Originally started in 1730 as just a few palaces for the prime ministers of the Maratha Empire, it was later expanded into a fort with many palaces inside. The front gate even had a fairly good elephant ramming deterrent.
Unfortunately, most of the complex was burnt to the ground in a large fire that occurred here in 1828, lasting seven days. The fire destroyed everything except the walls and the foundations. Some nice gardens have been replanted though.
After that, I went to visit the Lal Mahal. It was built by Shahaji in 1636 as the home for his wife and his son Shivaji, later to become Shivaji the Great, founder of the Maratha Empire. It was taken over by Sheista Khan in 1660 but recaptured by Shivaji in 1663. It now houses a museum devoted to Shivaji in the upper rooms. Unfortunately, no photos were allowed inside.
After that, it was off to the Dagdusheth Ganpati Temple, also referred to as the Dagdusheth Halwai Mandir. No photos were allowed of this beautiful temple, either outside or in, but I did find a few photos of it on the internet. Here you can see the temple at night, and get a glimpse of the architecture.
And here you can see a closeup of the main shrine in the temple.
After the temple, I went to see the Raja Dinkar Kelkar Museum. It was not the most well maintained museum, but it did have a great history of Pune, going back over 1400 years. Very informative. Here you can see the mock throne-room they have in the museum.
And that is all for now. Ta-ta.
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