Pune has a glorious history of nearly 1600 years. Pataleshwar caves (Near Jangli Maharaj Road) from the 5th century is an evidence to Pune’s old settlements. Rashtrakut (राष्ट्रकुट) Kings had built a beautiful temple of Shiva called Punyeshwar, which was unfortunately destroyed during Sultan’s attack on city in 13th century. Since Pune is in the state of Maharashtra, most of the residents are Marathis (or Maharashtrians).
There is a lot to be said about Pune being called "Oxford of the East". Simply put, Pune is a bona fide, one hundred percent university town. Although town it isn't, it seems too much to call it a University city. There are colleges and institutes galore here. From engineering (COEP) to medicne (BJ), arts (FC) to science (SP), Pune has everything. And it has the single most variety of students in India; Besides, there are students from outside India. What this all means is that in Pune, you're always young. The vibrancy is tremendous; for example just stroll along Fergusson road on a Saturday evening. It's full, crowded and thriving and extremely lively. Or go to Durga Coffee House on Paud Road near MIT College in early December or early June at about 12 midnight. You will see a massive crowd of students gulping down hot coffee in an attempt to stay awake for their examinations.
The Most Frequently Asked Travel Questions about Pune
Where To Stay & Best Hotels in Pune - updated Apr 2024
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Pune Travel Guide from Wikitravel. Many thanks to all Wikitravel contributors. Text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0, images are available under various licenses, see each image for details.
