PUNE

BEST SEASON: Any time of year
LANGUAGE SPOKEN: Marathi, Hindi & English
CLOTHING: Summer- Cotton & Winter- Light Wollens
STD CODE: 020

INTRODUCTION

While it has always been a corporate stopover, Pune has its mix of potpourri and culture which makes for interesting sight seeing within the city! For those interested in history and architecture, Pune offers a mix of the modern interlaced with the old!.
Once upon a time Pune was a very sedate Maharashtrian city... very representative of the Maratha heartland.The arrival of Osho Rajneesh and his flock changed that completely. The Ashram put Pune on the world map and has given this deeply traditional and staid city a strange new and very odd flavour. The migration of plenty of Bombay folk to the town too is increasingly giving the city a more cosmopolitan nature.

PLACES TO VISIT

Gandhi Memorial Hall
Across the river in Yerwada in this fine memorial set in 6.5 hectares of gardens. Built by Imamsultan Muhammad Sha Aga Khan III in 1892, it was the Aga Khan's palace until 1956 after which it became a school. In 1969 it was donated to India by the Aga Khan IV. After Mahatma Gandhi delivered his momentous Quit India resolution in Bombay in 1942, the British interned him and other leaders of India's independence movement here for nearly two years.

Pataleshwar Caves
This 8th century rock cut temple is hidden in the heart of the city, in the midst of modern high rise structures and developments, at Shivajinagar. Reminiscent of Ellora, the temple has been carved out of a single boulder of awe inspiring size which includes massive pillars, a Shiva shrine and a Nandi bull. The temple is used by worshippers even today.

Bund Garden
This garden is also known as the Mahatma Gandhi Udhayan. It was built by Sir Jamshedji Jeejeebhoy, on the right bank of the Mula-Mutha to provide the poor with water during summer. Main attraction here is the evening boat rides, horse rides etc. The garden is famous for Bhel-Puri and Pani-Puri. It is situated on the Airport road and very close to the Camp area.

Parvati Hill and Temples
Standing atop this hillock you get a vertical glimpse of Pune. A steep flight of 108 narrow steps lead to the hill top temple built by Balaji Baji Rao. 'Nagarkjana' drum house is the imposing temple of Parvati and Devdeveshwar. This was once the private shrine of the Peshwas. It is also the final resting place of Nana Saheb Peshwa. The Parvati museum houses portraits of Peshwas, old manuscripts, coins etc.

HOW TO GET THERE

By Air - Airport is located in the Lohagaon area, about 12-km from the city. Indian Airlines and Jet Airways provide regular flights to Pune from Delhi, four flights a week to Chennai and Bangalore, two to three flights daily from Mumbai and to Ahmedabad, Hyderabad and Goa.

By Rail - Pune has excellent railway services connecting all major cities. Reservations should be made at the New Reservation Centre next to the station (Monday-Saturday 8.00am-2.00pm & 2.15pm-8.00pm, Sunday 8.00am-2.00pm).

By Road - Pune is well connected by road with the all major cities within the state as well as outside the state. Daily private and MSRTC buses ply from Pune to Mumbai (4hrs)

DISTANCES

Mumbai - 163 Km
Solapur - 243 km
Panaji - 495 km
Surat - 362 Km