Pune – Places to Visit - India
Pune – Places to Visit - India

The city, formerly spelt as Poona is located just 170-km from Mumbai at an altitude of 598m, Pune is Maharashtra’s second city, and lies close to the Western Ghat Mountains (known also as the Sohyadri Hills), on the edge of the Deccan plains as they stretch away to the east. Pune is the cultural capital of the Maratha people, and is also known as the “Queen of the Deccan.”

The city of Pune first gained its importance as the capital of the Marathasin the 17th century. It was temporarily captured by the Mughals but again became the official Maratho capital from 1 714 until its fall to the British in 181 7. It served as the seasonal capital of the Bombay Presidency and after independence, it is a burgeoning city expanding in all directions, especially along the Pune – Mumbai (Bombay) rail and road routes through the industrial townships of Pimpri and Chinchwad.

Today Pune is one of the leading metros in India, with the Film and Television Institute of India and National Defence Academy based here. It is fast becoming one of the major hubs of industry and commerce in the country. It is also an important commercial and educational centre with distinctive features and characteristics of its own. The region surrounding Pune, now called Greater Pune, includes parts of the Sahyadri Hills, the Balaghat Range (north) and the Mahadeo Hills (south), which enclose the upper Bhima RiverValley.

Pune exemplifies an indigenous Marathi culture and ethos in which education, arts and crafts, and theatres are given due prominence.
It is the home of great freedom fighters like Bal Gangadhar Tilak,
Agarkar and Gopal Krishna Gokhale. Jayant Narlikar, the famous contemporary scientist, is from Pune. Pune is the seat of North Indian classical music. Annually, in the month of December, it hosts a three- nightlong cultural program of vocal and instrumental classical music, called “Savai-Gandharva”.

Pune boasts of its art galleries, museums such as the Raja Kelkar museum, which is a one-man collection ofartifacts. Recently, a National Sports Complex has been built on the north western edge of Pune. It has produced renowned authors like RL. Deshpande, who personify Pune’s standing as an old education centre.

Pune has been an example for the blending of the culture and heritage
with modernisation and its side effects. With the Pune festival, Osho
Commune International, IUCAA, FTII and a number of research and defence establishments, Pune has become a major attraction, with a lot to offer to its tourists. Though mostly populated with a Marathi-speaking community, Pune is slowly becoming a more cosmopolitan city.

HOW TO GET THERE

Air: Pune has an airport at Lohegaon. Domestic flights link with Mumbai, Delhi, Pune, Bangaloreand such major cities.

Rail: Pune is located on the Central Railway’s main railway line linking Mumbai with South India. To reach Pune from Mumbai, trains, buses and taxis are available. Road: Pune is well connected by road.

Regular private and state owned buses are available to almost all the parts of the state