Pune formerly called as Punavadi or Poonais a city of Maharashtra. The city referred as the 'Queen of the Deccan' is the cultural capital of the Maharastra. One among the historical cities of Pune has a glorious past. Today Pune has transformed into a modern education centre of the country. Pune is situated near the Western border of the Deccan Plateau, 560 meter above the sea level at the confluence of Mula and Mutha rivers. Pune is one of the greenest belts in India as above 40 percent of its land is covered with green forest. Set amidst the beautiful hills and the Sinhagad Fort, the city has many dams and beautiful locations.The markets, shopping malls, temples, palaces, forts, mosques, churches and parks etc. attract large number of tourists. Festivals : The city is home to the people of various religions who celebrate many festivals through out the year. The Ganesh Festival or Ganesh Chaturthi is celebrated by Hindus in the month of August or September. The Sawai Gandharva Music Festival is most awaited festivals in the city, held during the month of December. Several famous artists of Hindustani classic music from other parts of Maharashtra and India perform for 3 nights during the festival.
Food :
The people of the city are known to be food-lovers. The dishes like Bakarwadi and Laxminarayan Chiwda are some of the most famous food items.
Attractions in and around Pune :
» Gandhi National Memorial / Aga Khan Palace - The beautiful historical landmark located 5 Kms away from the city centre, was donated to India by the Aga Khan IV in 1969. Mahatma Gandhi was imprisoned here during the Quit India Movement in 1942. The samadhi (remains) of Kasturba Gandhi, Mahatma Gandhi wife's lies here. It is open from 9.00 am to5.45 pm daily.
» Osho Ashram - Osho Ashram is the favourite destination for people, who are looking for Indian spirituality. The famous Ashram of Bhagwan Rajnesh is located at Koregaon Park 8 Kms from the city centre. The Ashram lies in the suburban area of Pune. Thousands of visitors come every day to the Ashram and it has thousand of followers. The Ahram offers a various costly courses on meditation. The visitors can watch a 45 minute video presentation here between 10.00 am to 2.30 pm daily. Near the Ashram the Nulla Park is located, which is also called as Osho Teerth. The beautiflly mainatained garden open from 6 am to 9 am and 7 pm to 10 pm.
» Shinde Chhatri - Located at a distance of 12 Kms from the city centre, this is the memorial of the great Maratha nobleman Mahadji Shinde. The memorial is considered among one of the beat architectural style. Here one can see the warrior's painted silver likeness,swathed in a flame-colored turban and elaborate shawl.
» Shaniwar Wada - The important landmark of the city was built in 1736 by Bajirao Peshwa I, lies at a distance of 15 kms from the city centre. This historic seven-stories palace was the palace of the Peshwa rulers. During the rule Bajirao Peshwa I, the palace became the seat of political power and achieved great importance. Shaniwar Wada was mysteriously burnt down in 1827, other portions of the palace were destroyed in mysterious fire. Today the palace stands with only the plinths, the fortifications walls with five gateways, nine bastions, the nigharkhana withits fine wooden pillars and lattice works. The palace is located on the old part of the city and open from 8 am to 6.30 pm.
» Raja Dinkar Kelkar Museum - The museum in one of the must visit places in Pune. It houses an excellent collection of Indianartifacts collected by the late Shree Dinkar Kelkar. The 36 sections of the museum has the collection of numerous antiques, carved palace doors,pottery, miniatures of the 17th century, nut crackers, lamps, musical items,hookah pipes, hair drying combs and other items from the Mughal and Maratha period. The timings of the museum is 8.30 am to 5.30 pm daily.
» Pataleshwer Cave Temples -
The rock-cut temple of 8th century is hidden in the Shivajinagar area around 20Kms from the city centre. The temple similar to the Ellora Caves is still inuse has a Shiva shrine and a Nandi bull.
» Vishrambaug Wada - The three-storied building is famous for its gateway and balcony with carved woodwork of the Peshwa period. The 260 feet long and 815 feet broad mansion was built by the last Peshwa, Bajirao II. It has attractive wooden front and beautiful columns carved in the Suru form. A surprise fire engulfed the Wada on October 31,1880, later it was restored to its some what original form. Today Wada houses as sorted offices of the city.
» Saras Bang - The garden is situated 19 kms away from the city centre, on the top of a small hillock. The beautiful garden houses the popular Ganesh Temple,that was once surrounded by a lake that is now converted to an open park.
» Parvati Hill - The hill is located 20 Kms away onthe southern end of the city. One can reach the hill top by a flights of 108 steps. The hill offers the panoramic view of the city. The temples of Shiva,Ganesh, Vishnua and Kartikeya are situated here. The Parvati Temple also stands here which was the private shrine of the Peshwa rulres. The Parvati Museum houses replicas of ancient paints and manuscripts.
» Katraj Snake Park - The park started in 1986 is located on the Pune-Satara Highway, 30 Kms from the city centre. The parkhas a huge collection of reptiles, birds, a baby leopard, crocodiles andothers.
Accessibility :Pune is easily accessible by air, railways and roadways.
» Air - Pune airport is well connected to major cities of the country. Indian Airlines and Jet Airways operates regular flights from Delhi, four flights a week to Chennai and Bangalore and two-three flights daily from Mumbai. The city is 12 Kms away from the airport from there one has to take road journey.
» Rail - Pune has the trains from all over theIndia. Regular trains ply from Mumbai to Pune daily. It is a 4-5 hours journey from Pune to Mumbai.
» Road - Pune has the road connection with all the major cities of Maharastra and India. The MSRTC and private buses run frequently from Mumbai to Pune.
Accommodation :
The city is dotted with several hotels which offer pleasant stay to guests.The hotels ranging from 5 Stat deluxe to business hotels are available according the need of guests.
Best Time to Visit :
The temperature of the city varies between 40 °C - 26 °C in summers, while in winters it remains between 29 °C - 19 °C. One can visit the city any time in the year but the best time to visit is between October and May.
