and bird watching. So, don't miss visiting this
lovely place.
Jejuri
Jejuri is situated around 40 kilometers southeast of Pune towards
Phaltan. It is popularly known as Khandobachi Jejuri. There is famous
temple of Maharashtra dedicated to Mhalsakant or Malhari Martand, a
god worshipped by Dhangars, one of the oldest tribes in Maharashtra.
This temple is situated on a hill and you need walk down 200 steps to
reach it.
¤ Events and Festivals
The festivals celebrated at Pune are also a major tourist attraction.
Some of the important festivals are the Pune festival, which
celebrates classical music, dance and theater. Folk and fine arts are
also a part of this internationally recognized festival. Apart from
this, there are other festivals also that are celebrated here. Among
them Sawai Gandharva festival, Chaturshringi festival, Ganesh
Chaturthi, Osho festival and college festivals are the important ones.
¤ Reach Pune
By Air : Pune has its own
domestic airport which is directly connected to Mumbai (163 km),
Chennai, Calcutta, Madras, Bangalore and Ahmedabad. Mumbai is the
nearest International Airport to Pune.
By Rail : Pune is linked with Mumbai (170 km), Nasik (209 km),
Aurangabad (230 km), Chennai (1,088 km), Delhi and other major cities
of India.
From Mumbai there are regular trains. The Shatabdi also operates from
Mumbai to Pune. Another convenient train is the Deccan Queen. Other
trains from Mumbai to Pune are Pragati Express and Indrayani Express.
By Road : Pune has an excellent network of roadways connecting
it to most of the important cities in Maharashtra and India. The
Mumbai-Pune Express Highway offers a safe and fast access between
Mumbai and Pune. Pune is also well connected with Goa, Ahmedabad,
Nagpur, Shirdi, Bangalore, Indore, Hyderabad and Aurangabad through
road.
Major Circuits
Major Circuits
Major Tour Packages To Maharashtra
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