Pune Tourism: Hotels, Reviews, Packages, Photos, Maps, Experience, Itinerary

Once referred to as the Oxford of the east, Pune continues to be a stronghold for academics and culture. Its leisurely ambience finds its roots in its history as a cantonment town since the 19^th century. The buzz in the city comes from its lively cultural outpourings and the modern-day pursuits of its youthful population. The old capital of the Peshwas, Pune was ruled by a number of rulers till 1818 amongst them the Rashtrakutas, the Mughals, the Marathas and the British. The great Maratha warrior Shivaji lived here as a little boy with his mother for a while. The British having defeated the Marathas eventually turned Pune into an important cantonment town, and made it the monsoon base for the Bombay Presidency. Pune played an important role in India's struggle for independence with the likes of Bal Gangadhar Tilak and Vinayak Damodar Savarkar dominating the political arena here.