Aga Khan Palace :
At a distance of 6.5 km from Pune Junction, the Aga Khan Palace is a national monument of India's independence movement. It is situated on Pune - Nagar Road and is one of the prominent tourist places in Pune.Â
Aga Khan Palace is a majestic building and is considered to be one of the greatest palaces in Maharashtra. The Palace was built by Sultan Mohammed Shah Aga Khan III in 1892 AD. The palace was an act of charity by the Sultan who wanted to help the poor in the neighbouring areas of Pune, who were drastically hit by famine.
Aga Khan Palace covers an area of 19 acres, out of which 7 acres is the built up area. It has Italian arches and spacious lawns. The building comprises five halls. The palace captivates the visitors with its magnificence and picturesque architecture. It took 5 years and an estimated budget of 1.2 million rupees to construct the palace. It was donated to Government of India by the Prince Karim El Husseni, Aga Khan IV, in 1969 AD, in the memory of Mahatma Gandhi.Â
Dagdusheth Halwai Ganapathi Temple :
At a distance of 4 km from Pune Junction, Dagdusheth Halwai Ganapathi Temple is an ancient Hindu temple situated in Budhwar Pet near Shaniwar Wada in Pune City. This is one of the important Ganesh temples in Maharashtra and also one of the popular tourist places in Pune.
Sri Dagdusheth Temple is dedicated to the Hindu God Ganesh. The temple was built by Dagdusheth Halwai, a sweet seller. In late 1800s, he lost his son in a plague epidemic. This caused Dagdusheth and his wife to go into deep depression. To heal them, he built the Ganesh temple in 1893 AD according to their Guru Sri Madhavnath Maharaj's advice. Every year the Ganapathi festival was celebrated with deep faith and enthusiasm not only by Dagdusheth's family but the entire neighbourhood. Later, Lokmanya Tilak made Ganapathi festival a public celebration to bring people together for the freedom struggle.Â
Shaniwar Wada Fort :
At a distance of 3 km from Pune Junction, Shaniwar Wada is an ancient palace fort situated in the center of Pune in Maharashtra. This one of the most popular historical places in Pune and also one of the top tourist places in Pune City.Â
Built in 1732 AD, Shaniwar Wada was the seat of the Peshwa rulers of the Maratha Empire until 1818 AD when the Peshwas surrendered to the British after the Third Anglo-Maratha War. Following the rise of the Maratha Empire, the palace became the center of Indian politics in the 18th century.
Shaniwar Wada was originally built as the residence of the Peshwas. The foundation of the mansion was laid by Bajirao I in 1730 AD and the construction was completed in 1732 AD. It is said that the foundation was carried out on a Saturday, hence the palace got the name 'Shaniwar' (Saturday), 'Wada' (residence). Influenced by Mughal design and architecture, Shaniwar Wada represents the skillful craftsmanship of Maratha artisans and boasts about 21 feet tall main door that faces north. The palace was built using teak that was imported from the jungles of Junnar, stone brought from quarries of Chinchwad, and lime sourced from the lime-belts of Jejuri. Several additions were made to the palace like fortification walls with bastions, gates and court halls by his successors.
Bhimashankar Temple :
At a distance of 111 km from Pune, 124 km from Lonavala, 210 km from Nashik and 224 km from Mumbai, Bhimashankar Temple is ancient pilgrimage center located near Karjat in the Ghat region of Sahyadri hills in Maharashtra. This is one of the top places of pilgrimage in Maharashtra and also one of the best pilgrimage places to visit in Pune.
Bhimashankar Temple is dedicated to Lord Shiva and is considered as one of the 12 holy Jyotirlinga shrines in India, and five in Maharashtra. The other Jyotirlinga shrines in Maharashtra are Vaidyanath near Parli, Trimbakeshwara near Nashik, Grishneshwar near Aurangabad and Aundha Nagnath Temple in Hingoli. Bhimashankar is also the source of the river Bhima, which flows southeast and merges with the Krishna River near Raichur.
It is believed that the original temple of Bhimashankar was built in 12th century CE. However, there is no evidence remains dating to that period have been found. The temple was renovated by Chimaji Antaji Bhide Naik in 1733 CE followed by some repair works by Dikshit Patwardhan in 1766 CE. A well was constructed in the complex by Raghunathrao Peshwa. The famous minister of the Peshwas, Nana Phadnavis carried out a lot of renovations, including the construction of the shikhara.
Rajiv Gandhi Zoological Park / Katraj Snake Park :
At a distance of 11 km from Pune Junction and 6 km from Saras Baug, Rajiv Gandhi Zoological Park, commonly known as Rajiv Gandhi Zoo, is located at Katraj in Pune. It is one of the famous tourist places in Pune and is managed by the Pune Municipal Corporation.Â
The Pune Municipal Corporation created Peshwe Park in 1953 on about 7 acres. In 1986, Mr. Neelam Kumar Khaire with assistance from the Pune Municipal Corporation created the Katraj Snake Park on the same land. In 1997, in order to create a more modern zoo, the municipality selected a site in Katraj and started developing a new zoo. The zoo opened in 1999 as the Rajiv Gandhi Zoological Park & Wildlife Research Centre. The park initially included only the Reptile Park, sambars, spotted deer, and monkeys. Although it took until 2005, all of the animals from Peshwe Park were eventually moved to the new site, and Peshwe Park was closed.
The snake park has a large collection of snakes, reptiles, birds and turtles. There are over 22 species of snakes with 10 species of reptiles comprising more than 150 individuals. This includes a 13 foot long king cobra. The snake park has organized many snake festivals and snake awareness programs to clarify doubts about snakes. During Nag Panchami, the park arranges programs to discourage ill-treatment of snakes.
Sinhagad Fort :
At a distance of 32 km from Pune Junction, Sinhagad or Sinhagarh means the Lion Fort, is a fortress located southwest of Pune City. Sinhagad Fort is one of the popular places of trekking in Pune and also one of the top places to visit near Pune City.
Previously called Kondana, the fort has been the site of many important battles, most notably the Battle of Sinhagad in 1671 CE. According to history, the fort was built 2,000 years ago and it is said that the name Kondana was derived from sage Kaundinya. Mohammed bin Tughalak captured the fort from the Koli tribal chieftain, Nag Naik in 1340 CE. And in 1496 CE, Malik Ahmad, the founder of the Nizam Shahi dynasty took control of the fort.Â
Nearly 200 years later, the Maratha leader Shahaji Bhonsale captured the fort. In 1647 CE, Shivaji held the stronghold and renamed it Sinhagad. In 1665 CE, as per the Treaty of Purandar, Shivaji handed over Sinhagad to the Mughals and again captured it in 1670 CE, under the direction of Tanaji who was Shivaji's favourite general. Aurangzeb laid siege to Sinhagad in 1701- 03 CE, but could not hold it for long. Finally the British seized the fort from the Marathas in 1818 AD. The fort was later used as retreat for many European residents of Pune.
Raja Dinkar Kelkar Museum :
At a distance of 4 km from Pune Junction and 1.5 km from Shaniwar Wada Fort, Raja Dinkar Kelkar Museum is situated on Bajirao Road, Shukrawar Peth in Pune. It is one of the excellent museums in Maharashtra and also one of the top places to visit in Pune City.
The museum was founded by Dr. Dinkar G. Kelkar in remembrance of his only son, Raja Dinkar in 1962. He started gathering artifacts from 1920 to 1960. Initially, he used to exhibit these collections to friends and family. With the help of state government as well as local bodies, his collection started growing further. And in 1975, he handed his entire collection to the Government of Maharashtra.Â
Raj Dinkar Kelkar Museum houses various sculptures dating back to the 14th century. The three storey museum contains nearly 20,000 objects like paintings, handicrafts, armour-suits, musical instruments and many other objects of art and artifacts collected from all over the world. The building has been designed in a Rajasthani-style, but the galleries give a clear depiction of the life and culture of the Marathas.
Lonavala :
At a distance of 67 km from Pune, 95 km from Mumbai and 282 km from Aurangabad, Lonavala is a beautiful hill station in Pune district of Maharashtra. It lies at an altitude of 622 m in the Sahyadri Ranges which separate the Deccan Plateau and the Konkan Coast. Lonavala is among the top hill stations in Maharashtra and also one of the famous Tourist places in Maharashtra. This is also among the best tourist places to visit near Pune & Mumbai.
Lohagad Fort, Karla Caves and Rajmachi Point are some of the best places to include in Lonavala packages. Lonavala and Khandala are twin hill stations near Pune to Mumbai hightway and are very popular monsoon getaways in India. The hill station is spread over an area of 38 square km. The name of the city is derived from the Sanskrit word 'Lonavali', which refers to a 'group of caves'. The name was given to the place due to the presence of many caves in and around the city.
Mahabaleshwar :
At a distance of 54 km from Satara, 123 km from Pune, 177 km from Kolhapur, 243 km from Mumbai, and 377 km from Panaji, Mahabaleshwar is a popular tourist places in India and a town in Satara district of Maharashtra. It lies at an altitude of 1,353 m in the Western Ghats range of India. It is one of the best places to visit near Pune & Mumbai and among the top Places to visit in Maharashtra.
This pretty hill station is often referred as the queen of hill stations in Maharashtra. It offers panoramic view of the plains with the imposing sloppy peaks and surrounding woods. Mahabaleshwar constitutes three villages - Malcolm Peth, Old Mahabaleshwar and some part of the Shindola village. At a distance of 18 km from Mahabaleshwar, 48 km from Satara, 104 km from Pune and 254 km from Mumbai, Panchgani also called Paachgani is a famous hill station and municipal council in Satara district of Maharashtra. It is one of the top hill resorts near Pune & among the best places to visit near Mumbai. Panchgani is one of the popular Tourist places in Maharashtra and among the must include places in your Maharashtra tour packages.
Situated at an altitude of 1334 m, Panchgani is bordered by Wai, Bavdhan and Nagewadi dam in the east, Gureghar in the west, Khingar and Rajpuri in the south and Dhom dam in the north. Panchgani is nestled at middle of five hills in the Sahyadri mountain ranges, also there are five villages around the Panchgani which are Dandeghar, Khingar, Godwali, Amral & Taighat.
