Pune :India
Pime, known to the British as Poona, is the nearest city and railhead for the hill stations of Panchgani and Mahabaleswar. Now a fast-expanding city with a population of more than a million, Pune retains the atmosphere and some of the architecture that made it a favourite bill station of the Raj. At 598 metres (1,962 feet), it hardly had the height to justify this position, but the surrounding hills and a pleasant climate helped to make it the western military capital of the Deccan. The government of the Bombay Presidency made Pune one of its two summer headquarters.

The city has the distinction of not being ‘discovered’ by the British. It was the main town of the Maratha hero Shivaji’s original estates. When he came to Pune as a teenager the town was in ruins.

Although Pune can no longer be considered a hill station it is still worth a stopover, for it has several interesting sights. The ruined Shanwarwada Palace of the Peshwas was built in 1736 and, although destroyed by fire in 1827, it still maintains a certain dignity. At the eccentric Raja Kelkar Museum you can see the recreated bedroom of the legendary Maratha lovers, Peshwa Bajirao 1 and his sweetheart, Mastani. The hilltop Parvati Temple, built in 1749, is where the last Peshwa is said to bave stood to watch his troops being defeated by the British. The Pataleshwar Cave, an early rock-cut temple, is also worth seeing. The Aga Khan’s Palace in Yeravda is where Mahalma Gandhi and his wife were imprisoned during the Quit India Movement; his wife, Kasturba, and his secretary, Mahadev Desai, died there and the simple marble memorials mark the spots where they were cremated. Other sights include Shinde Chhatri, the memorial of the Maratha Mahadji Shinde; the Sarasbag and Bund Gardens, the latter on the River Mula-Mutha on the way to Yeravda; and the ashram of the late controversial godman, Osho Rajneesh. Pune also has one of the linest turf clubs in the country with regular race meetings.

There are many good, reasonable hotels. The most convenient for the railway station, and one of the best and biggest in town, is Hotel Amir on Connaught Road (tel. 621840, fax. 021 2-623094). The Blue Diamond (tel. 625555, fax. 0212-627755) on Koregaon Road offers five-star luxury.