Things to do in Pune
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High Spirits
Brand new bar that's caught the attention of the student population. Has a nice open terrace.
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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.
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Kayani Bakery
The family-run Kayani Bakery is famous for its homemade Shrewsbury biscuits, but the sweet attractions run to all manner of cakes.
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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.
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Malaka Spice
A chic and happening restaurant that sometimes doubles as a gallery. Admire the artworks while gorging on some excellent South-east Asian food, and wash it all down with one of the eatery’s fine wines or a pint of fresh draught.
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Prems
In a quiet, leafy courtyard tucked away behind a commercial block, Prems is perfect for those lazy, beer-aided lunch sessions, and is patronised for its Indian, continental and Chinese selection.
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Osho Meditation Resort
- Pune, India
- Activities › Other
You’ll either like it or hate it. A splurge of an institution, this ashram, located in a leafy, upscale northern suburb, has been drawing thousands of sanyasins (seekers), many of them Westerners, ever since the death of Osho in 1990. With its placid swimming pool, sauna, ‘zennis’ and basketball courts, massage and beauty parlour, bookshop and a boutique guest house, it is, to some, the ultimate place to indulge in some stress-busting meditation and rediscover one’s lost spiritual self. Alternately, there are many who point fingers at the ashram’s blatant commercialisation, calling it nothing short of a clever business ploy, marketing a warped version of the mystic East…
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Bhagwan Rajneesh Ashram
The Bhagwan Rajneesh ashram is in a desirable northern suburb of Pune. Since the Bhagwan's death in 1990, it has continued to draw in manifold sanyasins (seekers), many of them Westerners. Facilities include a swimming pool, sauna, 'zennis' (Zen tennis) and basketball courts, a massage and beauty parlour, a bookshop and a boutique guesthouse. The main centre for meditation and the nightly white-robed spiritual dance is the Osho Auditorium (a 'cough-free and sneeze-free zone'!).
The Osho Samadhi, where the guru's ashes are kept, is also open for silent or music-accompanied meditation.
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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
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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.
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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.
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Vaishali
Old-timers can’t stop raving about this institution, known for its range of delicious snacks and meals. ‘Don’t miss the SPDP’, notes a college student hanging out by the entrance. The scrumptious sev potato dal puri (Rs. 35), a favourite local snack, is what she means. Go find out for yourself!
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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!
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Swiss Cheese Garden
The ABC Farms is a complex of midrange restaurants in Koregaon Park, where healthy, organic food is the order of the day. One of the best restaurants here is the Swiss Cheese Garden, which, alongside delicious pastas, offers good old cheese fondues.
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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.
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Flags
This super-popular global cuisine place was on hibernation mode during research, and should be back with its legendary Lebanese delights and dishes such as Mongolian cauliflower and yakisoba (fried Japanese noodles) soon.
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Juice World
As well as producing delicious fresh fruit juices and shakes, this casual cafe with outdoor seating serves inexpensive snacks such as pizza and pav bhaji (spiced vegetables and bread) for around Rs. 40 to Rs. 50.
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Third on the Seventh
In something of a reversal of trends, this classy joint is run by a British-Indian couple who have returned to Pune from the UK bringing with them a bulging recipe book of 'British style' curries and continental food.
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Gold Ad Labs
New state-of-the-art cinema complex surrounded by modern shopping malls, bright lights and about as much Eastern exotica as McDonalds on a Saturday night - which happens to be almost next door.
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German Bakery
Pune’s melting pot and a compulsory halt on the Koregaon Park backpacker trail, this long-running cafe is known for its light, healthy snacks and a good range of cakes and puddings.
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Shisha Café
Almost next door to the Swiss Cheese Garden is the equally enjoyable Shisha Café, which is a combination jazz bar and Iranian restaurant complete with bubbling hookah pipes.
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Arthur’s Theme
A stylish place offering decent French cuisine in a slightly formal atmosphere. The dishes here have wacky names after figures such as Don Quixote. Taste for adventure, eh?
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Kuk@ease
Kuk@ease offers one-day cookery courses (single person/per person in group of 4 Rs 1600/600) for all levels of experience with equipment and ingredients supplied.
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The Place: Touche the Sizzler
As the name suggests, this long-running place specialises in sizzlers, but it also offers Indian, tandoori, seafood and continental dishes.
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