The labyrinthine lanes of old areas of Pune city hide the old world charm - Heritage of Pune (Part-2)

My previous post on exploring the Peth wada's of the old city of Pune is in the link (Wadas of Pune (Part-1)

Continuing with my walk exploring the old-world charm hidden in the alleys of Peth's, I stumbled and walked past many wadas and old houses, searching stories and heritage associated with them which made my walk even more interesting.

One of the Wada on Shaniwar Peth is "Natu Wada", I would have taken it for an old city chawl had it not been a small signboard indicating the name of the Wada. Natu Wada was established by Balaji Pant Natu who was a spy working for the British against the Peshwa. When British troops entered Shaniwar Wada in November of 1817, He was the one who unfurled the Union Jack.

One thing I noticed was the old wadas and buildings had such big wooden doors and a smaller "dindi Darwaza" for security reasons. I have always been fascinated with such wooden entrances as it gives such a rustic look and charm of the old world.

An old house is seen on the walk, A multiple rooms on the ground floor with similar doors and windows while the first floor has iron grills. These old houses would normally have tenants paying abysmally low rent which restricts the owner to maintain the building in a proper state, one of the main reasons for such heritage buildings crumbling and seeping into oblivion.

Some interesting bricks pattern on the sidewall of Ambedkar Wada at Kasba Peth. 

Such carved Kalash with design or a small idol of Ganesha is considered a invite to Goddess Laxmi for prosperity and is inevitably seen on the entrance of most of the houses or wadas.

On Somwar Peth Mudaliar road lies this 1928 building named "Ram Brajeshwar Palace" with protruding balconies on the top floor on each side.

Munshi Bhai Bidi works building on the main road in Kasba Peth stands out for its light blue colored building and different patterned balconies on each of the three floors.

Located near the Daruvala bridge in Kasba Peth lies this beautiful haveli which houses temples of the incarnation of Krishna. A 160-year-old temple was built by disciples of Gopeshwarlal Maharaj who came to Pune to spread the Vaishnava cult from Nathdwara in Rajasthan.

A simple but elegant building has elaborate woodworks as seen with ornamental wooden arches on balconies and aesthetically designed doors.

Covering the Peth's in Pune does require more than a day and notably, apart from the areas I covered, Rasta Peth and Sadashiv Peth are two must-do areas for there are much important heritage in the area. Hopefully, I plan to cover it in my next visit.

Another area which I find very promising from a Heritage exploration point of view is the Camp area of Pune, It may not have the Peshwa wadas but heritage in form of religious hubs and British era buildings are abundantly found. Camp area was established by Britishers to house their troops in 1871. Some notable heritage religious hubs include 173-year-old Parsi Agiary or fire temple built by Jamshetjee Jejeebhoy and Ohel David Synagogue also known as Lal Deul was built by David Sassoon in 1867. Both these structures are out of bounds for the general public except for Parsis and Jews respectively. Ohel David is the largest Synagogue in India and in Asia outside Israel.

The old city with all its Peth's and wada's are one side of the city while there lies another part of the city which has its own tale. It is a melting pot of cultures, you can find enclaves of Parsis and Iranians, Jews and Syrian Christians, Muslims, and all ethnic identities.

There are Parsi enclaves like this one with identical houses in the entire walled compound - Dr. S. H. Mody Colony on Synagogue road.

There is even a church called "St Matthews Marathi Church" built-in 1893 in Spanish Visigothic architecture at a furlong away from the old Synagogue.

The Celtic cross with a ring around the cross indicates its Irish connections.

One of the old houses with its unique balcony caught my attention while walking in the camp area.

These Jewellers and Shroffs have been around since 1877 which is proudly displayed on the signage board.

A temple of M.G Road by Vaishnav Baniya Mandir Sansthan has balconies painted in bright orange.

Amidst the shopping district of M.G Road with its galore of shops lies this Ram Mandir which can be easily missed. Built-in 1837, This temple has adorable idols of Ram and Sita at the entrance dressed in traditional Maharashtrian attire.

This brings an end to my one-day heritage walk exploring few Peth areas in search of Wada houses and then just explored the heritage on my way to the M.G.Road camp area of Pune.

I was so pleasantly surprised with so much heritage in the nooks and corners of alleys of Pune city. Few areas I have identified on my current visit which I plan to explore in more detail in my next visit, hopefully soon.