A Peek into Pune

November 09-10, 2018

 For a long time now I have been quite taken with the idea of visiting Pune, the second largest city in the state of Maharashtra. Seeing that it not very far from Mumbai, we decided to drive down and spend a day seeing what we could see of this city that is considered to be the cultural capital of Maharashtra. The drive to Pune was a pleasant one with hardly any traffic to slow us down. The only stop we made was at a Food Court somewhere along the way to grab some delicious Belgian Waffles and steaming hot coffee from Starbucks. On entering the city, I first noticed that Pune has really wide roads with a separate bus lane going right down the center. That’s neat! Having decided to check in at our hotel later in the day, we drove on straight to what I had come to Pune to see – Shaniwar Wada, a historical fortification built around the year 1732. Following the rise of the Maratha Empire, this fortress became the center for Maratha politics in the 18C. The fortress itself was destroyed in a fire in 1828 and all that remains today are the stone foundations and the outer walls.

Historic records state that the fort, once seven storeys high, was built as the principal residence of the influential Peshwas (Prime Ministers). It was meant to have been built entirely of stone. However, following an official letter announcing that such stone structures could only be commissioned by the King himself, the Peshwas completed the base floor in stone and the remaining sis storeys in brick. 90 years later, when attacked by British artillery, these six-storeys collapsed, leaving only the stone foundations. The first resident of Shaniwar Wada was Peshwa Bajirao I, the second Peshwa of the Maratha Empire. An equestrian statue of Bajirao I stands proud within the fort complex, right outside the entrance of the fort. Walking through the massive main entrance, the Dilli Darwaza, was an experience in itself. This north facing gate is said to have reflected the political ambitions of Bajirao I against the Moghul Empire. Each of the gates is fitted with a grid of seventy-two sharp, twelve inch spikes approximately at a height of the forehead of a battle elephant that might attempt to charge into the fortress. Above the doorway are arrow-loops and machicolations from which boiling oil or stones could be rained down on the enemy at the gates. Today, one needs to walk through these gates to get to the ticket booth and purchase a token that permits entry into the fort.

Placing my token safely in my pocket, I began my exploration. First impressions – I liked what I saw. Shaniwar Wada is a well-maintained tourist spot. The grounds are clean, there are plaques with interesting bits of information at various places and, provision for drinking water as well. What largely remains of the fortress are just the outer walls and the stone foundations. Most tourists were walking atop the boundary wall of the fort. I chose to first explore the ruins before walking along the circumference.

Taking my time to feel the stones (if stones could speak, what exciting stories these would narrate!) and walk the grounds where the great Peshwas once walked, I learnt quite a few interesting facts that I was previously unaware of. One such story I read on a plaque close to the South facing gate, and what’s known as Narayan Darwaza. It is said that Narayanrao, the fifth Peshwa, was murdered within this fort by the orders of his own uncle Raghunathrao. People have claimed that on full moon nights one can still hear the ghost of Narayanrao screaming for help, “Kaka mala wachawa. Kaka mala wachawa (Uncle save me!)” Chilling tale, isn’t it? There are many other gates such as the Khidki Darwaza (facing East), the Ganesh Darwaza (facing South West) and, the one I was most keen to find, the Mastani Darwaza.

View from Mastani Darwaza. It is said that this was the location of the Mastani Mahal

Taking the stairs up to the boundary wall, I tried recalling what I’d heard about Mastani, the second wife of Peshwa Bajirao I. It’s quite a story, the one of Bajirao-Mastani. Mastani, the daughter of King Chattrasal and his concubine Ruhaani Bai, was brought up as a Muslim. That being the case, her marriage to the already married Peshwa was not accepted. For a while, Mastani lived at Mastani Mahal, a palace in the North-east corner of Shaniwar Wada, the exit to which is known as Mastani Darwaza. Peshwa Bajirao later had her move into a separate residence at Kothrud, some distance away from Shaniwar Wada. Today, all that remains to remind one of her existence are the Mastani Darwaza and a few fragments of the Kothrud palace, displayed at the Raja Dinkar Kelkar Museum.

From the balcony, or Jharokas, atop the Dilli Darwaza, one gets a splendid view of the ruins of Shaniwar Wada and its well-sculpted gardens. At the center one can see the Hazari Karanje (fountain of a thousand jets). Built to amuse the infant Peshwa Sawai Madhavrao, the fountain was built in the shape of a sixteen-petal lotus, with each petal spouting sixteen jets of water in a beautiful 80 foot arc. When he was just 21, Sawai Madhavrao, the young Peshwa, committed suicide by jumping from the high walls of Shaniwar Wada. Others say that when he fell to his death, he pierced his thigh on this very same fountain. The popular theory, however, is that the young Peshwa was unwell and, in a state of delirium, lost his balance and fell.

 Back outside, we decided it was time for lunch and made our way to one of Pune’s popular irani restaurants, Café Goodluck. After a leisurely lunch of kheema-pav and some delicious rabdi-kulfi, we drove towards The Hyatt.

Kheema and Rumaali Roti at Cafe Goodluck

Dinner at China Toss

After a cup of hot tea in our room, we spent a leisurely evening in the hotel pool, watching the sun set over the city of Pune. For dinner, we walked down to China Toss. The food here is extremely flavorful and delicious and we enjoyed our meal, chatting about our experiences of the past few hours. 

Breakfast at The Hyatt

 The next morning, after a scrumptious breakfast at the hotel, we walked down to another historic building that stands right beside The Hyatt. This structure, the Aga Khan Mahal, was once the place where famous freedom fighters were imprisoned, most important among them being Mahatma Gandhi and his wife, Kasturba Gandhi. 

Today, the palace serves mainly as a museum displaying numerous photographs and items used by its famous residents. What draws most people to the Aga Khan Palace, however, is not the photographs. This palace is where the Mahatma’s wife breathed her last. On the grounds of this palace one can find the path leading to the memorials that hold the ashes of Kasturba Gandhi, Mahatma Gandhi and his secretary, Mahadev Desai. 

 Next, we visited the Pataleshwar Temple, an 8C rock-cut cave temple that, at the time of its construction, was located on the outskirts of the town. Today, however, the city has spread all around it. The cave temple has three inner sanctums, the middle of which houses the Shivalinga. The Pataleshwar Temple is the oldest monument in Pune. 

 Soon, it was time to head back to Mumbai, but not before we’d enjoyed lunch at the famous German Bakery at Koregaon Park. This is quite a popular place to spend time over the pasta, kheema-pav or one of their delicious cheesecakes. Portions are not very large and some might say the items offered are a tad overpriced. 

But do visit and try their cheesecake and apple-cinnamon lassi. Yummy! So, with that we came to the end of our brief but very enjoyable visit to the historic city of Pune. I’m sure there’s more to be seen and experienced, but it’ll have to wait until I have more time to spare.

Pics by Misha