Bel Air Suites & Service Apartments

Try misal / vada

by ismailb

The local food here is Misal / Vada Pav . A misal is like a salad of onions , sev ( fried chick pea flour like noodles ) , potato topped with a salsa type sauce . A Vada is a round patty made from potato , corriander , spices . Try the misals at MG Rd near aurora tower hotel and the "vada pav" at joshi vade-vale at deccan.

Two Weeks in Pune (1 Night in Bangkok)

by mariocibelli

"A brief history of PUNE"

A vibrant city, Pune is a place where the past meets the present.It is one of those rare cities with a twin image: that of a tradition-bound place - generally considered the quintessence of Maharashtrian culture - and that of a modern industrial metropolis. Pune today straddles both banks of the Multha-Mula rivers (tributaries of the larger Bhima River). The confluence(sangam) of the these in the heart of the city forms a spectacular scenic landmark. The oldest extant structure in the city is the rock-cut temple of Pataleshwar, belonging to the 8th century AD. The cave-temple complex is also called Panchaleshvara cave. This cave, once situated outside limits of the old town, is now squarely in the middle of the city on Jungli Maharaj Road.

Earliest references to the city are from the 11th century, when there was walled settlement known as "Kasbe Pune". This ward is the oldest part of the city , and is known today as Kasba Peth. Pune's medieval roots are also evident in a number of temples and mosques. The present name "Pune" is derived from Punya Nagari (literally city of virtuous deeds). The Rashtrakutas have been found to be the earliest rulers of the city.

Pune is inextricably linked with the life of the great Maratha hero and king, Chhatrapati Shivaji. Pune's fame begins with when Chhatrapati Shivaji came to stay here with his mother Jijabai in 1635-36. Shivaji and his mother lived in a mansion known as Lal Mahal, which still can be visited. According to local lore, the Kasba Ganapati Mandir, today regarded as the presided diety of the city (gramadevata), was built by Jijabai. In the 18th century, the powerful minister of Chhatrapati Shahu, Peshwe Baji Rao 1 decided to make Pune his home. He built his palace on a slightly raised ground near the Mutha river which is now 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 Pune.

In 1817, war broke out beteween the Maratha and the British. A battle was fought in Khadki, a town just outside the city.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.

During the freedom struggle, Pune took its place as an important centre of the social and religious reform movement that was sweeping the country. Pune was the home of reformers who were stalwarts of the national movement, such as Mahadev Govind Ranade,R.G Bhandarkar and Mahatma Jyotirao Phule. The presence of Bal Gangadhar Tilak dominated the political scene for three decades during this period.

After Independence(1947), Pune's reputation as an educational and research node grew with the establishment of the University of Pune, the National Defence Acadamy, National Chemical Laboratory and other such institutes.

"Osho Club Med in Pune"

Rajneesh Chandra Mohan Jain (December 11, 1931 - January 19, 1990), better known during the 1970s as Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh and later as Osho, was the founder and leader of a controversial new religious movement who lived in India and the United States.

The Sanskrit word Bhagwan means "Blessed one" (historically, it is used to refer to a Hindu god, such as Bhagwan Ram or Bhagwan Krishna. It is also used to denote an individual who possess a great wealth of spiritual knowledge. Throughout Hindu history this name has also been used as a given or first name -- as most Hindu children are provided with the name of a god or a spiritual attribute. Shree (more commonly transliterated as Shri or Sri) in Sanskrit means "spiritual wealth" and is thus roughly equivalent to the English word "Lord". It derives this meaning from its use as another name Lakshmi, the Hindu goddess of prosperity.

Attempts have been made by those in charge of Osho's legacy to trademark "Osho" (and his meditations for that matter) but whether these have succeeded is not clear. It stands to reason that trademarking a name that is also commonly used in other spiritual traditions is not a matter-of-course. Osho explains it comes from a word coined by William James - "Oceanic", but "Osho" in Zen tradition is used to call a spiritual master. For example "Osho Bodhidharma".

"University of Pune"

I only know it well as spent a week on the campus during the filming of The Rising with Aamir Khan!

http://www.unipune.ernet.in

The building in the foto is where the ballroom / New Year's Eve party of the rising was filmed.