Science Fair Project Encyclopedia
|Languages||Marathi, English, Hindi and others|
|Time zone||GMT +5:30|
|Importance||Eighth largest city in India|
73° 51’ E
|Altitude||554 metres average|
20 to 38 °C
Pune city, formerly Poona, Maharashtra state, western India, at the junction of the Mula and Mutha rivers. Called “Queen of the Deccan,” Pune is the cultural capital of the Maratha peoples. According to the 2001 census provisional results, it had - according to official statistics - a population of 3.755 million in 2001. This figure includes the people residing in the city of Pimpri-Chinchwad which has historically been considered as a twin of Pune. The real population of the combined metropolitan area should be between 4.5 to 5 million in 2004. Marathi is the language of the majority of the people residing here and they call themselves 'Punekar'. 'kar' is a marathi language suffix used to denote a person belonging to the preceding village or city name. This being a metropolitan city with many English literate people, 'Puneites' is also a term commonly used to describe the people of this city, particularly in English dailies.
The city developed on the confluence of rivers Mula and Mutha. They are the tributaries of the river Bhima which flows east rising from the Western Ghats of Maharashtra. On the south-western side of Pune is the Khadakwasla dam lake that is used to supply water to the city. Beyond that lies the historically famous Sinhagad fort which is now a major tourist attraction.
The history of Pune is both illustrious and romantic. The city name Pune is derived from Punya. It is known for its historical, cultural and social importance. Rashtrakootas have been found to be the earliest rulers of the city. Pune has played a leadership role in various aspects of Indian history. The greatest Maratha King Chhatrapati Shivaji made Pune his capital. Later the Peshwas made Pune their headquarters. It has witnessed great social and political movements of transformation through the history of India. This is an historically important city. The Maratha empire was headquartered here, and the district has several hill forts along with many ancient temples. It grew in importance under the British when it housed a major cantonment town. Today, Pune is the headquarters of the Southern Command of the Indian Army. The cantonment area is still a major fixture and adds to Pune's cosmopolitan flavour.
Prior to the Marathas, evidence of inhabitance comes from relics like the Kasba Ganapati, Taambdee Jogeshwaaree , Pataleshwar cave. The cave, also called Panchaleshvara caves, is situated outside the old town, but now squarely in the middle of the city, on Jungli Maharaj Road. Its sculptures date to around 700, similar in style to the much grander rock temple at Elephanta, but never completed. More importantly it is an active Hindu temple. In front of the excavation is a circular Nandi mandapam (pavilion).
Pune is a major industrial centre, worthy of being termed Detroit of India. It is home to one of the world's largest two-wheeler manufacturers - Bajaj Auto. It is also home to Kinetic Engineering , Bajaj Tempo . India's largest motor company, Tata Motors has its plant here. DaimlerChrysler also has an assembly line for its Mercedes Benz brand. Whirlpool has an appliance manufacturing plant near Pune. Frito Lay and Coca Cola also have manufacturing plants in Pune. Because of all these giants, Pune is also home to numerious small and medium sized enterprises. Pune has a burgeoning software industry. Many of India's major software players such as TCS Infosys, Wipro, Cognizant and Persistent Systems and global majors like Sasken , Amdocs , Avaya, Veritas have a major presence in Pune's various Software Technology Parks. With the construction of the six lane Mumbai-Pune expressway, this city is now less than a three hour drive from Mumbai. To cater to the explosive growth, the state is planning a 1000MW power plant exclusively for Pune, and an International Airport at Chakan is also on the cards. Notably, even though Pune is the eight-largest city in India, it has the sixth largest metropolitan economy and the highest per capita income in India, therefore having the least income disparity between the rich and poor.
It has many institutions of higher education, including the University of Pune, several colleges of Engineering (notably, the Government College of Engineering ,Bharati Vidyapeeth's College of Engineering,D.Y. Patil College of Engineering,Garware College, Wadia College, Sinhagad College of Engineering, Maharashtra Institute of Technology, Vishwakarma Institute of Technology, among others), and Medicine ( B.J.Medical College and the Armed Forces Medical College),IUCAA (Inter University Center for Astronomy and Astrophysics) and the NCL (National Chemical Laboratory). The National Defense Academy , which trains officers of India's armed forces is located at Khadakvasla, on the outskirts of Pune. Fergusson College happens to be one of the most important colleges in this city. It was established in 1885. Students from all over India, and many African countries come to Pune for higher education, particularly engineering and management. Pune is rapidly becoming a major centre of Information Technology in India. With numerous engineering and management institutes it was once called the "Oxford of the East" by Jawaharlal Nehru, India's first and longest serving Prime Minister.
Pune is also known for its high standards in high school education.
During the months of August or September each year, the city celebrates the Hindu festival of Ganesh Chaturthi. The festival culminates in a carnival like procession along the busy throughfares of the city. The city also has a active theater community.
It is was the birth place of Meher Baba as well as the home of Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh. Rajneesh's Osho Ashram helps bring a very international flair to the city. Situated amidst nature, the center boasts of a big meditation center and two beautiful gardens, viz. Osho garden and Zen garden.
Pune has been one of the centers of the neo-Buddhist revival movement begun by B. R. Ambedkar in 1956. It also hosts headquarters of the Trailokya Bauddha Mahasangha Gana, the Indian affiliate of the Friends of the Western Buddhist Order.
In the month of December Pune plays host to the Sawai Gandharva Music Festival. Many renowned performers of Indian classical music perform through 3 consecutive evenings creating an extravaganza which is unique to this city.
Places of Interest
- Parvati Temple
- Shaniwar Wada
- Aga-Khan palace also famous as Gandhi Museum
- Kelkar Museum
- Kamala Nehru Park
- The art Gallery at Balgandharva Rangamandir
- Osho Rajneesh Ashram
- Sinhagad Fort
- Handmade-Paper Factory
- Lonavala-Khandala hillstation
- Panshet Dam
- Khadakwasala Dam
- Poona Club
- Pubs/Discs: Kiva, 10 Downing Street, Cactus, Thousand Oaks, Leather Lounge, Aqua Lounge, Nirvana, Ole, Ivoe's, Scream, Fire N Ice, Curve, Elysium, Wunderbarr
- Alaka (only English)
- Vijay (mostly English, also hosts screenings like 'children's movies' or 'Hitchcock Festival' and such)
- Deccan Talkies
- Mangala (One of the biggest screens)
- Neelayam (One of the biggest screens)
- Prabhat (always Marathi)
- E - SQUARE (multiplex)
- INOX (multiplex)
- City Pride (multiplex)
- Alpana (mostly adult)
- Sri Krishna (mostly adult)
- West End
- Shivaji Maharaj
- Bajirao Peshwa
- Madhavrao Peshwa
- Nanasaheb Peshwa
- Nana Phadnavis
- Lokmanya Bal_Gangadhar_Tilak
- Gopal Krishna Gokhale
- Pralhad Keshav Atre
- B.K.S. Iyengar
- P.L. Deshpande
- Osho Rajneesh
- Nathuram Godse
- Dhondo Keshav Karve
Population (2001): 7,224,224
Pune Division is one of the six divisions of Maharashtra. Pune Division is bound by Konkan Division to the west, Nashik Division to the north, Marathwada (Aurangabad Division) to the east, and the state of Karnataka to the south.
- Area: 57,268 km²
- Population (2001 census): 99,973,761
- Districts: Kolhapur, Pune, Sangli, Satara, Solapur
- Literacy: 76.95%
- Area under irrigation: 8,896 km²
- Main crops: Jowar, wheat, bajra, sugarcane, rice, soybean, onion, groundnut, vegetables, turmeric, grape, pomegranate
- University of Pune
- College of Engineering, Pune)
- Sinhgad College of Engineering
- Symbiosis Institute of Business Management
- Bharati Vidyapeeth's College of Engineering
- Maharashtra Institute of Technology
- Vishwakarma Institute of Technology
- Fergusson College
- Pune Institute of Computer Technology
- Symbiosis Institute of Computer Studies And Research
- Central Water and Power Research Station (CWPRS)
- National Chemical Laborator (NCL)
- Bhandarkar Institute of Oriental Research
- Agharkar Research Institute
- National AIDS Research Institute (NARI)
- National Institute of Virology (NIV)
- Tekdi Pune,a grass-roots student environmental organisation
- Biodiversity Documentation Project by RANWA
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