'Pune' (
IPA: ,
Marathi: पुणे) is a city located in the western
Indian state of
Maharashtra. Capital of
Pune District and the
8th largest urban agglomeration in India with a population of 4.5 million, it is the second largest city in the state of Maharashtra. It is located roughly 150 kilometers east of
Mumbai at an altitude of 560 meters above sea level. It is situated at the eastern edge of the
Western ghats on the
Deccan plateau.
Pune is widely considered the
cultural capital of
Marathi-speaking Maharashtrians.
[1] Pune has a reputation for its several esteemed colleges and
educational institutions[2] — for this reason it is called the ''
Oxford of the East'' (or 'Oxford of India').
[3] It has a very strong presence in the automobile sector and is on its way to consolidate its position as the 'Detroit of India'
[4][5] too. It is now home to many software and
IT companies.
Name
Pune derives its name from Punya Nagari, or the city of virtuous deeds. Pune started out as ''Punya-Vishaya'' or ''Punak Vishaya'' — an agricultural settlement in AD 937.
[6] By the 13th century, it had come to be known as ''Kasbe Pune'' or ''Punavadi'' when under the Sultan rule. It was known alternatively as
Poona by the
British; but it has regained prominence as 'Pune' in the past few years.
History
A stone sculpture of Nandi at the Pataleshwar cave temple
The circular Nandi mandapa at the Pataleshwar cave temple
The Delhi Gate of Shaniwar Wada (fort)
Medieval Times
The original agricultural settlement had become known as ''Punnaka'' by the 8th century. The earliest evidence (copper plates dating 758 AD and 768 AD) reveals that this region was ruled by the
Rashtrakutas. It came under
Mughal rule in the 17th century.
Until circa 1818, it continued to be ruled by various dynasties, especially the Nizamshahi Sultans,
Mughals, and the
Marathas. During the mid 17th century, it became the temporary residence of the Maratha King
Shivaji. In 1749 A.D, it gained prominence as the capital of the Peshwa, prime minister of the Maratha King Shahu. It was during this period that the city expanded considerably.
[7]
Pune's medieval roots are also evident in the number of its
temples. The oldest structure in the city is the rock-cut temple of
Pataleshwar, from the 8th century AD. The cave-temple complex is also called Panchaleshvara cave. This cave, once situated outside the limits of the old town, is now squarely in the middle of the city off the Jungli Maharaj road.
Maratha Empire
Pune is inextricably linked to the life of the Maratha hero and king,
Chhatrapati Shivaji. The era of Pune's fame began when Chhatrapati Shivaji came to stay here with his mother
Jijabai in 1635-36. They lived in a mansion known as "Lal Mahal," a monument can be visited at its original location in the city. According to local lore, the
Kasba Ganapati Mandir, regarded as the presiding deity of the city (gramadevata), was built by Jijabai.
[8]
In the early 18th century,
prime minister of Chhatrapati Shahu,
Peshwe Baji Rao I wanted to make Pune his home, which was agreed to by the king. He built his palace on a slightly raised ground near the Mutha river. The fortified palace is known as
Shaniwar Wada. Shaniwar Wada is considered by many to be the focal point of the old city of Pune. It was during the Peshwa period that Pune became virtually the Capital of India and center of peshwa rule that extended from Pune to
Attock in Pakistan and pune soon rose to prominence.
A historical
fort at
Kharda commemorates the Battle of Kharda fought between the
Maratha Confederacy under the
Peshwa at
Poona and the
Nizam of Hyderabad, in 1795.
1817 saw a war breaking out between the
Marathas and the
British. A
battle was fought in Kirkee (now "
Khadki"), a town earlier outside the Pune city (though at present is considered to be well within the city limits). The
Peshwas were defeated and the British forces took over the town. The British realized the importance of the city and built a large
cantonment to the east of the city. Later, Pune was pronounced the Monsoon Capital of the
Bombay Presidency. The city passed into British rule after the defeat of Marathas in the Battle of Ashti in 1818. Army bases established by the British on the outskirts of the city were later converted into cantonments of Pune and Khadki. The Pune Municipality was established in 1858. A number of esteemed
educational institutes also came up here in the latter half of the 19th century, enhancing Pune's stature as an education hub.
A Center of Struggle for India's Independence from the British Rule
During the struggle for Indian independence, Pune took its place as an important center for social and religious reform movements that were sweeping the country. The presence of
Bal Gangadhar Tilak dominated the political scene for six decades during this period. It was the home to some reformers who were stalwarts of the national movement, like
Mahadev Govind Ranade,
R.G Bhandarkar,
Gopal Krishna Gokhale, Maharshi Vitthal Ramji Shinde and
Jyotirao Phule.
Educational and Research Hub
Three reputed colleges,
College of Engineering, Pune,
Sir Parashurambhau College and
Fergusson College, have been located in Pune since the late 1800s. The Bhandarkar Oriental Research Institute, world-renowned for research and instruction in the Sanskrit and Prakrit languages --it currently houses more than 20,000 ancient manuscripts-- was established in 1917. The SNDT University for Women was established in 1916. Soon after Indian independence in 1947, the
University of Pune, the
National Defence Academy and
National Chemical Laboratory were established. The number of institutions for higher education have multiplied in Pune since then.
Geography
View from the "Pune Darwaja" of Sinhagad
Pune is located at 18° 31' 22.45" North 73° 52' 32.69" East (See
satellite view), near the western margin of the
Deccan Plateau.
Outside Pune's
General Post Office (GPO), next to a large banyan tree in front lies Pune's "Zero"
Milestone. The GPO itself (constructed 1873-74) is a two-storied building -- Pune's only building in the
Palladian architectural style.
Pune lies on the leeward side of the
Sahyadri ranges and
Western Ghats, 560 m (1837 ft) above the sea level, at the confluence of
Mula and
Mutha rivers, which are tributaries of the
Bhima. Two more rivers, Pavana and Indrayani traverse the Northwestern outskirts of the urban area. The Sinhagad-Katraj-Dive
Ghats range is the Southern Boundary of the urban area. The highest point in the city is
Vetal Hill in Pune (800 m or 2625 ft above sea level) whereas the highest point just outside the urban area is the
Sinhagad Fort (1300 m or 4265 ft above sea level).
Pune lies in the seismically active zone of
Koyna Region, which is about 100 km south of Pune. Pune has recently been upgraded to lie in the zone IV, which is the second most dangerous seismic zone in
India. Pune has experienced some moderate-intensity and many low-intensity earthquakes. Although earthquakes were not known to have originated in Pune itself, an earthquake of magnitude 3.2 took place in the Katraj region near Pune on 17 May 2004.
[9]
Climate
Pune experiences three distinct seasons:
summer,
monsoon and
winter. Typical summer months are from March to May, with maximum temperatures ranging from 30 to 38 °C (95 to 107.6 °F). Contrary to most of the
Deccan Plateau where May is the warmest month, the warmest month in Pune is April. The city often receives locally developed heavy
thundershowers with sharp downpours in May. Though the temperatures plunge in this month, the summer heat accompanied by high humidity can be occasionally quite oppressive. Nevertheless, the nights in Pune are significantly cooler compared to most other parts in this region owing to its high altitude.
Monsoon winds blowing from the
Arabian sea are a welcome relief in June, bringing with them heavy showers. Pune receives moderate rainfall. The city receives an annual rainfall of 722 mm, mainly between June and September as the result of southwest monsoon. July is the wettest month of the year. Though the rainfall is comparatively lower than in the adjoining
Western ghats, steady spells of heavy rain frequently disrupt normal life in the city. The spells of continuous rainfall may stretch to many days or even a few weeks. Pune has, on record, received rainfall for 29 consecutive days (Days when rainfall is greater than 2.5 mm). However, the weather is very pleasant in the city with temperature ranging from 20 to 28 °C (68 to 82 °F).
As the monsoon winds recede, the day temperatures rise again in October with cooler nights signalling the onset of winter. Pune experiences winter from November to February. This is the best season to visit Pune. Pleasant windy days, clear skies and cool nights make it the most enjoyable time of the year. The day temperature hovers around 29 °C (84 °F) while night temperature is below 10 °C (50 °F) for most of December and January, often dropping to 5 or 6 °C (42 °F). On particularly cold days, wind may appear to be very chilly due to the dryness of air. Rain is very rare in this season.
Temperature records: The highest temperature recorded was 110 °F (43.3 °C) on
30 April 1987 and
7 May 1889. The lowest temperature recorded during 1881–1940 was 35 °F (1.7 °C) in
17 January 1935. More recently, Pune recorded a lowest temperature of 2.8 °C on January 1991.
[10]
Biodiversity
Biodiversity of a city depends largely on its geographical position. Pune city is situated in the transition zone between the Deccan plateau and moist mountains, the Western Ghats. 'Pune Urban Area' measuring about 700 km² , has radius of about 25 km from the city post office. It consists of Pune and
Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Corporations besides cantonments at Pune, Khadki and Dehu Road. It also includes adjoining semi-urban areas.
Biodiversity in Pune is characterised by:
★ Higher habitat diversity within a relatively smaller area.
★ Steep habitat gradient - Habitats change rapidly within short distances in towns and cities. Pune urban area has seven habitats within a distance of 25 km from the centre of the city. These habitats are: built-up area, rivers and lakes, well wooded compounds, hilltops and hill slopes’ parks and gardens, open places – grounds and shoulders of the roads and urban agriculture.
★ Rapid changes in habitat and land use - new residential colonies are getting built on the agricultural land or grassland and scrubland. Old wadas (mansions) are rapidly getting replaced with tall residential – cum – commercial complexes, water bodies are reclaimed, filled to create land for construction. New water pools come up in city parks and gardens. All these changes have taken place within a very short period of time.
★ Abundant food supply - Large garbage dumping grounds and local garbage dumps in urban areas provide a diversity of food to scavenger animals such as smaller cats, dogs, etc. Scavenger birds such as crow, myna, kite, etc. also abound in such dumps.
★ Higher proportion of exotic flora - City parks, gardens and compounds are always planted with ornamental plants and trees of exotic nature. In many city gardens more than half of the trees are exotic. Many hedge plants in urban areas are not native. For many decades a variety of exotic trees such as Eucalyptus, Glyricidia, and Australian acacia has been widely used for plantation. Many plants in terrace gardens are also exotic. Urban flora therefore is a mixture of native and exotic species.
Economy
Infosys, Pune
Pune is a major industrial centre, growing rapidly every year. It is home to one of the world's largest two-wheeler manufacturers,
Bajaj Auto. Other automobile majors are
Tata Motors, India's largest passenger car and commercial vehicle manufacturer,
DaimlerChrysler, which has an assembly line for its
Mercedes-Benz brand,
Kinetic Engineering and
Force Motors Ltd (previously known as Bajaj Tempo). Engineering goods industries situated in Pune are Bharat Forge Ltd, the world's second largest forging company,
Cummins Engines Co Ltd, has its Research & Technology India center, Thermax Limited a global player providing sustainable solutions in energy and environment,
Alfa Laval, Sandvik Asia,
Thyssen Krupp (formerly Buckau Wolff), KSB Pumps, Finolex, Greaves India and Forbes Marshall, among others. Among the recent companies to expand their engineering operations in India is
Eaton Corporation -
Eaton India Engineering Center EIEC-Pune is twenty percent of Eaton's global technical strength and Eaton's largest integrated, multidisciplinary research and development engineering center outside the US. Pune has also been selected by Eaton for their
TCO- Truck Component Operations plant, which is coming up in Ranjangaon-Pune.
Electronic goods giants like
Whirlpool and
LG have appliance manufacturing plants. 'Food majors' like
Frito Lay and
Coca Cola also have their food processing plants. Apart from this Pune houses many mid and small industries. The international air connectivity had helped many volume produce growers in the surrounding districts to export their goods conveniently.
Infosys Office building, Phase 2 at Rajiv Gandhi IT park, Hinjewadi, Pune
Pune has a burgeoning software industry, thanks to the presence of IT parks like Rajiv Gandhi IT Park at
Hinjewadi,
Magarpatta Cybercity, MIDC Software Technology Park at Talawade, Marisoft IT Park at Kalyaninagar, International Convention Center (ICC), Weikfield IT Park etc. Many of India's major software players such as
Fiserv,
Amdocs,
Infosys,
TCS,
Tech Mahindra,
Wipro,
Sasken, Calsoft,
Cybage,
Cognizant,
Tata Elxsi,
Fluent,
Xansa,
John Deere Technology Center,
Patni,
Satyam,
Cybage,
KPIT Cummins, Aztecsoft (Disha),
Persistent Systems, Pyxis Systems Pvt. Ltd., Geometric Software Solutions Limited, Neilsoft , Nihilent Technologies, Encodex Technologies and
Kanbay Software have a major presence in Pune. Global majors like
Accenture,
BMC Software,
NVIDIA,
HSBC Global Technology,
TIBCO,
IBM,
Dell,
Red Hat,
Siemens,
EDS,
Amdocs, UGS,
I-Flex,
Cognizant,
Symantec,
SunGard Data Systems, Global Graphics Softwares, Versant Inc.,
Zensar Technologies, eGain Corp.,
Syntel Limited, T-Systems and
SAS Research and Development India Pvt Ltd have a major presence in Pune. Pune is also emerging as a prominent city for
BPO due to the availability of skilled English speaking manpower. BPO companies like WNS,
Convergys,
Infosys BPO, EXL,
Wipro BPO, vCustomer and Mphasis have started operations in Pune. Several hardware and VLSI companies like
Ingot Systems are also located in Pune. Several
HR consultants have their operations in Pune to meet the ever growing demand for a highly specialised workforce.
To meet the demands of this explosive economic growth in Pune, the state is planning a 1,000 MW
power plant which will exclusively serve Pune. MIDC is the lead agency for the project.
[11]
Major IT companies in Pune
Civic Administration
Pune Urban Agglomeration comprises 5 civic bodies, namely
★ Pune Municipal Corporation
★
Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC)
★ Khadki (Also called Kirkee) Cantonment Board (KCB)
★ Pune Cantonment Board (PCB)
★ Dehu Road Cantonment Board
The main city is administered by the
Pune Municipal Corporation (
PMC). The executive power of the corporation is vested in the
Municipal Commissioner, an
IAS officer appointed by the
state government. The corporation consists of directly elected corporators headed by a titular
Mayor. The mayor has few executive powers. The PMC is in charge of the civic needs and infrastructure of the metropolis. Pune is divided into forty-eight
municipal wards, each overseen by an Assistant Municipal Commissioner for administrative purposes. The corporators of the administration are voted through a popular vote and almost all the state political parties field their candidates.
The city is in the Haveli Taluka (county) in
Pune District,
Maharashtra. The district is under the jurisdiction of the District Collector. The collectors are in charge of property records and revenue collection for the Central government. They also oversee the national elections held in the city.
Like other metropolises in India, the
Pune Police is headed by a
Police Commissioner, an
IPS officer. The Pune Police comes under the state Home Ministry.
Pune as a military station
Pune is an important cantonment town since the first decade of the nineteenth century. Headquarters of the Indian Army's Southern Command is located here.
[12] Pune is one of the alma maters of the Sappers of the Indian Army as the
College of Military Engineering and the
Bombay Engineering Group and Centre are located here. The prestigious
National Defence Academy at Khadakwasla is considered to be the equivalent of West Point except that the cadets of all services are trained together. The
Armed Forces Medical College trains doctors and nurses for the three services. The city is also a hub for the Army's physical training and sports needs with the
Army Institute of Physical Training and the
Army Sports Institute being located here. The battles of Kirkee and Koregaon were fought here in the early nineteenth century and an old war memorial is located opposite Sassoon Hospital. A new war memorial, the National War Memorial (Maharashtra) is located in Pune cantonment near Ghorpuri.
Transport
Pune is well-connected by road, rail, and air to most major cities in India such as
Mumbai,
Hyderabad,
Bengaluru,
Delhi,
Kolkata,
Ahmedabad,
Indore,
Lucknow and
Chennai.
Pune Airport is an international hub with flights connecting to
Singapore and
Dubai.
The Government of Maharashtra has entrusted responsibility for creating a new Pune International Airport project to
MIDC. The area between Chakan and Rajgurunagar, around the villages of Chandus and Shiroli, is currently under consideration as a site for the airport, situated 40 km from Pune GPO along the Pune - Nashik National highway (NH-50).
The city has two railway stations, Pune and Shivajinagar. Local trains connect Pune to the industrial towns of
Khadki,
Pimpri and
Chinchwad, and
Lonavala. A new broad gauge line between
Karjat and
Panvel has shortened the distance between Pune and Mumbai by 29 Kilometers. Road travel between Pune and Mumbai has improved significantly with the construction of the
Mumbai-Pune Expressway Inter-city luxury buses, both state owned and private ones, also connect Pune with major cities like
Mumbai,
Hyderabad and
Bengaluru.
The Maharashtra state transport buses facilitate travel to rural areas surrounding Pune.
Public Transport
Pune Municipal Transport (PMT) and
Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Transport (PCMT) have bus routes throughout the city and its suburbs. A
pilot project with dedicated lanes is under way.
Pune has a
Light Rail/ SkyBus /Light Metro Rail proposal for implementation on both Pune Municipal Corporation, PCMC and MSRDC plans.
Within the city,
auto rickshaw is the common mode of taxi transport. Air-conditioned blue-and-white "cool cabs" operate on pre-paid fare basis between Pune and Mumbai. (These are likely to be found only at
Pune Airport and Pune Railway Station.)
Private Transport
The public transport infrastructure is currently highly strained. Thus the number of personal cars and 2-wheelers in the city is staggering. According to one study in 2005, there were then 200,000 cars and 1 million two-wheelers in the 146 sq. km area of Pune city. More than 100,000 vehicles are added to the traffic in Pune every year. Suburbs like Kalyaninagar, Vishrantwadi, Magarpatta Cybercity and Kondhwa are spreading and developing very fast, but the narrow roads in Pune are not able to support a rapid growth in the number of vehicles. Like many other fast-growing cities in
India, local travel by car, motorbike or bicycle is very frustrating because of traffic congestion and a general disregard for traffic rules. Finding parking spaces for cars is a huge problem.
Demographics
The urban agglomeration around Pune had a population of 4,485,000 in 2005. This figure included the population of the city of
Pimpri-Chinchwad, which is the industrial twin of Pune. Of late, the city has witnessed a sizeable investment in the software and automobile sectors, resulting in an influx of skilled labor from all over India. Several suburbs are now completely cosmopolitan and real-estate prices have soared since 2003. Notably, even though Pune is the seventh largest city in India, it has the sixth largest metropolitan economy and the highest
per capita income in India, with the least income disparity between the rich and poor.
[13]
Marathi is the major language in Pune. English is understood and spoken by the educated class.Hindi is also widely understood and spoken.
Culture
Pune is Maharashtra's cultural capital and the form of
Marathi spoken in Pune is considered to be the standard form of the language.
[14] Pune is a vibrant cultural city and people from multiple religions and speaking different regional languages reside here. It also hosts various national festivals and cultural events throughout the year. People of Pune have wide interests in various Arts, Literature, Music, Spiritualism and Food. In recent years it has also been a leader in
Trance and
Techno movements, alongside
Goa and
Mumbai.
Ganapati (Ganesha) Festival
It was in Pune in 1894 that Lokmanya Tilak initiated the concept of the "Sarvajanik Ganeshotsav" — the collective communal celebration of the festival of Lord
Ganesha. During the month of August or September each year, the city celebrates the Hindu festival of
Ganesh Chaturthi. Almost every neighborhood puts up a ''pandal'' with an idol of Lord Ganesha, often amidst a
mythological setting, complete with decorative lights and festive music. The 10-day festival culminates in a carnival-like procession along the busy thoroughfares of the city, with every pandal leading the idol on a float to finally immerse (''visarjan'') it in the local rivers. This is one of the most important yearly events in the city.
During this time, the Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation organizes the month-long
Pune Festival which hosts classical dance and music recitals, a film and drama festival, automobile rallies and some traditional sports.
Sawaai Gandharva Music Festival
In December Pune hosts the
Sawai Gandharva Music Festival. It is dedicated to the classical forms of music — both
Hindustani and
Carnatic. Many renowned artists perform through 3 consecutive days creating a hype unique to this city. It is one of the most eagerly awaited festivals in the city, and it attracts music lovers from Pune and other parts of Maharashtra and India.
Theatre
Pune has given birth to or attracted a body of organization for the Marathi literati. Marathi Theatre (Drama नाटक — रंगभूमी ) is an integral part of Marathi culture. Both — Experimental (प्रायोगिक रंगभूमी) and Professional Theatre — receive whole-hearted patronage from the Marathi community. Tilak Smarak Mandir, Bala Gandharva Rangmandir, Bharat Natya Mandir, Yashwantrao Chavan Natyagriha and Su-darshan Rangmanch continue to serve these art forms.
One of the main theatre activity centers is the Su-darshan Rangamanch run by Maharashtra Cultural Center, a leading public charitable trust active in cultural activities. The trust has its own mini theatre as well as an art gallery where many amateur theatre groups perform their plays, music and dance programmes.
'
Pune Art and Drama Schools'
Entertainment
Pune has many multiplexes and cinema theatres, showing the latest
Bollywood and Hollywood movies. These multiplexes are situated in various parts of the city.
Marathi movies are screened at ''Prabhat'' and
City Pride. Multiplexes include
INOX near Pune station,
E Square on University road,
City Pride on Satara road,
City Pride at Kothrud,
Adlabs at Kalyaninagar and Chinchwad Fame Jai Ganesh at Akurdi, Pimpri-chinchwad. Other than the cinema there are various other leisure facilities such as go-karting at Manas Resorts and the Pancard club.
[15] a bowling alley at 3D Destination
[16]
Religion and Spirituality
With 200,000 visitors annually, the Osho International Meditation Resort in Pune is one of the largest spiritual growth centres in the world.
Religion in Pune is sometimes synonymous with the Ganapati utsav i.e.
Ganesh Festival. The city is also famous for its Ganesh temples.
Chaturshrungi goddess is the reigning deity of the city of Pune. A temple dedicated to the goddess is situated on the slopes of a mountain in the northwest part of the city. The temple is in the midst of nature's scenic beauty. This ninety feet high and one hundred and twenty five feet wide temple is looked after by Chatushringi Devasthan (Temple) trustees, with full dedication. In the month of September there is a huge procession for the Navaratris and people flock in to visit and receive blessings of the Goddess.
Pune was also home to a considerable population of the Indian
Jewish community, the
Bene Israel. It is home to Asia's largest
synagogue (outside
Israel), The Ohel David Synagogue (Popularly called Lal Deval - the Red Temple ). Pune is also the birth place of
Meher Baba.
Close to Pune, near the Malavali hills, is the Vedanta Academy, founded by one of the world's most noted exponents of
Vedanta,
Swami Parthasarathy.
The academy offers free Vedantic education to young seekers from all corners of the world.
The spiritual teacher
Osho (Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh) resided and taught in Pune for much of the 1970s and 1980s. The lush green
Osho International Meditation Resort, one of the world's largest places dedicated to meditation and personal development, is located in the Koregaon Park area and attracts a large national and international audience to the city.
[17]
Pune has become important place for Yoga education since world famous legendary Yoga Master B.K.S. Iyengar established his Yoga Institute and where teachers of Yoga from all over the world come for final education. BKS's books Light on Yoga and Light on Pranayama are translated in 18 languages world wide and considered Text Books of Yoga.His ''Iyengar Yoga System'' is recognized for school education in UK, USA & Canada and there are approximately 6000 IYS teachers world wide. At the age of 86 he still attends and guide his students.
Close to Pune City are the villages of
Alandi and Dehu where
Sant Dnyaneshwar and
Sant Tukaram belong. Each year thousands of pilgrims from all over Maharashtra gather here and start 'Wari' which is the procession carrying '
palkhi's of Sant Dnyaneshwar and Sant Tukaram to
Pandharpur. Pandharpur is the home to Lord
Vitthal and is about 300 km from Pune. All pilgrims walk this distance to reach Pandharpur on the auspicious day of 'Aashadhi Ekadasshi' when the 'Wari' ends.
Zoos and Parks
Pune has a number of public gardens such as the Kamala Nehru Park, Sambhaji Park, Peshwe Park, Saras Baug and Bund Garden. The city has a zoological garden which was earlier at Peshwe Park and has now been relocated at Katraj at the site of the erstwhile Snake Park which now forms part of it.
Food
Pune residents are known for their fondness for food. Among the plethora of food available are a large variety of sweets, notable places are Karachi Sweets, Bhavnagari, Chitale Bandhu Mithaiwale and Kaka Halwai. Pune has its very own variety of Thick milk-shakes with ice-cream scoops topped with chopped dried fruits called Mastaani (मस्तानी). Notable places are Sujata Cold Drinks, Gurjur Mastani and Kavre Cold Drinks. Light snacks like fresh potato chips called wafers, a fried spicy snack called Chiwda (चिवडा) a fried potato pattie and bun sandwich called
Vada pav are available everywhere. Another food item unique to Maharashtra, Misal - a mixture of sprouted cereals, spiced flattened rice, lots of spices & special Tarri (gravy) with bread, is available in almost all restaurants. Besides this, Pune has many places serving
south indian food, notable places are Coffee House at Camp, Madhuban and Southern Spice at Dhole Patil Road and Vaishali Restaurant at F.C. Road and Gujarati and Rajasthani food, notable places being Mayur, Rajdhani, Rutugandh. One can taste Kolhapuri cuisine at restaurants in the old city like Durga, Tiranaga, Trushna. Apart from Indian food, Western food like Pizza, Burgers, Italian, Mediterranean, Spanish is also easily available here. All popular food chains like Pizza Hut, McDonalds, Subway, KFC, Dominos, Pizza Express, Smokin Joe's etc have their presence in Pune. The Camp area —
Main street/M.G. Road and East street, Dhole Patil Road,
Jungli Maharaj Road, and
Fergusson College Road are some of the more popular hangouts for food lovers.
Pune has many Dining Halls spread out across the city catering to outstation students and office goers residing in the city. These are modest sit-down eateries that serve all-you-can-eat meals at affordable prices. The stiff competition ensures that every place has something unique to offer, besides the good standard and rich menu list. Pune's young professionals routinely eat at these places during work hours, while spending their free time hanging out at parks and cafes feasting on street food such as kacchi dabeli (a kind of sandwich), bhel (a spicy puffed rice mix), panipuri (puffy little fried crispy discs filled with sauce) etc. Notable ones are Anna Bhel at Bund Garden, Kalyan Bhel in Bibwewadi, Lullanagr Chowk & Ganesh Bhel in Ganesh Nagar & Karvenagar. Kaathi Kabab at East street or near Kapila Hotel and Cafe Blue Nile, George Restaurant, Durga Biryani house and Cafe Goodluck for biryani are very popular amongst meat lovers. For 'Misal' Popular ones are Shree (Laxmi Road), Bedekar (Narayan Peth), Shrikrishna (Tulashibaugh) & Ramnath(Tilak Rd).
Major hotels in Pune
Peths
Peth is the general name for a locality in old Pune. Peths are an important part of Pune culture and were important ingredients of ancient city planning. Some of the Peths are named after the days of a week: Raviwar (Sunday) Peth, Somwar (Monday) Peth, Mangalwar (Tuesday) Peth,
Budhwar Peth (Wednesday), Guruwar (Thursday) Peth, Shukrawar (Friday) Peth, and Shaniwar (Saturday) Peth.
Some peths have been named after a major temple located within their boundaries, such as Ganesh Peth, Bhawani Peth and Ganj Peth. Other peths have been named after certain notable
Maratha and
Peshwa rulers and generals, such as Sadashiv Peth for
Sadashivrao Bhau, Nana Peth for Nanasaheb Peshwe, Narayan Peth for Narayanrao Peshwe, Ghorpade Peth for
Santaji Ghorpade and Rasta Peth for
Sardar Raste. The last peth is the Navi (New) Peth. Currently, many localities are named as "Nagar" such as Sahakarnagar, Shikshaknagar, Vimannagar, Lokmanyanagar, Karvenagar and so on.
Sister/twin cities
As of 2006, there are three
sister cities (aka twinned towns):
★ -
Tromsø,
Norway
★ -
Bremen,
Germany[18]
★ -
San Jose,
USA
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Shiraz,
IRI
Neighborhoods
''See
Pune Neighborhoods''
Media and Communication
Marathi newspapers such as
Sakal,
Loksatta,
Lokmat,
Kesari and
Pudhari are popular. English dailies such as
The Times of India, the
Indian Express,
Maharashtra Herald, and fortnightly
VivaWest have editions based out of Pune, with additional local supplements.
Star Maajha,
Zee Marathi, Doordarshan Sahyadri and ETV Marathi are popular television channels. Many English, Hindi entertainment and news channels are watched as well.
Pune has few FM Radio services as well running for last few years. Though
Radio Mirchi (98.3 MHz) tops the popularity rating,
AIR FM (101. MHz) and Vidyavaani (Pune Universities' own FM Channel) have their presence felt.
There are plans to make Pune India’s first wireless city. Intel Technology Pvt Ltd, Pune Municipal Corp (PMC) and Microsense joined hands to commercially roll out the first phase of a 802.16d Wi-Fi and WiMax network in the city. The first phase of the ‘Unwire Pune’ project deployment would provide wireless connectivity in a 25 km² expanse of the city. After the completion of the first phase, in around four months, Pune Municipal Corp is planning to make services commercially available to citizens at a cost of Rs 250 offering a speed of 256 kbit/s.
Education
The main building of the University of Pune (formerly the University of Poona)
''For the full article, see
Education in Pune''.
Pune was called "The Oxford of the east" by
Jawaharlal Nehru,
[3] India's first Prime Minister, due to the well-known academic and research institutions in the city and its popularity amongst students. The temperate climate of the city is responsible for the green campuses of many colleges, and the prevalent academic mindset amongst Punekars helps nurture research and higher education.
Basic and Special Education
Schools in Pune are either run by the PMC, in which case they are called Municipality schools, or privately by trusts and individuals. Private schools have been preferred by a majority of city residents because of better facilities. These schools use either Marathi or English as the medium of instruction. All private schools are affiliated either with the Maharashtra state
SSC board or the all-India
Indian Certificate of Secondary Education (ICSE) and
CBSE boards. Prominent among Pune schools is the Rewachand Bhojwani Academy, Camp, which has been featured on BBC World recently for its style of education, which is off the beaten track.
Pune is the largest center for Japanese learning in India and the JLPT exams are held in Pune annually (December). The Japanese language training is provided by the University of Pune among others. Other languages like German (Max Muller Bhavan) and French (Alliance Francaise de Poona) are also popular amongst Punekars. Some high schools like St. Vincent's, Loyola's and St. Anne's optionally train students in French, German and Russian from the 8th grade onwards.
University Education
The main building of the Fergusson College.
All colleges in Pune are affiliated to the
University of Pune, one of the largest universities in the world in terms of matriculation. The University of Pune was established in 1948. Some prominent colleges include the
Symbiosis College of Arts and Commerce,
College of Engineering, Pune(COEP),
Fergusson College, Brihan Maharashtra College of Commerece (BMCC), Abasaheb Garware College, Nowrosjee and Ness Wadia College, Sir Parshurambhau (SP) College, and Modern College. These and many other colleges educate students in the arts, sciences and engineering disciplines. Engineering colleges in Pune graduate up to 10,000 engineers in various disciplines every year, especially serving the burgeoning software and IT industry. The COEP, established in 1854, is one of the oldest college in Asia.
The famous
Film and Television Institute of India and
National Film Archives are also located in Pune on Law College road.
Established medical schools such as the Armed Forces Medical College (AFMC) and Byramjee Jeejeebhoy Medical College
Pune BJMC train students from all over Maharashtra and India.
The
N.G. Naralkar Institute,
The Sinhgad Institute Of Management,
Symbiosis Institute of Management Studies (SIMS),
Symbiosis Institute of International Business (SIIB),
Symbiosis Institute of Business Management (SIBM),
The Institute of Management Development and Research (IMDR),
The Department of Management Sciences, University of Pune (PUMBA) and
National Insurance Academy School of Management (NIA SoM) are some of the reputed management schools in the city, as is the ILS Law College of the Indian Law Society. Progressive Education Society's 'Modern Law College''', Ganeshkhind, Pune, established in the year 2003 is presently catering to various courses in law, both 5 years and 3 years, along with various diploma courses
[5].
The prominent Institute - DINA Institute is also located in Pune. It has courses in Business Management, Information Technology, Hotel Management and Travel & Tourism.
In addition to the statutory universities, Pune boasts of 5 Deemed Universities -
Deccan College (Archaeology and Linguistics), Tilak Maharashtra Vidyapeeth (Sanskrit, Indology, Ayurveda and Social Sciences),
Gokhale Institute of Politics and Economics,
Bharati Vidyapeeth,
PICT and
Symbiosis International University
Engineering Colleges
Pune has several colleges offering bachelor and masters courses in engineering and technology.
College of Engineering,Pune commonly known as COEP, which is oldest and the best engineering college in
University of Pune.
[20] Due this reputation of COEP, now this college is an Autonomous Institute affiliated to University of Pune. Admissions to COEP are via separate competitive examination. Other than COEP there are many other colleges which offer engineering course thus creating many engineering graduates every year. Availability of such a large talent pool is a primary reason of so many technology firm choosing Pune as their manufacturing hub.
''See also
List of engineering colleges in Pune''
Research Institutes
In addition to the University of Pune, Pune is home to diverse research institutions of national importance that supplement higher education. Located adjacent to the university is the
National Chemical Laboratory and the
Centre for Materials for Electronics Technology (C-MET), while the university campus houses the
Centre for Development of Advanced Computing(C-DAC),
Inter-University Centre for Astronomy and Astrophysics, the
National Centre for Radio Astrophysics, Bhandarkar Oriental Research Institute [BORI] and the
National Centre for Cell Science.
The
Central Water and Power Research Station(CW & PRS), the
(National Insurance Academy),
National Institute Of Bank Management (NIBM), NIC [National Informatics Centre], the
Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology, the
Agarkar Research Institute and the
Automotive Research Association of India (ARAI) are located in Pune and conduct fundamental research for the benefit of India's millions. The
National AIDS Research Institute is in Bhosari, a suburb of Pune. The National Center for Cell Science, an institute for research in animal cell biology is situated in the
University of Pune while the
National Institute of Virology is located in Pune Camp. Pune also houses a premier industrial research lab
Tata Research Development and Design Centre, a research unit of Tata Consultancy Services, working in the areas of computer science and modeling/simulation for materials processing.
Education Institutes Dedicated to the Defence Forces
Pune is host to several excellent educational institutes specifically dedicated to Defence forces. They include training institutes such as the well-known
National Defence Academy (NDA), College of Military Engineering (CME) and Army Institute of Physical Training (AIPT). Medical students are trained at the
Armed Forces Medical College (AFMC) to serve the armed forces. The
Armament Research and Development Establishment (ARDE),
Defence Institute of Armament Technology (DIAT), Defence Research Development Organization [DRDO], HEMRL and
Army Institute of Technology are also located in Pune.
Sport and Recreation
Cricket is the most popular sport in Pune, watched and played by many. City clubs affiliated to Maharashtra Cricket Association [MCA] have their own leagues and tournaments.
Badminton is also fairly popular among Puneites. The first rules of the game were written in Pune by the British in 1873
[21] and were not dissimilar to those in the modern version of the game. Hence Pune is known as the birthplace of Badminton.
Hockey,
football,
tennis and chess as well as Indian games such as
kabaddi and
kho-kho are also very popular with schoolgoers and adults alike. Pune annually hosts the
Pune International Marathon, which is often dominated by international athletes from Kenya, Ethiopia and Russia. Rowing enthusiasts, such as members of the
Royal Connaught Boat Club take to the Mula-Mutha river.
The
Nehru Stadium, home of the Maharashtra Cricket Association, has hosted several
One-Day International cricket matches, including one from the
1996 World Cup where minnows
Kenya upset the
West Indies. The
Deccan Gymkhana is another sporting institution with facilities for cricket, several tennis courts, basketball and swimming, having hosted
Davis Cup matches on several occasions. The PYC Hindu Gymkhana located in the heart of the city is another famous place for nurturing sports. The Shiv Chattrapati Sports Complex at Balewadi hosted the National Games in 1994, and is slated to host the
Commonwealth Youth Games in 2008.
Prominent sportspersons hailing from Pune include the legendary cricketer
D. B. Deodhar, father-son cricketing duo
Hemant and
Hrishikesh Kanitkar and tennis players Radhika Tulpule and Nitin Kirtane (tennis). Abhijeet Kunte and Pravin Thipse are national champion chess players. Local MP
Suresh Kalmadi is also the president of the
Indian Olympic Association.
Trivia
Pune is one of the Indian cities which has a
Martian crater named after it. The other cities/towns are
Amet,
Bhor,
Broach,
Kakori,
Rayadurg,
Sandila and Wer.
References
1. Cultural Capital[1][2]
2. Schools and colleges in pune[3][4]
3. Oxford of East
4. Pune nicknames
5. Pune information
6. Pune's Timeline
7. Geography of Pune Urban Area
8. Kasba Ganapati
9. Pune Earthquake
10. Pune Climate
11. New power plants
12. http://indianarmy.nic.in/rti/listof_pio.htm
13. Per capita income of Pune
14. Standard form of Marathi
15. Go Karting at Pancard club
16. 3D Destination
17. Page on virtualpune.com
18. Interaction Bremen and Pune
19. Oxford of East
20. COEP ranked 24th throughout India and 2nd in western region
21. The origin of Badminton
Hisory and Culture Information
More Pune Info Discoverpune.com
External links
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DiscoverPune.Com
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Government of India website for Pune City and District
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Pune's Prime Web Portal
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Online Information on Pune City
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Pune Community Portal
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Pune Municipal Corporation E-Governance
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Pune at Wikimapia
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