Pune

Template:Infobox Indian urban area Pune (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 120 kilometres east of Mumbai at an altitude of 560 metres 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. Pune has a reputation for its several esteemed colleges and educational institutions -- the reason why it is called the Oxford of the East (or 'Oxford of India'). It has a very strong presence in the automobile sector and is on its way to consolidate its position as the 'Detroit of India' too. Once referred as 'pensioner's paradise' it is now home to many software and IT companies. Its cosmopolitan population speaks several other languages like English and Hindi.

Name

Pune derives its name from Punya Nagari, or the city of virtuous deeds. Pune started out as Punya-Vishaya or Poonak Vishaya — an agricultural settlement in AD 937. By the 11th century, it was known as Kasbe Pune or Punavadi when under the Mughal rule. It was known alternatively as Poona by the British.

History

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 Mughals and the Marathas. During the mid 17th century, it became the temporary residence of Maratha King Shivaji. In 1749 A.D, it gained prominence as the capital of the Maratha kingdom under the Peshwa rule. It was during this period that the city expanded considerably.

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 Shri Chhatrapati Shivaji came to stay here with his mother Jijabai in 1635-36. They lived in a mansion known as "Lal Mahal," a replica of which still 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.

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 which is now known as Shaniwar Peth. The fortified palace that came up is known as Shaniwar Wada. Shaniwar Wada is considered by many to be the focal point of the old city of Pune.

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 main Pune (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.

Struggle for independence

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 and Vinayak Damodar Savarkar 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.

After Indian independence (1947), Pune's reputation as an educational and research node grew with the establishment of the University of Pune, the National Defence Academy (NDA), National Chemical Laboratory and other such premier institutes. However, certain schools and colleges, such as the College of Engineering, Pune, Sir Parashurambhau College(SP)and Fergusson College have exceeded the reputation of the city's far-known educational status from the late 1800s.

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-storeyed 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 (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.

Climate

Pune experiences three distinct seasons: summer, monsoon and winter. Typical summer months are from March to May, with maximum temperatures ranging from 35 to 39°C (95 to 102°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.

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 sq. km , 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 Dehuroad. It also includes adjoining semi-urban area. Biodiversity in Pune is characterised by:

• Higher habitat diversity within a relatively smaller area.
• Steep habitat gradient - Habitats change rapidly within short distance 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, hyena, etc. Scavenger birds such as crow, myna, kite, etc. also abound 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. May 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

File:Pune infy.jpg

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, it has an assembly line for its Mercedes-Benz brand, Kinetic Engineering, Force Motors Ltd (previously known as Bajaj Tempo). Engineering goods industries situated in pune are Bharat Forge Ltd, 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.

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.

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) etc. Many of India's major software players such as Sasken, Infosys, Tata Elxsi, Fluent, Xansa, TCS, John Deere Technology Center,Tech Mahindra, Wipro, Patni, Satyam, Cybage, KPIT Cummins, Aztecsoft (Disha), Persistent Systems, Geometric Software Solutions Limited, Neilsoft and Kanbay Software have a major presence in Pune. Global majors like Accenture, BMC Software, NVIDIA, HSBC Global Technology, IBM, DELL, Red Hat, Siemens, EDS, UGS, I-Flex, Cognizant, Symantec, SunGard Data Systems, Versant Inc., Zensar Technologies, T-Systems and SAS Research and Development India Pvt Ltd have a major presence in Pune. IPdrum, which is a new entrant in the Voip business, has also established a branch office in Pune. Pune is also emerging as a prominent city for Business Process Outsourcing due to the availability of skilled English speaking manpower. BPO companies like Convergys, WNS, Infosys BPO, EXL, Wipro BPO and Mphasis have started operations in Pune.

Other than IT service business companies, Pune has been chosen by Dr Pravin Bhagwat for his India based tech startup. Started in 2002 at Pune, AirTight Networks is now playing global with its five products in Wi-Fi planning and security market.

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.

Civic administration

The 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 inside the Haveli Taluka in Pune District, Maharashtra, and the district comes 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.

Transport

See also: Roads of Pune

Pune is well-connected by road, rail, and air to most major cities in India such as Mumbai, Hyderabad, Bangalore, Delhi, Kolkata, Ahmedabad and Chennai. Pune Airport previously had only domestic flights, but has become an international hub with flights connecting to Singapore and Dubai.

A brand new International Airport for the Pune metropolitan region has been planned for a long time and the Govt of Maharashtra has entrusted responsibility for the Pune International Airport project to MIDC. The area between Chakan and Rajgurunagar , namely around the villages of Chandus and Shiroli, is currently under consideration as a site for the airport - both are situated 40 km from Pune along the Pune - Nashik National highway (NH-50). MIDC is conducting surveys and completing other formalities to get the permission needed to begin the project.

The city has two main railway stations, Pune Station and Shivajinagar; most long-distance trains halt at Pune Station. In addition, local/suburban trains connect Pune Railway Station to the industrial towns of Khadki, Pimpri and Chinchwad. Local trains run from Pune up to Lonavala and from Mumbai up to Karjat and Khopoli, the authorities are trying to connect Lonavala and Karjat by local rail so that travel between all the stations becomes seamless. 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 and it now only takes approximately three hours to reach Mumbai. Inter-city luxury buses, both state owned and private ones, also connect Pune with other major cities such as Mumbai, Hyderabad and Bangalore.

The Maharashtra state transport buses are most commonly used by people to travel to rural villages.

Public Transport

Public transport in Pune comes in 3 main forms: buses, autorickshaws and private cabs. Pune Municipal Transport (PMT) and Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal transport (PCMT) ply bus routes throughout the city and its suburbs. Buses are often touted as the cheapest way to travel across the city, but their frequency and efficiency is limited. Pune is the first city in India to experiment with a Bus Rapid Transit system, and a pilot project with dedicated lanes is underway.

Pune has a proposed Light Rail/ SkyBus as a proposal for implementation on both Pune Municipal Corporation and MSRDC plans. Mass Rapid transit as Electric Trams or Light Rail has been demanded for a very long time, however no progress is reported on this front as of now.

Within the city, auto rickshaw is a common mode of transport. Pune does not have any Black-and-Yellow taxis with taxi meters. Instead it is served by mostly private cabs, operated by private transport operators. Pune also has a rare category of cabs called the "Cool Cabs", coloured Blue-and-White. These are Air-conditioned taxis, operating mostly on pre-paid fare basis. These are likey to be found only at Pune Airport or at the Pune Railway Station.

Private Transport

With a rise in IT companies and rising working-class population, the public transport infrastructure is very strained. As a result, the number of personal vehicles (cars and 2-wheelers) travelling inside the city is staggering. As per one study in 2005, there were 200,000 cars and 1 million two-wheelers in 146 km² of area of Pune city. More than 100,000 new vehicles are added to the traffic levels in Pune every year. Suburbs like Kalyaninagar, Magarpatta Cybercity and Kondhwa are spreading and developing very fast, but the narrow roads in Pune are not able to support such rapid growth in number of vehicles. Like many other fast-growing cities in India, local travel by car, motorbike or bicycle can be frustrating for most individuals because of traffic congestion and a general disregard to traffic rules. Finding parking for cars is an increasing problem, especially inside the city, where there is a dense and growing population.

Demographics

According to the 2001 census provisional counts, the urban agglomeration around Pune has a population of 4,485,000 in 2005. This figure includes 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 boomed since 2003. Nagpur is an important hinterland for Pune, with a large chunk of population tracing their origins to Nagpur.

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.

Residents of Pune are referred to as Puneites, or as Punekars in the local language Marathi. Marathi is spoken extensively, while English is popular amidst the college-goers, white-collar professions and other cosmopolitan populace. Hindi is also widely spoken and understood.

Culture

Pune is Maharashtra's cultural capital and the form of Marathi spoken in Pune is considered as the standard form of the language. 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, 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 nights 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 is the cultural capital of Marathi people. The city has given birth to or attracted body of organization for the Marathi literati, also has its headquarters in Pune. Marathi Theatre (Drama नाटक — रंगभूमी ) is an integral part of Marathi culture. Both — Experimental (प्रायोगिक रंगभूमी) and Professional theatre — receive whole-hearted patronage from 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.

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 near invitation corner, City Pride on Satara road, City Pride at Kothrud, Adlabs at Kalyaninagar and Fame Jai Ganesh at Pimpri-chinchwad. Other than the cinema there are various other leisure facilities such as go-karting at Manas Resorts and the Pancard club., a bowling alley at 3D Destination

Religion and spirituality

File:OshoRajneesh.jpg

Osho Rajneesh

Pune is the birth place of Meher Baba as well as having been the home of Osho (formerly known as Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh). The Osho International Meditation Resort helps attract an international crowd to the city. Situated amidst thick, rather impenetrable flora, the resort boasts a huge meditation and therapy centre and two gardens - Osho garden and Zen garden. These remain places of interest for some foreigners and people from elsewhere in the country.

Chaturshrungi goddess is the reigning deity of the city of Pune. Her temple is situated on the slopes of a mountain in the northwest part of the city of Pune. The temple is in the midst of nature's scenic beauty. This ninety feet high and one 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.

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.

The backhills of Pune are becoming known for their immense spiritual value. People from other countries and other parts of India go to these schools to study the Vedas and other holy scriptures of Hinduism.

Food

Pune residents are known for their fondness of food. Among the plethora of food available are a large variety of sweets, spicy fried rolls called Baakarwadi(बाकरवडी). Notable places are 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 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, puffed rice flakes, lots of spices & special Tarri (soup) with bread, is available in almost all restaurants. Besides this, pune has many places serving south indian food, notable place is Hotel Vaishali at F.C. Road and gujarati and rajasthani food, notable places Rajdhani, Sukanta, Rutugandh. One can taste the Kolhapuri cuisine at restaurants in the Old city like Durga, Tiranaga, Trushna (Hong Kong Lane). Apart from India food, Western food like Pizza, Burgers, Italian, Mediterrian, Spanish is also easily available here. All popular food chains like Pizza Hut, Mc Donalds, Subway, KFC, Pizza Express, Smokin Joe's etc have there presence in pune. The Camp area - Main street/M.G. Road and East street, 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 outstation students and office goers residing in 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 mix), panipuri (puffy little fried crispy discs filled with watery soup) etc. Noteble once are 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 and Cafe Goodluck for biryani are very popular amongst meat lovers. Popular ones are Shree (Laxmi Road), Bedekar (Narayan Peth) & Shrikrishna (Tulashibaugh). Hotels serving are also available.

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. Businesses in many of these localities used to be open for business only once a week. Hence these localities are named according to the day they were open for business: 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 Kasba Peth, 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. After Navi Peth, the localities are named as "Nagar" such as Sahakarnagar, Shikshaknagar, Vimannagar, Lokmanyanagar and so on.

Sister/twin cities

As of 2006, there are three sister cities (aka twinned towns):

• - Tromsø, Norway
• - Bremen, Germany
• - San Jose, USA

Neighborhoods

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Panoramic view of Pune

See Pune Neighborhoods

Laxmi Road

Laxmi Road is the oldest shopping destination in Pune,India. It stretches from Lakdi bridge in the west to the Quarter Gate area in Pune cantonment.

It has the most diverse set of shops that offer electronic and textile goods, jewelery, cosmetics, kitchen ware, toys, gift items and sweets & savories and is arguably the busiest street in the city. Hawkers displaying their wares on the pavements contribute to the cluttered look of the narrow street. City buses thunder past, competing for road space with four wheelers, two wheelers, cycles, pedestrians and cows.

Media and communication

Marathi newspapers such as Sakal, Loksatta, Kesari and Pudhari are popular. English dailies such as the Indian Express, Sakal Herald The Times of India and fortnightly VivaWest have editions based out of Pune, with additional local supplements.

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.

Education

For the full article, see Education in Pune.

See also: List of Pune Colleges and Education in India

Pune was called "The Oxford of the east" by Jawaharlal Nehru, India's first Prime Minister, due to its popularity with students from all over the world. 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 public schools, or privately by trusts and individuals. Private schools have been preferred by a majority of city residents because of better facilities and the use of English language 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.

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 Pune) are also popular amongst Punekars. Some high schools optionally train students in French, German and Russian from the 8th grade onwards.

University education

All professional 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 Wadia College, Ness Wadia College college of commerce and Sir Parshurambhau (SP)College, 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 BJMCtrain students from all over Maharashtra and India. The N.G. Naralkar Institute, The Sinhgad Institute Of Management ,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.

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 and Symbiosis (Management and Law).

Engineering Colleges

Pune has several colleges offering bachelor and masters courses in engineering and technology. Government College of Engineering commonly known as COEP, is oldest and the best engineering college in University of Pune. 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 (National Insurance Academy),National Institute Of Bank Management[NIBM], NIC [National Informatics Centre], Central Water and Power Research Station (CWPRS), 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.

IITM

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. 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.

External links

• Pune Municipal Transportl
• Official Website of Pune Festival
• Official Website of Pune International Film Festival
• Official Website of Pune International Marathon
• Pune Municipal Corporation E-Governance
• 11/26/06 Chicago Tribune article on economic growth in Pune
• Template:Wikitravel