#Pune Ganesh Darshan today morning. For me it is also about revisiting Pune Heritage, partly seen partly hidden. We started from Sarvajanil Kaka statue reminding ourself of his contribution that led to the formation of the Congress. We traced the history of the underground water channel that fed Pune City as we reached Akhil Mandai Mandal. The majestic Gajanan and Sharada Murti has a very natural poise. A quick snack at Baldevprasad Gupta was obviously due.

#Hanumajayanti The deity with the highest number of temples in #Pune undoubtedly is Maruti/Hanumant/Hanuman. In the central old parts of the city there are easily about a hundred temples and shrines dedicated to the God ! This thread refers to a few of the Hanuman temples. 1/6 During late Peshwa period there were approx 50 temples/shrines dedicated to the God. Considering that Pune that time was barely 4sq km, it meant that on an average about every 250m there was a Maruti temple. Today there are easily double the number. 2/6

#MahaShivaratri Among historical temples in #Pune, those dedicated to Mahadev Shankar have the highest count, next to Maruti shrines. Over forty Mahadev deities have been blessing Pune over 200 years. Mahadev is also at other major temples of other deities. A thread 1/n #Nageshwar at Somwar Peth is believed to be among the oldest temples in Pune. The temple was renovated in late 1700s and later a few decades ago. 2/n

Story of 400m culinary journey - #Pune is the cultural capital of Maharashtra and Mandai the capital of Pune. An enthusiastic group, we walked around just within a 400m radial distance to explore the variety, and ate to our hearts and stomach's content. #KnowPune Thread 1/11 The first stop was Mandai itself – Baldev Prasad Gupta. For the small sized shop you can get an amazing variety – pohe/upma, pulav, puri-bhaji, samosa, vada and much more. My fav is the large jilebi – thick and plump, soft inside yet crunchy (not hard) on the outside. 2/11

Barely a stone's throw from Mandai #Pune at the southern end of Bhau Maharaj Bol is the Thorat Chowk known to Punekars as Ratan Cycle Chowk. At this Chowk are located traditional #food shops that have their own speciality. Relatively less known they are a foodies delight ! The Unchi Pharsan House is known for quality 'pharsan'. In business since 1947 specialities include the white sweet potato chivda, the red spiced Potato chivda, shev, Dal moth, khari bundi and other items.

#Varanasi the #Marathi footprint - The thread shares some info about the history & contribution of Marathi people to Kashi. The Maratha Empire's aim over generations was to liberate Kashi however it could not fructify for various reasons at different ties. #Kashi #मराठी Sant Eknath (1533-1599) believed to have written the Bhagwat in front of 'Sakshi' Gopal murti, presently at the Tailangswami Mutth. Eknath Maharaj is believed to have stayed at the Panchaganga Ghat for about two years.

This thread is about Blue Plaques at #Pune buildings where prominent personalities resided or were born. I noted these during my wanderings in the Shukrawar, Shaniwar, Budhwar Peth areas, plaques from other parts of Pune will be included in subsequent thread #KnowPune #BluePlaque Damu Dhotre (b 1902 at Pune d 1973) was a circus artist and animal trainer of repute internationally. He performed not only in India but also in Europe and the United States with the best circuses. This #Blueplaque is at his residence in Pune at Subhash Nagar, Shukrawar Peth.

#RamNavami #ShriRamNavami #श्रीरामनवमी Join me on a virtual tour of Shri Ram Temples. Plan to visit as many heritage Shri Ram temples as I can. Will be appending to this thread #Pune Tulshibaug #Pune

श्री मनाचे श्लोक (Shree Manache Shlok) have been composed by Samarth Ramdas Swami (1608-1681) great spiritual Guru and ascetic. Born as Narayan Suryajipant Thosar his other works include Sarth Shrimat Dasbodh, The Maruti Stotra, famous Ganesh Aarti – Sukhakarta Dukhaharta. The Manache Shlok means – Conversations For The Mind. The compilation of 205 shlok of 4 lines each is written in classical #मराठी Marathi. Those who know Hindi/Sanskrit may understand shlok. The thread is not a complete or authoritative discussion but quotes a few as examples.

On #Mahashivratri this is an attempt to list heritage Shiva temples in #Pune that go back over 250 years. #KnowPune
1) Onkareshwar : Built by Chimaji Appa younger brother of Bajirao-I in 1738
2) Kameshwar : Nene Ghat,Shaniwar Peth
3) Harihareshwar: Shaniwar Peth,since Peshwa Days 4) Someshwar - Raviwar Peth, since mid 1700s
5) Someshwar - Pashan, possibly over 300 years
6) Laxmaneshwar - Rasta Peth - from the late 1700s built by Sardar Raste
7) Amruteshwar-Siddheshwar - Shaniwar Peth, from mid 1700s built by Naik-Joshi Baramatikar

Wada वाडा is a typical Maratha architecture. Big and small, ornate and humble were seen across Maharashtra. This is the wada of Nana Phadnis at #Menavli about 3km on outskirts of #Wai. The wada is recently restored and worth a visit. #heritage Most large wada had dindi darwaja (दिंडी दरवाजा) large entry gate with a smaller one cut in it for daily use, chowk (चौक) - open to sky quadrangles with buildings on all sides, small stair cases built in the walls

The town of #Wai in #Satara district of Maharashtra located on the banks of the Krishna river has culturally and historically been an important center. It was here that Afzal Khan camped when he attempted to subdue the Maratha power under Chhatrapati Shivaji. #Wai has seven ghats or stepped embankments on the Krishna River. Krishnabai or Krishnamai as the river is reveretially and affectionately called here is celebrated with an annual celebration or उत्सव in her name.

Mahadev is worshipped on #श्रावणी सोमवार #Shravani Somwar as a tradition. #Pune has many heritage Mahadev Temples. This thread attempts to share info about a few of them #KnowPune #heritage Someshwar Temple in Raviwar Peth is from the 1700s. The complex has many otjer temples in addition to the Mahadev temple.

There were requests to share info about Sadguru Jangli Maharaj. Sharing information from public domain in this thread. Sadguru Jangli Maharaj was born in 1803. Some say that he was born near Hubballi, as per others he was from Baroda related to Rani Laxmibai's family. He left home early and gained spiritual learning from different gurus. It  is also said that he participated in the war of independence 1857. Later he was seen at Rethare Harnaksha near Satara, resided there performing sadhana. Thereafter he came to Pune at Bhamburda village.