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Pune

Sights in Pune

  1. A

    Peshwa Park

    In the evening, dozens of food stalls and kiddie carnival rides are set up outside Peshwa Park.

    reviewed

  2. B

    Empress Botanical Gardens

    At the Empress Botanical Gardens cosy couples on park benches enjoy the spots of shade under the trees.

    reviewed

  3. C

    Jangali Maharaj Temple

    Adjacent to the Pataleshvara Cave Temple is the Jangali Maharaj Temple, dedicated to a Hindu ascetic who died here in 1818.

    reviewed

  4. D

    Osho Teerth gardens

    The five-hectare Osho Teerth gardens behind the Bhagwan Rajneesh ashram commune are accessible all day for those with a meditation pass.

    reviewed

  5. E

    Tribal Cultural Museum

    This obscure but excellent museum showcases an excellent collection of tribal jewellery sourced from remote parts of India. The section featuring ornate papier-mâché festival masks was being renovated during research, but was due to re-open soon.

    reviewed

  6. F

    Katraj Snake Park & Zoo

    There’s a mediocre selection of Indian wildlife on show at the Katraj Snake Park & Zoo. But a trip to this faraway park on Pune’s southern outskirts makes sense if you want to know more about snakes, of which there are plenty. Most snakes are housed in open pits; don’t lean over!

    reviewed

  7. G

    Pataleshvara Cave Temple

    The curious rock-cut Pataleshvara Cave Temple is a small and unfinished (though active) 8th-century temple, similar in style to the grander caves at Elephanta Island off the Mumbai coast. Adjacent is the Jangali Maharaj Temple, dedicated to a Hindu ascetic who died here in 1818.

    reviewed

  8. H

    Shaniwar Wada

    The ruins of this fortress-like palace are located in the old part of the city of Pune. Built in 1732, the palace of the Peshwa rulers burnt down in 1828, but the massive walls and plinths remain, as do the sturdy palace doors with their daunting spikes. In the evenings there is an hour-long sound-and-light show.

    reviewed

  9. I

    Aga Khan Palace & Gandhi National Memorial

    Set amid a sylvan 6.5-hectare plot across the Mula River in Yerwada, the grand Aga Khan Palace & Gandhi National Memorial is easily Pune’s biggest crowd-puller. Built in 1892 by Sultan Aga Khan III, this lofty building was where the Mahatma and other prominent nationalist leaders were interned by the British for about two years following Gandhi’s Quit India resolution in 1942. Both Kasturba Gandhi, the Mahatma’s wife, and Mahadeobhai Desai, his secretary for 35 years, died here in confinement. You’ll find their shrines (containing their ashes) in a quiet garden to the rear.

    reviewed

  10. J

    Raja Dinkar Kelkar Museum

    This fascinating museum is one of Pune’s true delights. Housing only a fraction of the 21,000-odd objects of daily life collected by Dinkar Gangadhar, who died in 1990, it’s worth an entire day out. The quirky collection includes a suit of armour made of fish scales and crocodile skin, hundreds of hookah pipes, writing instruments, lamps, toys, betel-nut cutters and an amazing gallery of musical instruments.

    reviewed

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