Pune ( , ), formerly known
as Punawadi or Punya-Nagari or
Poona, is the eighth largest city in
India
, and the second largest in the state of Maharashtra
, after Mumbai
.
Situated
560 metres above sea level on the Deccan plateau
at the confluence of the Mula ( ) and Mutha
rivers ( ),Pune is the administrative capital of
Pune district and the 7th Metro city
of India.
Pune is known to have existed as a town since 937 AD.
Shivaji, the founder of the
Maratha Empire, lived in Pune as a boy, and
later oversaw significant growth and development of the town during
his reign. In 1730, Pune became an important political centre as
the seat of the
Peshwa, the prime minister of
the
Chhatrapati of Satara. After the
town was annexed to
British India in
1817, it served as a
cantonment town and
as the "monsoon capital" of the
Bombay
Presidency until the
independence of India.
Today, Pune is known for its educational facilities, having more
than a hundred educational institutes and nine universities. Pune
has well-established
Manufacturing,
Glass,
Sugar and Metal
Forging industries since 1950-60s. Pune also has a growing
industrial hinterland, with many
information technology and
automotive companies setting up factories in Pune
district. Additionally, Pune city is well known for various
cultural activities like Classical Music, Sports, Literature,
Foreign language learning and Administrative, Economics, Social
Science studies.
These activities and job opportunities
attract migrants and students from all over India, and also attract
students from Middle-East, Iran
, Eastern Europe, South-East Asia which makes for a city of
many communities and cultures.
Name
The name
Pune (anglicized as
Poona) derives from
Punya Nagari (
Sanskrit, "City of Virtue").
The oldest reference to this name is on a
Rashtrakuta copper plate dated to 937. Current
Era in which the town is referred to as
Punya-Vishaya or
Punak Vishaya. By the 13th century, it had come to be
known as
Kasbe Pune or
Punavadi. Although the
city's name is sometimes transcribed as
Poona in English,
a practice particularly common during the
British Raj, the spelling "Pune" has now become
standard. Pune is also referred to as the "Student Capital Of
India", on account of a tremendous population here being primarily
of students in various universities and institutes.
History
Shivaji Maharaj was a great king of
the Maratha Kingdom
Early and Medieval
Copper plates dated to
758 and
768 show that, by the 8th century, an agricultural
settlement known as 'Punnaka' existed where Pune is today. The
plates indicate that this region was ruled by the Rashtrakutas. The
Pataleshwar rock-cut temple complex was
also built during this era.
Pune was a
part of Yadava Empire of Deogiri
from the 9th
century to 1327. It was later ruled by the Nizamshahi
sultans, until it was annexed by the
Mughal empire in the 17th century. In
1595, Maloji Bhosale was appointed the jahagirdar of
Pune and Supe by the Mughals.
Maratha and Peshwa rule
In
1625,
Shahaji
Bhosale appointed Rango Bapuji Dhadphale(SarDeshpande) as the
administrator of Pune. He was one of the first major developers of
the town, overseeing the construction of the Kasba, Somwar, Ravivar
and Shaniwar
Peth. After the
destruction of town in the raid of Vijapur sultan during 1630, and
again from 1636 to 1647,
Dadoji
Kondev- a military and administrative officer of
Shahaji Bhosale, oversaw development and
construction in the area, he not only stabilzed revenue system of
Pune and 12 Mavals but also developed effective methods to control
disputes and law & order situation. Construction also began on
the Lal Mahal palace, as Shahaji's son,
Shivaji
Bhosale (later
Chattrapati Shivaji) was to move there
with his mother
Jijabai. The Lal Mahal was
completed in 1640. Jijabai is said to have commissioned the
building of the
Kasba Ganapati temple
herself. The
Ganapati idol consecrated at
this temple is regarded as the presiding deity (
gramadevata) of the city.
Shivaji was crowned
Chhatrapati in
1674, he oversaw further development in Pune,
including the construction of the Guruwar, Somwar, Ganesh and
Ghorpade Peths.
Baji Rao I became Peshwa of the Maratha
empire, ruled by Chattrapati
Shahuji, in
1720.
By 1730, the palace of
Shaniwarwada
had been constructed on the banks of the Mutha
river, ushering in the era of Peshwa control of the city.
The patronage of the Peshwas resulted in the construction of many
temples and bridges in the city, including the Lakdi Pul, Parvati
temple and the Sadashiv, Narayan, Rasta and Nana Peths. The Peshwas
fell into decline after their loss in the
Third Battle of Panipat in
1761. In
1802, Pune was captured
from the Peshwa by
Yashwantrao
Holkar in the
Battle of Poona,
directly precipitating the
Second Anglo-Maratha War of
1803-
05.Navi Peth, Ganj
Peth and Mahatma Phule Peth believed to developed in Pune during
British Raj
British Raj
The
Third Anglo-Maratha War
broke out between the Marathas and the British
in 1817. The Peshwas were defeated at the
Battle of Khadki (then transcribed
Kirkee) on 5 November 1817 near Pune, and the city was
seized. It was placed under the administration of the
Bombay Presidency, and the British built a
large military
cantonment to the east of
the city (now used by the
Indian Army).
The Pune Municipality was established in
1858.
Pune was at one time the "monsoon capital" of the Bombay
Presidency.
Nanasaheb Peshwa, the adopted son
of the last Peshwa
Bajirao II, rose
against British East India Company rule in
1857, as part of the
Indian
Mutiny.
He was helped by Rani Lakshmibai of Jhansi
and Tatya Tope. After the mutiny failed, the
final remnants of the Maratha empire were annexed to British
India.
Pune was an important centre for the social and religious reform
movements of the late 19th century. Many prominent social reformers
and freedom fighters lived here, including
Bal Gangadhar Tilak a.k.a Lokmanya
Tilak, Maharshi
Vitthal Ramji
Shinde and
Jyotirao Phule.
In
1893, Pune found its
First
Industry in the private sector known as the
Raja Bahudur Motilal Poona Mills Ltd. It was
founded by the
Raja Mukundlal Pittie, he named it
after his father. His father received the Title, of Raja Bahadur
from the Nizam of Hyderabad, which is in the specific hierarchy
among the (en)noble(d) Hindu retainers at the court of the Nizam of
Hyderabad . The mill was one of its kind and gave many locals
employment and flourished until the late twentieth century. The
Pittie family are prominent Industrialists in Pune. The Mills
reside in the heart of the city, by the Pune Railway Station.
In late
1896, Pune was hit by
bubonic plague, by the end of February 1897,
the epidemic was raging, the mortality twice the normal, with half
the city population having left it. A Special Plague Committee was
formed, under the chairmanship of W. C. Rand, an
Indian Civil Services officer and
troops brought in to deal with the emergency. By the end of May the
epidemic was under control. On 22 June 1897, the Diamond Jubilee of
the coronation of
Queen Victoria,
Rand, the Special Plague Committee chairman and his military escort
Lt. Ayerst were shot at, while returning from the celebrations at
Government House. Both died, Ayerst on the spot and Rand of his
wounds on 3 June, 1897. The
Chapekar
brothers and two accomplices were charged with this murder in
various roles, and also the shooting of two informants and an
attempt to shoot a police officer. All the three brothers were
found guilty and hanged, an accomplice was dealt with similarly,
another a school boy was sentenced to ten years rigorous
imprisonment.This action of the Chapekars has been considered as
the worst violence against political authority seen anywhere in the
world during the
third plague
pandemic.
After independence
After Indian Independence, Pune saw a lot of development, such as
the formation of the National Defense Academy
NDA, Khadakwasla,
National Chemical Laboratory,
Pashan and some other research institutes. Pune also served as
headquarters of the Southern Command of the army. Industrial
developments started around 1950-60s in Hadapsar, Bhosari, Pimpari,
and Parvati Industrial estate. Telco (now
Tata Motors) started operations in 1961, which
gave a huge boost to the automobile sector. Pune was referred at
that time as “Pensioners’ Paradise” since many government officers,
civil engineers, and Army personnel preferred to settle down in
Pune after their
retirement. Pune had
200,000 bicycles at that time.
In July
1961, Panshet
dam broke
and its waters flooded the city, destroying most of the older
sections, giving a chance for modern town planning concepts to be
put into use. This unfortunate incident however led
constructive developments in the city, and the economy of the city
witnessed a boom in
construction and
manufacturing sectors. By 1966, the City had expanded in all
directions.
After 1970, Pune emerged as the leading engineering city of the
country, especially in the
automotive
sector with
Telco,
Bajaj,
Kinetic,
Bharat Forge,
Alfa
Laval,
Thermax, etc. expanding their
infrastructure. By this time the city had gained the reputation of
being the ‘Oxford of the East’ due to a large number of educational
institutes. In 1989, Dehu Road-Katraj bypass (Western bypass) was
completed, reducing traffic congestion in the inner city. In 1990
Pune began to attract foreign capital, particularly in the
information technology and
engineering industries; new businesses like
floriculture and food processing begin
to take root in and around the city. In 1998, work on the six-lane
Mumbai-Pune expressway began;
a huge accomplishment for the country, the expressway was completed
in 2001. In the three years before 2000 Pune saw huge development
in the Information Technology sector, and IT Parks formed in
Aundh,
Hinjewadi and
Nagar road.
By 2005 Pune overtook both Mumbai and Chennai
to have more than 2 Lakh (200,000) IT professionals.In 2006, PMC started
BRT (Bus Rapid Transit System) project first among all Indian
cities but due to narrow roads of the city it have not worked
properly however PMC is working on glitches in this project and
planning skywalks near BRT and other changes.The year 2008 saw huge
development near the Chakan
and Talegaon
region as Multinational Corporations (MNCs)
like General Motors, Volkswagen, and Fiat
have set up
greenfield facilities near Pune. Additionally, in 2008 the
Commonwealth Youth Games
took place in Pune, which encouraged additional development in the
north-west region of the city and added a few
Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) buses on
Pune's road. The Pune Metropolitan Regional Development Authority
(PMRDA) operations should be established by late 2009, Its proposed
initiatives will give a huge boost to the city’s infrastructure and
include the development of systems for a
metro (rapid-transit rail) and buses, plus
effective water and garbage treatment facilities.
During July and August 2009 many cases of the
Influenza A virus were
reported in the city, the first recorded case being at Abhinav
School. Pune reported India’s first
H1 N1
death,followed by other 100+ deaths. Such large number of
fatalities due to
H1 N1 is highest among all
asian cities, this situation resulted in a
temporary exodus of students and professionals from city and had a
negative impact on the
Dahi
handi-Gopalkala and
century old
Ganesh festivals. The city’s cold and humid weather
during these months helped to spread the virus.
Geography
One of the street in central Pune-ABC
Chowk,Peth Area
Pune is
located above sea level on the western margin of the Deccan plateau. It is situated on the leeward side of the
Sahyadri mountain range (the Western
Ghats), which separate it from the Arabian sea
. It is a relatively hilly city, with its
tallest hill, Vetal
Hill
, rising to above sea level. Just outside the
city, the Sinhagad
fort is located at a height of 1300 m.
Central Pune is located at the confluence of the
Mula and
Mutha
rivers.
The Pavana and
Indrayani
rivers
, tributaries of the Bhima river
, traverse the northwestern outskirts of
metropolitan Pune.Pune lies very close to the seismically
active zone around Koyna
Dam
, about 100 km south of the city, and has been
rated in Zone
4 (on a scale of 2 to 5, with 5 being the most prone to
earthquakes) by the India Meteorological Department. Pune
has experienced some moderate-intensity and many low-intensity
earthquakes in its history. Although no major earthquakes have
originated in Pune itself, an earthquake of magnitude 3.2 took
place in the Katraj region near Pune on May 17, 2004. In 2008, and
a low intensity earthquake observed on night of 30 July 2008 was
measured at 4.2 as per news resources around 12:41 am. The
epicenter for the earthquake was in Koyna Dam field
Climate
Pune has a
tropical wet and dry
climate with average temperatures ranging between 20 °C to 28
°C.
Pune experiences three distinct seasons:
summer,
monsoon and
winter. Typical summer months are from March to May,
with maximum temperatures ranging from . The warmest month in Pune
is April; although summer doesn't end until May, the city often
receives locally developed heavy
thundershowers in May (although humidity
remains high). Even during the hottest months, the nights are
usually cool due to Pune's high altitude. The highest temperature
ever recorded was on April 30, 1897.
The monsoon lasts from June to October, with moderate rainfall and
temperatures ranging from . Most of the 722 mm of annual
rainfall in the city fall between June and September, and July is
the wettest month of the year. Pune once received rainfall on 29
consecutive days .
Winter begins in November; November in particular is referred to as
the Rosy Cold (literal translation) ( ). The daytime temperature
hovers around while night temperature is below for most of December
and January, often dropping to . The lowest temperature ever
recorded was 1.7 °C on January 17, 1935.
Transport
Road
Pune Bypass helps traffic from the
north to south bypass the city easily
Both public transport (
autorickshaws
and buses) and private transport (cars, motorcycles and
scooter) are popular in Pune. According
to one study, there were then 400,000 cars and 1.7 million
two-wheelers in Pune in 2007 . More than 200,000 vehicles are added
to the traffic in Pune every year.
Public buses within the city and its suburbs are operated by the
Pune
Mahanagar Parivahan Mahamandal Limited (PMPML). A
Pune Bus Rapid Transit system has
been proposed, in which dedicated bus lanes would allow buses to
travel quickly through the city.
Buses to towns within Pune district surrounding Pune, as well as
cities throughout Maharashtra are run by the Maharashtra State
Road Transport Corporation. Private bus companies also
run buses to major cities throughout India, especially Mumbai.
Initially, about 10 years ago, the public transport was a little
too bad. Recently, a new fleet of buses have started plying and
doing good business; morover, routes have been extended/added to
cope up with the burdening population of the metro. Lately (since
August 2008), CNG (Compressed natural gas) buses have started
operating and saving fuel cost for the government.Pune is
well-connected to other cities by
Indian
highways and state highways.
National Highway 4 (NH 4)
connects it to Mumbai and Bangalore
, NH 9 to
Solapur
and Hyderabad
, and NH 50 to Nashik
.
State
highways connect it to Ahmednagar
, Aurangabad
, and Alandi
.
MSRTC's "Shivneri" Volvo Bus from Pune
to Mumbai
Since 2002, Pune has been connected to Mumbai via the
Mumbai-Pune Expressway, India's first
six-lane high-speed expressway. Both pre-paid air-conditioned
"cool" cabs and private bus companies ply this route, connecting
Mumbai and Pune in three hours. Out of the total distance of
165 km from Mumbai to Pune, the Express Highway part is
96 km.A
ring road is being planned to
be constructed for the convenience of traffic.
Pune is served by two intra-city highways:
- Old Pune-Mumbai Highway:
This is a major arterial road serving the Pune metropolitan area.
The highway begins at the centre of the city i.e. Shivaji Nagar and
stretches up to Dehu Road. Most sections
of the highway feature 8 lanes (4 in each direction). It features a
series of flyovers and underpasses making certain sections traffic
signal-free.
- Katraj-Dehu Road Bypass:
This road is a part of the National Highway 4 and forms a
metropolitan bypass of the city, skirting through its western
border. It is also known as Westerly Bypass. It stretches from
Dehu Road in the north to Katraj in the
south. This highway features 4 lanes (2 in each direction) and a
series of flyovers/grade-separators. All the westbound roads of
Pune intersect this highway.
- The Nashik City-Pune Highway NH 50: This
is the Highway totally devoted to traffic from nashik city to pune
and from pune to nashik city. A big highway featuring 4 lanes and a
series of Tunnels and Bypasses.Sangamner Bypass is still on work.
It will make the golden triangle(Nashik-Pune-Mumbai).
Pune has witnessed an extraordinary growth in vehicular density and
has consequently seen an alarmingly high increase in traffic
offenses, accidents, and fatalities resulting from these.
Rail
A
rapid transit system has been
proposed in Pune, from past 5 years and is scheduled to begin
operations in 2010. It is being planned in consultation with
Delhi Metro Rail
Corporation Limited, the corporation which built and operates
the
Delhi Metro. Three routes have been
identified thus far:
- Warje-Chinchwad, via Karve road, Jangli Maharaj road,
Shivajinagar, and the Pune-Mumbai road (22 km, elevated)
- Shivajinagar-Kalyaninagar, via Raja Bahadur Mill road and the
Pune-Ahmednagar road (13 km, elevated)
- Agriculture College-Swargate, via Shivaji road (10 km,
underground)
The city has two railway stations, one in the city and the other at
Shivajinagar.
Both stations are administrated by the Pune
division of the Central Railways,
which extends from after Lonavala (which is administered by the
Mumbai CSTM division) to before Daund (which is under the Solapur
division), to Baramati, and to Hubli
(via
Miraj
) . All the railway lines to Pune are broad gauge, with double electrified lines (1500
volt DC traction) to Lonavala, a double non-electrified line to
Daund, and single non-electrified lines to Kolhapur
via Miraj and Baramati
via Daund.
The city
has Pune-Miraj-Hubli-Bangalore rail track which is one of the most important track
in Maharashtra.
Local
trains (EMUs) connect Pune to
the industrial town of Pimpri-Chinchwad
and the hill station of Lonavala
, while daily express trains connect Pune to Mumbai,
Howrah, Delhi, Jammutawi, Chennai, Hyderabad,
Bangalore,Jamshedpur(Tatanagar) and so on.There is a train
which connects Nashik to pune.At Pune, there is diesel locomotive
shed (DLS) and electric trip shed (ETS).
Air
Pune
International Airport
is an international airport at Lohegaon, operated by the Airports Authority of
India. It shares its runways with the neighboring
Indian Air Force base, the only one
of its kind in the world.
Apart from domestic flights to all major
Indian cities, this airport serves two international direct
flights: one to Dubai
(operated by
Air India Express), and one to
Frankfurt
(operated by Lufthansa
on an exclusively business class jet). New
airport at
Chakan is opening
shortly
The Maharashtra
Industrial Development Corporation is responsible for the
design and construction of a new Pune
International Airport. The area between Chakan and Rajgurunagar,
around the villages of Chandus and Shiroli, is currently being
considered as a construction site. If constructed here, it will be
40 km from central Pune along the Pune-Nashik National highway
(NH-50)and will be the largest one in Asia.
Domestic airlines
connect Pune to Mumbai, Delhi
, Kolkata
, Chennai
, Bangalore, Hyderabad
, Ahmedabad
, Nagpur
, Goa
, Indore
and
Shirdi
.
Civic Administration
The city of Pune is managed by the
Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC).
The Corporation consists of 149
directly elected councilors, who are led by
the Mayor of Pune, a titular position mainly acting as an
ambassador and representative of the city. Actual executive power
is vested in the
Municipal Commissioner, an
officer of the
Indian
Administrative Service who is appointed by the
Maharashtra state
government.
Apart from the PMC, four other administrative bodies are active
within the
Pune Metropolitan
Area:
A plan to
establish a single Pune Metropolitan Regional Development Authority
(PMRDA), consisting of the combined municipal councils,
corporations, and other local governments of Pune,
Pimpri-Chinchwad, Lonavala, Talegaon, Bhor
, Shirur,
Saswad, the three cantonments and hundred
villages near the city, has been considered since 1997, but might
come to fruition this year. This body will then be the
executing authority which will acquire and develop reserve land to
improve the infrastruction of the Pune metropolitan area.
The
Pune Police is headed by the
Police Commissioner of
Pune, an officer of the
Indian
Police Service. The
Pune Police
report to the state ministry.
Military establishments
Pune has been a prominent
cantonment town
since the early 1800s. Several important battles were fought in and
around Pune, including the
battle of
Khadki (1817) and the
battle of
Koregaon (1818). Many military establishments have been set up
here, including:
- The headquarters of the Indian
Army's Southern
Command.
- College of Military
Engineering where the sappers of the
Indian Army are trained.
- The Bombay Engineering
Group or the Bombay Sappers, as they are commonly known, have
had their Centre in Pune since 1837 and in its present location in
Khadki since 1869.
- The
National Defence
Academy (NDA) at Khadakwasla
, the joint services academy where Army, Navy and
Air Force cadets are trained together before they go for their
pre-commission training to their respective academies.
- The Armed Forces
Medical College trains doctors and nurses for the three
services.
- Defence
Institute of Advanced Technology (previously the Institute of
Armament Technology)
- High
Energy Materials Research Laboratory (HEMRL)
- Armament
Research & Development Establishment (ARDE)
- Quality
Assurance of Militry Vehicles Dehu Road (CQASV)
- Research
& Development Est. for engineers, Dighi (R&DE)
- Ordnance
factories - Ammunition Factory Dehu Road (OFDR) at Dehu Road
- Army Institute
of Physical Training (AIPT) and Army Sports Institute
- Ordnance factories - Ammunition Factory
(AFK) and High Explosive Factory (HEF), located at Khadki
.
- Army sports Institute, Pune. (ASI) It Is located at Ghorpadi
For traing & Preparing Army Pers in Verous Sports at national /
international level.
- Army Institute of Technology,
Pune (AIT) is an engineering college meant for the wards of
Indian Army personnel (serving or retired) which is located at
Dighi Hills in Pune, Maharashtra, India and
affiliated to the University of Pune.
An early war memorial built to commemorate all who fought from
Poona in the
Great War is located opposite
Sassoon Hospital.
A more recent war
memorial, the National War Memorial is
located in Pune
Cantonment
near
Ghorpadi. This memorial commemorates the sacrifice of
Maharashtrian soldiers of the Indian Armed Forces who lost their
lives in the conflicts fought by independent India.
Demographics
As per 2001
census of India, the
population of the Pune urban agglomeration is 3,529,900.
This
includes the towns of Khadki, Pimpri-Chinchwad and Dehu
.
Growth in the software and education sectors has led to an influx
of skilled labour from across India. The population of the urban
agglomeration has been estimated to be around 4,485,000 in 2005.
The migrating population rose from 43,900 in 2001 to 88,200 in
2005. Almost 30 percent of Pune's population lives in
slums. The sharp increase in censorial decade of
1991–2001 can be attributed to the absorption of 38 fringe villages
into the city. The literacy rate is about 81%, 1% higher than the
national average.
Marathi is the official and most widely
spoken language, while Hindi and English are understood and spoken
widely. The dialect of Marathi-speaking in Pune has been suggested
to be the "standard" form of the language. Pune has many
white-collar professionals thanks to a
large number of educational, research and training institutes
spread throughout the city.
Pune has a substantial population of
Brahmins—20% to be more specific—which is the
highest for any city in Maharastra. Pune also has a large
Muslim population, half of which speak
Marathi very well, with the remainder speaking
Hindi and
Urdu. People
from the
Muslim Dawoodi Bohra community are also found in the
city.
Pune is the only city (other than Surat
, Navsari
, Mumbai and Ahmedabad) to host huge numbers of Parsis, majority of whom are found in Camp, Pune
Station, Koregaon Park and Nagar Road. Sikh
gurudwaras can be found in the
Guruwar Peth, Pune Camp and
Dehu Road areas of Pune. Pune's
Buddhist population is found primarily in the
Yerawada and
Parvati
area.
A majority of Pune’s population is
Marathi,
however residents from all over India can be also found in the
city. Pune hosts larger number of foreign students and IT
professionals.Pune’s White collar population and majority of
students are mostly fluent in
English. Pune hosts many students and there
are numerous student hostels found thought out the city.
According to the Pune Municipal Corporation, 38.9% of the
population lived in
slums in 2001.
Economy
As one of the largest cities in India, and as a result of its many
colleges and universities, Pune is emerging as a prominent location
for
IT and manufacturing
companies to expand. Pune has the sixth largest metropolitan
economy and the highest per capita income in the country.
Automotive
The automotive sector is particularly prominent in Pune. It is home
to the Automotive Research Association of India, which is
responsible for the
homologation of all
vehicles available in India.
All sectors of the automotive industry are
represented, from two-wheeler and
autorickshaws (Bajaj Auto, Kinetic Motor Company) to cars
(Volkswagen Group, General Motors, Tata
Motors, Mercedes-Benz, Fiat,Peugeot), tractors (John Deere), tempos,
excavators (JCB Mfg. Co. Ltd.) and trucks (
Force Motors). Several automotive component
manufacturers like TATA Autocomp Systems Limited ,
Robert Bosch GmbH, Visteon, Continental
Corporation, ITW, SKF, Magna etc are also located here.
Other
automotive companies including General
Motors, Volkswagen, and Fiat have set up
greenfield facilities near Pune, leading The Independent to cite Pune as India's
"Motor City".
Other Manufacturing
Engineering goods manufactured in Pune include forges (
Bharat Forge), Truck Transmissions Systems,
Clutches & Hydraulic components
Eaton Corporation, and engines (
Kirloskar Oil Engines,
Cummins). Other major manufacturers include
Alfa Laval,
Thyssen
Krupp and
Black & Veatch,
Saint-Gobain Sekurit (Automotive safety glass.)
India's largest engineering conglomerate the
Kirloskar Group is based in Pune and was one
of the first to set up manufacturing facilities in Pune.
Kirloskar Brothers Limited (One
of the World's largest Pump Company's),
Kirloskar Oil Engines(The Worlds
largest Genset Company),
Kirloskar Pneumatics Co Ltd and
other
Kirloskar companies are based in
Pune.
Other goods are also manufactured in the area. Electronic goods are
manufactured by multinational companies such as the
Whirlpool Corporation and the
LG Group. Food giants like
Frito Lay and
Coca Cola
have food processing plants, while newer companies such as
Tasty Bite have a nearby farm. Many small and
medium-sized companies are also active, producing components for
larger companies and creating unique components for the Indian
marketplace.
Software and Information Technology
The Hinjewadi IT Park (officially called as the Rajeev Gandhi IT
Park), is a project undertaken by MIDC to promote the IT sector in
Pune. When completed, the Hinjewadi IT Park is expected to have an
area of about 2800 acres. The estimated investment in the project
is Rs. 600.0 million. To facilitate economic growth, the government
made liberal incentives in its IT and ITES Policy, 2003 and leased
properties based on MIDC land
The buoyant IT sector in Pune employs more than 70,000 people.
Major software companies in Pune include
Infosys,
Wipro,
Satyam,
TCS,
Cognizant and
IBM global.
Software giant
Microsoft intends to set up
a Rs. 700 crore (Rs. 7 billion) project in
Hinjewadi. Communications consulting bellwether
Tech Mahindra has set up their primary
development center in Pune, employing over 23,000 personnel.
Education and Research
Pune has more than a hundred educational institutes and nine
universities, and has acquired a reputation as 'The Oxford of the
East', with students from all over the world studying at the
colleges of the
University of
Pune. Pune has more schools, colleges and universities than any
other city in the world.
Basic and Special Education
Public schools (known locally as
municipality schools) are
run by the
PMC, and are
affiliated with the
MSBSHSE. Private schools are run by educational trusts or
individuals. They are usually affiliated to either the
state board or to national education boards, such as the
ICSE,
CBSE or
NIOS boards.
Pune is the largest centre for Japanese learning in India.
JLPT exams are held every December. Instruction in
Japanese is provided by many educators, including the University of
Pune. Other languages including German (taught at the Max Muller
Bhavan) and French (at the Alliance Francaise de Poona) are popular
in the city.
University Education
Most colleges in Pune are affiliated to the
University of Pune, established in
1948. Seven other deemed universities have also
been established in the city.
The
College of
Engineering, Pune
, founded in 1854, is the second-oldest engineering
college in Asia. The
Deccan Education Society was
founded by several local citizens in
1884,
including social and political activist
Bal Gangadhar Tilak, and was responsible
for founding
Fergusson College in
1885. This society currently maintains and
operates 32 institutes in Pune.
The
University of Pune, the
National Defence
Academy,
Film
and Television Institute of India,
National Film Archives,
Armed Forces Medical
College and
National
Chemical Laboratory were established in Pune after the
independence of India.
Symbiosis International University, which operates 33 different
colleges and institutions in the city, is one of India's largest
private universities. The best institution within the Symbiosis
Umbrella being SIBM (Symbiosis Institute of Business Management)
amongst others is ranked amongst the top management institutes in
the country.
ILS Law College, established by the
Indian Law Society is one of the top ten law schools in India.
Established medical schools such as the
Armed Forces Medical
College and
Byramjee
Jeejeebhoy Medical College train students from all over
Maharashtra and India and are amongst the top medical colleges in
India. Military Nursing College (affiliated to the AFMC) ranks
among the top nursing colleges in the world .
Research Institutes
In addition to the University of Pune, Pune is home to several
research institutions of national importance.
Located adjacent to
the university is the National Chemical Laboratory,
one of the Indian Institute of Science
Education and Research (IISER) 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
and the National Centre for Cell
Science.
The
KEM Hospital Research
Centre,
Central Water and Power
Research Station (CW & PRS),
National Institute Of Bank
Management (NIBM), NIC [National Informatics Centre], the
Indian
Institute of Tropical Meteorology, the Agharkar Research
Institute and the
Automotive Research
Association of India (ARAI),Unit for Research and Development
of Information Products (URDIP) and the
National AIDS Research
Institute are all in or around Pune.YASHADA, which is the
Administrative Training Institute of Maharashtra is situated next
to the Raj Bhavan in Pune.
The
Bhandarkar
Oriental Research Institute was established in 1917 and is a
world-renowned institute for research and instruction in the
Sanskrit and
Prakrit
languages and houses more than 20,000 ancient manuscripts. The
National Institute
of Virology and
National
Insurance Academy are located in Pune. Pune also houses the
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.
Several military and armament research organizations are also
located in Pune (see the
Military establishments
section in this article).
Culture
As the largest city with a predominantly
Marathi-speaking populace, Pune is closely
associated with Marathi art, literature, drama and religious
beliefs. Many Marathi writers, poets, actors, singers and other
celebrities live in Pune. In recent years, cinemas, discos and
clubs have also opened up as the younger, westernized college
students and young professionals make their presence felt. Pune
also has a food culture that includes numerous street foods such as
"Vada paav, pani puri, ragda raav, kutchi daabeli, sev puri, dahi
poori, pav bhaji, egg bhurji, chanachur, guddi ke baal and
gola."Pune also hosts large population of Other Indian people from
different states. In September 2009, around four lakh Malayalees
across the city were celebrated Thiru Onam, the biggest and most
important festival of Kerala. Similarly There are approximately
three lakh Bengalis in the city who celebrates Durga Puja festival
every year.
Food
Pune local cuisine has the typical taste of coconut and garlic,
with large use of chillies.
Jowar and
Bajra are the main ingredients of traditional Pune
food.A typical Pune meal includes Poli,
bhakri (flattened millet pancakes) with
pithla (a flour-based curry),
Vada Pav,
Bhelpuri,
Pani Puri,
misal and
kacchi dhabeli,
Pav bhaji. The
mastani, a
thick milkshake containing
dried fruit,
is a speciality of the city. It is named after
Mastani, the controversial mistress of the Peshwa
Baji Rao I in the 17th century .
Like any other cosmopolitan city, food from all over the world is
available in the city's restaurants. A large number of
Udupi,
Kolhapuri and
Maharashtrian restaurants may be
found, along with many low-priced dining halls catering to students
and office goers. Popular fast-food franchises in the city include
Pizza Hut,
McDonald's,
Subway,
KFC,
Smokin' Joes and
Papa
Johns. There are several coffee houses (including
Irani cafes) and modern chains such as
Cafe Coffee Day,
Mocha's and
Barista Lavazza Coffee.
The food/snack joints popular among the locals are Vaishali
(
Fergusson College Road),
Sharvaree and Shabari (
Fergusson
College Road),Kalyan Bhel at various locations, Bedekar
Misal,Darshan at Prabhat road, Pushkarni Bhel (adjacent Bajirao
Road), Sujata Mastani (at Sadashiv Peth),Relax Pav Bhaji at Sahakar
Nagar, Durga Cafe and Anand Juice Bar(at Kothrud) and Marz'o'rin
Sandwiches (at Camp). German Bakery at Koregaon Park, The
Shrewsbery biscuits of Kayani Bakery are famous. Also popular are
the soy beverages and doughnuts produced by
Spicer Memorial College (
Aundh).
Food Processing Industry
Pune Food Cluster development project, which is an Initiative
Funded by World Bank and is being implemented with the help of
SIDBI, Cluster Craft is for upliftment of the Fruit and vegetable
processing industries in and around Pune.
Literature and Theatre
The form of
Marathi spoken in Pune is held
as the standard form of the language.
Lisa
Klopfer, librarian at Eastern Michigan University
, observed in her overview of district libraries
that the city's metropolitan area "has an estimated population of
over five million, but retains [its] older neighborhoods and the
aura of an intellectual center." As the agro-pharmaceutical
business has dwindled in recent decades, immigration from erstwhile
tribal peoples now accounts for seventy percent of population
growth and education syllabi have not adjusted in accordance with
other industrialised regions.
This has created what has become an exclusive environment in the
government's expansion of education infrastructure, and Marathi
literati have received a number of
grants in areas that were previously ignored. Marathi theatre (नाटक
or रंगभूमी in Marathi) is an integral part of Marathi culture. Both
experimental (प्रायोगिक रंगभूमी) and professional theatre receive
extensive patronage from the Marathi community. The Tilak Smarak
Mandir, Bala Gandharva Rangmandir, Bharat Natya Mandir, Yashwantrao
Chavan Natyagriha and
Sudarshan
Rangmanch are prominent theatres in the city. The theatre near
swargate Ganesh Kala Krida Rangamanch is Asia's largest theatre
having AC and Dolby Surround System with capacity of 3,000
people.
The comic genius
Spike Milligan (born
in Ahmednagar in 1918) lived in Pune as a child, from 1922 to 1930
in the civil lines at Climo Road. The city made a remarkable and
lasting impression upon him. He wrote about India for the rest of
his life, and his imagination was imbued constantly with the
sights, sounds and activity of Pune. He learnt Urdu from his nanny,
and could still manage phrases in that language until his death -
in 2002.
Pune is the hometown for the legendary Devgandharva Pt. Bhaskarbua
Bakhale who established Pune Bharat Gayan Samaj in 1911. He is the
teacher of Balgandharva and Master Krishnarao.
Every December, Pune hosts the three-day long
Sawai Gandharva Music
Festival. It presents
Hindustani and
Carnatic classical music. During the festival
of Diwali,
Pahat Diwali is a musical programme that begins
in the early morning hours. Pune also hosts Vasantostav music
festival.
Pune has given many famous artists to the traditional Indian music
world.Well known names are great vocalist Pandit
Bhimsen Joshi and in earlier generation to
gifted Sitarist
Pandit
Chandrakant Sardeshmukh.
As per wish of
Pandit Bhimsen
Joshi,
Pandit
Chandrakant Sardeshmukh has initiated an under graduate
department of Music Dance and Drama on
University of Pune campus as a student
founder in 1980. This is named as Lalit Kala Kendra and started
formally in 1987 with
Pandit Chandrakant
Sardeshmukh as first joint coordinator. This department is
currently led by Prof. Satish Alekar. This department has Gurukul
and formal education system combined. Well known artists like great
vocalist
Pandit Bhimsen Joshi,
well known Kathak Dancers
Rohini Bhate
and
Manisha Sathe, renowned
Bharatnatyam dancer
Sucheta Bhide
Chapekar, renowned viloinist
Atul
Upadhye and so many artists teach here as University Teachers
and Traditional Gurus.
Religion
Hinduism is the most commonly practised
religion in Pune, although many mosques, gurudwaras, Jain temples
and other religious buildings are found throughout the city . The
most prominent Hindu temple in Pune is the
Parvati temple, located on Parvati hill and
visible from most of the inner suburbs.
The most famous is
likely the Chaturshringi Temple
, located on the slopes of a hill in the northwest
of the city. During
Navratri (which
usually falls in the month of September), there is a large
procession to this temple and worshippers gather from around the
country to pray here.The presiding god of Pune city is the
Kasba Ganapati, whose temple is found in
Kasba Peth in central Pune.
Since
1894, Pune has celebrated
Ganesh Chaturthi as a ten-day long
festival, in which most neighborhoods put up a
pandal
(tent) with an idol of Ganesha, often amidst a religious setting,
complete with decorative lights and festive music. This festival
culminates with a parade of Ganesh idols from across the city
carried to the local rivers to be immersed (
Ganesh
visarjan). The Kasba Ganapati, as the presiding deity of the
city, is the first in this parade.
The idea of a public celebration was
initiated by Lokmanya Tilak in Pune,
and has since spread to many other cities, particularly Mumbai, which has a
massive parade every year.
Significant religious leaders Sant Dnyaneshwar (born in Alandi in the 13th
century) and poet Sant Tukaram (born in
Dehu in the 17th century) were born near Pune.
Their
link to the city is commemorated with an annual pilgrimage to
Pandharpur
, 300 kilometers away, consisting of a palkhi of both figures being carried to the
main
temple
of the Hindu god Vithoba. The pilgrimage is timed to end on
the auspicious day of
Aashadhi Ekadasshi.
The
Shrutisagar Ashram, located
at Phulgaon village off Ahmednagar road, houses the
Vedanta Research Centre and a unique
temple of Lord
Dakshinamurthy,
located near the confluence of the Bhima, Bhama and Indrayani
rivers. It was established in 1989 by Swami Swaroopanand Saraswati.
Here one can find detailed explanations of
śruti and
smrti (including the
Vedas,
Bhagwat Gita,
Upanishads and
Puranas) in
Marathi and English.
Pune has been associated with several significant spiritual
teachers.
Osho (known
earlier as Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh) lived and taught in Pune for
much of the 1970s and 1980s. The
Osho International
Meditation Resort, one of the world's largest spiritual
centers, is located in the Koregaon Park area. It has visitors from
over a hundred countries.
Pune is also the birthplace of spiritual
guru Meher Baba, although pilgrims
usually travel to Meherabad
.Hazrat
Babajan, according to Meher Baba one of the five
Perfect Masters of her time,
lived the final 25 years of her life in Pune. She established her
final residence first under a
neem tree near
Bukhari Shah's mosque in Rasta Peth and later another neem tree in
the then-dilapidated section of Pune called Char Bawdi where she
remained the rest of her life. There is a shrine erected for her in
Pune around the tree under which she made her final street
home.
The
ISKCON movement also has a presence in
the city, with the Sri Radha Kunjbihari Mandir.
B. K. S.
Iyengar, an internationally known
yoga master, established the
Ramamani Iyengar
Memorial Yoga Institute in Pune in
1975, in
order to train students in the
Iyengar Yoga System.
Museums, Parks and Zoos
Pu.
Prominent museums in Pune include the
Raja Dinkar Kelkar Museum,
Mahatma Phule Museum,
Babasaheb Ambedkar Museum,
Pune Tribal Museum and the
National War Museum.
Pune has
a number of public gardens, such as the Kamala Nehru Park, Sambhaji Park, Shahu
Udyan, Peshwe Park, Saras Baug, Empress
Garden, and Bund
Garden
. The Pune-Okayama Friendship
Garden, now renamed Pu La
Deshpande Udyan, is a recreation of the Korakuen
Garden
in Okayama,
Japan.
The
Rajiv Gandhi Zoological
Park is located at Katraj, close to the city. The zoo, earlier
located at Peshwe Park, was merged with the reptile park at Katraj
in 1999.
The College of Military Engineering has a small rail museum as part
of their larger Corps Equipment Museum.
A large railway
museum is also coming up in Lonavala about 60 km away from the city on the Mumbai
railway line.
Night Life
Pubs, discothèques, bars, hotels, and many other places have sprung
up to cater to the needs of the citizens in the nights. They are
concentrated mostly in the northern parts of the city and
especially in Koregaon Park like Gaia, Soul, Stone Water Grill,
Polaris, Kiva-the lounge, North Main, Casabella. The fourth
Hard Rock Cafe of India also opened
in Koregaon Park in January,2009. Others include Lush lounge and
grill, Scream, Zoho, Fire n Ice, 262 The Lounge, Area 51 which are
located in the other northern suburbs of the city.
Sister cities
Pune has
sister city agreements with
the following cities:
Neighborhoods
The city of Pune can be divided into the following zones:
- Central Pune: consisting of
roughly seventeen peths, or neighborhoods. These were established
and developed during the Maratha and Peshwa rule, and are referred
to as the old city.
- Westside Pune(inner): consisting of Deccan Gymkhana, Erandwane
and Shivajinagar in the west, Camp, Dhole-Patil Road, and Koregaon
Park in the east, and Swargate, Parvati,
Sahakarnagar, Mukundnagar, Maharshinagar, Gultekdi, and Salisbury
Park in the South. On the north, the inner city is bounded by the
Mula-Mutha river.
- Eastside Pune(outer): including the newer developed areas of
Khadki, Aundh and Ganeshkhind in the northwest, Kothrud and Paud
Road in the west, Dattawadi, Sahakarnagar and Dhankawadi in the
southwest, Bibvewadi, Lullanagar, and upper Kondhwa in the
southeast, Yerwada (including Kalyani Nagar and Shastri Nagar) in
the northeast, Vishrantwadi in the north, and Ghorpadi,
Fatimanagar, Wanowrie and Hadapsar South in the east.
- Suburbs: including Baner and Pashan in the northwest, Bavdhan and Warje in the west,
Wadgaon, Dhayari and Ambegaon in the southwest, Katraj, Lower
Kondhwa, Undri and Mohammedwadi in the southeast, Hadapsar North,
Mundhwa, and Manjri in the east, Wadgaon Sheri and Kharadi in the
northeast, and Dhanori and Kalas in the north.
The Pune metropolitan area also includes the following areas,
located roughly to the northwest of Pune city.
These are
administered by the Pimpri
Chinchwad Municipal Corporation
.
- Pimpri and its surroundings: Chikhli, Kalewadi, Kasarwadi,
Phugewadi, and Pimple Saudagar.
- Chinchwad and its surroundings: Thergaon, Tathawade, and
Talawade.
- Sangvi and its surroundings: Dapodi, Wakad, Hinjewadi, Pimple
Nilakh, and Pimple Gurav.
- Bhosari and its surroundings: Moshi, Dighi, Dudulgaon, and
Charholi Budruk.
- Nigdi-Akurdi and its surroundings: Ravet, Dehu Road, and
Somatne.
Media and Communication
Marathi language newspapers such as
Sakal,
Loksatta,
Lokmat,
Kesari,
Maharashtra Times
and
Pudhari are popular. Major
English dailies in the city are
The Times of India,
Indian Express,
Pune Mirror,
MidDay,
Daily News & Analysis
(DNA) and
Sakaal Times
(formerly the
Maharashtra Herald)
have editions based in Pune, with additional local
supplements.
Star Maajha,
Zee Marathi, Doordarshan
Sahyadri and ETV Marathi, Me Marathi, are popular television
channels. Many English and Hindi entertainment and news channels
are watched as well.Pune has FM Radio services as well running for
last few years. Though
Radio Mirchi
(98.3 MHz) tops the popularity rating (it being the first of
Private FM channels being introduced in the city),
AIR FM (101.MHz),
Radio City(91.10),
Radio One (94.30),
Red FM (93.5) and Vidyavaani (University of
Pune's own FM Channel) have their presence felt.
There are plans to make Pune India’s first wireless city.
Intel
Corporation
, Pune
Municipal Corporation (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 km
2 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
offering a speed of 256 kbit/s.
Sports and Recreation
Popular games and sports in Pune include
athletics,
cricket,
basketball,
badminton,
field
hockey,
soccer,
tennis,
kabaddi,
kho-kho,
rowing and
chess. The
Pune International Marathon is
an annual
marathon conducted in Pune. The
2008 Commonwealth Youth
Games were held in Pune.
Cricket
Cricket is played between clubs affiliated with the
Maharashtra Cricket
Association (MCA), which maintains a domestic cricket team (the
Maharashtra cricket team).
This
team, one of three based in the state of Maharashtra, competes in interstate matches and leagues, such
as the Ranji Trophy.
Soccer
Pune has its own football(Soccer) club called
Pune FC. This was established in 2007. This club has
recently gained to play in
I-League
division 1 matches. It uses balewadi sports complex to play
I-League matches. It has built two practice
grounds in the outskirts of Pune.
Basketball
Pune has basketball at the
Deccan
Gymkhana club and at the
Fergusson
College. There is lot of interest for basketball in Pune.
Sport Institutions
Prominent
sporting institutions in Pune include the Nehru
Stadium
, the
Deccan Gymkhana,PYC Hindu Gymkhana and the Shree Shiv Chhatrapati
Sports Complex at [[Balewadi. The Nehru Stadium is the
home ground of the Maharashtra cricket team, and has hosted many
prominent cricket events, including one of the matches in the
1996 Cricket World Cup. The
Deccan Gymkhana has hosted
Davis Cup matches on several occasions. The
facility at Balewadi hosted the
National Games in 1994, and also
successfully hosted the
2008 Commonwealth Youth Games.
The
Royal Connaught Boat
Club is one of several boating clubs on the Mula-Mutha river. A
new cricket stadium, the
Pune International Cricket
Centre, is to be constructed by 2010, near Mahalunge village on
the Mumbai-Pune expressway.
Prominent sportspersons hailing from Pune include cricketer
D. B.
Deodhar, father-son cricketing duo
Hemant and
Hrishikesh Kanitkar, tennis players
Radhika Tulpule,
Gaurav Natekar and
Nitin Kirtane, and table-tennis player Aniket Koparkar.
Abhijit Kunte and Pravin Thipse are chess
grandmasters and national
champions.
Dhanraj Pillay, ex-captain
of the Indian national field hockey team. Local MP
Suresh Kalmadi is also the president of the
Indian Olympic
Association.
The National Education Foundation (NEF) organises adventure sports
in Pune by the name
Enduro3. It attracts
participants from all over India and is normally a 2-3 day event
with activities like cycling, trekking, river-crossing and rifle
shooting. The city has also been the host of
2009 FIVB Men's Junior
World Championship.
Adventure Sports
Due to its proximity to the Sahyadri mountains, hiking and trekking
are also a very popular recreational activities in Pune. Apart from
individual hikers, there are various hiking clubs in the city which
organize hikes to many destinations in the Sahyadris and the
Himalayas.
The rules of badminton were first formalized in Pune in 1873.
Horse Racing
Pune Race Course was built in 1830.
Total area: 118.5 acres. Land under the control of the Army
(Southern Command).
Additional stabling at Empress Gardens (one km from the Race
Course)
Racing from July to October.
Highlights: The Pune Derby, RWITC Invitational, Independence Cup,
Southern Command Cup and many more.
Badminton
The game of Badminton is believed to have originated in Pune.
Places of tourist interest
References
External links
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