Your Weekend in Pune: Forts, Food And Treks

While Mumbai is the capital of Maharashtra, Pune is the cultural capital. An erstwhile princely state, the city is now a bustling IT and education hub and home to the National Defence Academy. 

The city, which is known for its affordable housing options in Maharashtra, also has a very pleasant weather and is a nice weekend getaway for people in Mumbai.

1. Forts and landmarks: The former capital was secured by the state's leaders to hold off British and Mughal conquerors. The Singhagad fort, Fort Purandar, Fort Jadhavgad, Rajgad Fort and Shaniwar Wada fort are all have traces of combative brilliance of another era. These forts are all on hills which offer a beautiful view making the travel to it as much as fun as the visit to it. Osho meditation centre also attracts a number of those who yearn for peace and quiet.

It is not just forts though in all of Pune. There is the historic Aga Khan Palace built in 1892. The eighth century rock cut cave temple at Pataleshwar caves is one of the many temples for those who like to visit them. There is Bhuleshwar temple and Ganapati Sarasbaug temple. There is also the Raja Dinkar Kelkar Museum holds a very unique collection of hookah pipes, writing instruments, lamps, puppets, betel-nut cutters amongst others.

2. Foodie delight: Kayani's bakery which sells the famous Shreswsbury biscuits is also a time warp from the British era. If you want to catch a good vegetarian Maharashtrian thali, head to Shabree and Vaishali at Ferguson road which is a famous hangout for college kids.

3. Treks and ghats: Most people head towards Pune exclusively for treks at Bhimashankar market with waterfalls, dense forests and many streams. It also has wildlife to spot here like leopards and tigers. It is home to Maharashtra Giant Squirrel also called Shekru. Many adventure sports clubs have also come up in and around the city to entertain the trekkers who regularly visit it. Malshej ghats is yet another spot for adventurers making Pune a trekker's paradise.

4. Nature trips: If you are not a trekker, there is still a lot of nature that you can enjoy in the city. You can go to Kondwa Plateau by car or bike to enjoy beautiful view from the Western Ghats. You can also have a nice walk at Parvati Hill which is also a heritage site built during the Peshwa rule. The Devdeveshwara temple is made of blackstone and was built in 1749.  

5. Lavasa: A few hours from Pune is a holiday spot which was built and developed by HCC. The planned township which has labeled itself as a hill station has entertainment centres, a bevy of beautiful hotels and restaurants for those who want to stay there. Apart from wonderful weather, this place also has Temghar dam. HCC designed the city on promenade style buildings around the banks of the water body.