Shivajinagar, Pune — Area Guide & Where to Stay

What are the main landmarks in Shivajinagar?

The Pataleshwar cave temple, cut in the Rashtrakuta era of the 8th century, is the oldest man-made structure in Pune. A main road takes its name from Jangali Maharaj, whose tomb lies in a temple here. Bal Gandharva Ranga Mandir is Pune's premier Marathi stage.

The Mahatma Phule Museum of Industry and the Chaturshrungi Temple stand here too, along with Deccan Gymkhana, the area's oldest sports club, and Chhatrapati Sambhaji Udyan, a park on the Mutha.

What is the history of Shivajinagar?

The village was Bhambwade, later Bhamburde. Its Patil, the village chief, came from the Shirole Patil family, and in the Peshwa era it had a handmade paper factory. The Sufi saint Jangali Maharaj settled here in the 19th century.

In 1885 Rajaram Naroji Shirole Patil leased 37 acres at the foot of Hanuman Tekdi to the Deccan Education Society, which built Fergusson College on the land. A statue of Shivaji went up in 1928, and after independence in 1947 Bhamburde was renamed Shivajinagar.

Where is Shivajinagar?

Shivajinagar lies on the west bank of the Mutha River. The older parts of Pune lie across the river to the east, and the Vetal and Hanuman hills, both protected nature reserves, close Shivajinagar in on the west. The old village core, the Gaothan, keeps the temple of Rokdoba, the village deity, and a temple of Shri Ram.