Pune is the eighth largest metropolis in India, the second largest in the state of Maharashtra after Mumbai, and the largest city in the Western Ghats. Once the centre of power of the Maratha Empire, it is situated 560 metres above sea level on the Deccan plateau at the confluence of the Mula (Marathi: मुळा) and Mutha rivers (Marathi: मुठा). Pune city is the administrative capital of Pune district. Pune is known to have existed as a town since 937 AD. Pune was originally called Punawadi.Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, the founder of the Maratha Empire, lived in Pune as a young boy, and later oversaw significant growth and development of the town during his reign. In 1730, Pune became an important political center 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 and relative prosperity. Pune is the cultural capital of Maharashtra. Pune has well-established manufacturing, glass, sugar, and forging industries since the 1950-60s. It has a growing industrial hinterland, with many information technology and automotive companies setting up factories in Pune district. The city is known for various cultural activities like classical music, spirituality, theater, sports, and literature. These activities and job opportunities attract migrants and students from all over India and abroad, which makes for a city of many communities and cultures Pune is located 560 m (1,840 ft) above sea level on the western margin of the Deccan plateau. It is situated on the leeward side of the Sahyadri mountain range, which form a barrier from the Arabian sea. It is a relatively hilly city, with its tallest hill, Vetal Hill, rising to 800 m (2,600 ft) above sea level. Just outside the city, the Sinhagad fort is located at an altitude 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 (62 mi) 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. A low intensity earthquake observed on the night of 30 July 2008 was measured at 4.2 at around 12:41 am. The epicenter for the earthquake was in the Koyna Dam seismic field. Architecture In addition to its various temples, historical attractions in and around Pune include the rock-cut Pataleshwar cave temple, Aga Khan Palace, Shaniwarwada, Lal Mahal, Shinde Chhatri and Sinhagad fort. The city is known for its British Raj and the Garden Cities Movement layout of the Cantonment in the early twentieth century. Notable architects who have worked in Pune include B.V.Doshi, Charles Correa, Achyut Kanvinde and Christopher Charles Benninger. Modern master pieces in Pune include the IUCAA by Correa and a number of campuses by Benninger, including his studio complex called INDIA HOUSE. His award winning campuses include the Mahindra United World College of India, the YMCA Campsite at Nilshi, the Samundra Institute of Maritime Studies, and Suzlon One Earth. Museums, parks and zoos Pu. La. Deshpande Garden Prominent museums in Pune include the Raja Dinkar Kelkar Museum, Mahatma Phule Museum, Babasaheb Ambedkar Museum and the Pune Tribal Museum. The College of Military Engineering has an archive and an equipment museum which has a rail exhibit with a metre-gauge train. A large railway museum is also coming up in Lonavala about 60 km (37 mi) away from the city on the Mumbai railway line.Pune has a number of public gardens, such as the Kamala Nehru Park, Sambhaji Park, Shahu Udyan, Peshwe Park, Saras Baug, Empress Garden, Taljai Hills and Bund Garden. The Pune-Okayama Friendship Garden, now renamed Pu La Deshpande Udyan, is a replica of the Korakuen Garden in Okayama, Japan.[54] 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. Besides this, certain spots in Pune such as Hanuman Tekdi, Vetaal Tekdi and Taljai forest are popular haunts for nature lovers. 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. 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. Ganesh Kala Krida Rangamanch is the largest closed theatre in the city, with a seating capacity of 45,000.The Sawai Gandharva Sangeet Mahotsav, one of the most prominent and sought-after Indian classical music festivals in India is held in Pune every year in December. The festival is led and organized each year by Pt. Bhimsen Joshi and it commemorates the life and achievements of Pt. Sawai Gandharva. The concept of Diwāḷī Pahāṭ originated in Pune as a music festival on the morning of the festival of Diwali. Transport 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.In addition to domestic flights to all major Indian cities, this airport serves international direct flights to Dubai (operated by Air India Express) and to Frankfurt (operated by Lufthansa). 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 at a distance of 40 km (25 mi) from central Pune. Rail Pune Railway Station 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, Goa, Varanasi, and Jamshedpur. At Pune, there is diesel locomotive shed and electric trip shed. A rapid transit system has been proposed in Pune and is scheduled to begin operations in 2013.Pune Metro Rail is being planned in consultation with Delhi Metro Rail Corporation Limited, the corporation which built and operates the Delhi Metro. It will be a combination of elevated and underground sections, with initial routes being planned between Pimpri-Swargate and Vanaz-Ramwadi. The city has a railway station, Pune Railway Station. The station is administrated by the Pune Railway Division of the Central Railways. All the railway lines to Pune are broad gauge. Road Pune BRTS is the first Bus Rapid Transit System in India. The project consists of 16.5 kilometers (10.3 mi) of bus lanes along the Pune Satara Road using airconditioned, low-floor more than 500 Volvo B7RLE buses. Both public and private transport are popular in Pune. Public buses within the city and its suburbs are operated by the Pune Mahanagar Parivahan Mahamandal Limited (PMPML). The PMPML operates the Pune Bus Rapid Transit system, the first of its kind in India, in which dedicated bus lanes allow buses to travel quickly through the city. Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation runs buses from its main stations in Shivajinagar, Pune station and Swargate to all major cities and towns in Maharashtra and neighbouring states. Private companies too run buses to major cities throughout India.Pune is well-connected to other cities by Indian highways and state highways. National Highway 4 (NH 4) connects it to Mumbai, Bangalore and Kolhapur. NH 9 to Hyderabad, and NH 50 to Nashik. State highways connect it to Ahmednagar, Aurangabad, and Alandi. The Mumbai-Pune Expressway, India's first six-lane high-speed expressway, was built in 2002, and has reduced travel time between Pune and Mumbai to almost two hours. A ring road is being planned for the convenience of heavy traffic. The Mumbai-Pune Expressway India's first Expressway as seen from Khandala Pune is served by two intra-city highways: Old Pune-Mumbai Highway and Katraj-Dehu Road Bypass, a part of National Highway 4. The Nashik City-Pune Highway NH 50 will be part of the golden triangle(Nashik-Pune-Mumbai). Tourist Attractions Shrimant Dagdusheth Halwai Ganpati Shaniwar Wada Raja Dinkar Kelkar Museum Mahatma Phule Museum Chaturshingi Temple P. L. Deshpande Garden Parvati Temple Sinhgad Khadakwasla Dam Pataleshwar Cave Temple Empress Garden Shinde Chatri Tulsi Baug Jangli Maharaj Road(Restaurants) Koregaon Park(Up-market area) Saras Baug Race Course Bund Garden Osho Park Notable personalities from Pune Bal Gangadhar Tilak Gopal Krishna Gokhale Pandit Bhimsen Joshi Dr.Vasantrao Deshpande P. L. Deshpande Dhanraj Pillay Rahul Bajaj Jayant Narlikar Maharshi Dhondo Keshav Karve Laxmanrao Kirloskar Mahatma Jyotiba Phule Bal Gandharva Dr.Vijay Bhatkar Acharya Atre Anil Awachat Avatar Meher Baba
