Hanuman Mandir
While browsing through my blogs, I realized that I haven’t published a single on Pune. A location where I literally grew up. Surprisingly, the first ever tour which I went for was a bus tour. At that time, I had absolutely no idea about walking tours. People generally tend to go for such type of tours when they are visiting a new place. On the other hand, I am always curious to explore and know more about the city I grew up in. Eventually over the years I explored the various historic places, precincts and varied architectural styles present in Pune. Aside from them, I've gone on a few nature hikes here and there.
A Mandir at Parvati Hill
While glancing through my past Instagram posts, it came to my notice that one of the first walking tour that I went for in Pune was that of Parvati Hill. Now, this place may not sound familiar to an outsider but for me this hillock will always remain a part of childhood. The area was not developed significantly in the early 2000s or in the late 1990s. As a child, I used to love climbing up and down the hill in as it had steps. I vaguely remember of a temple being situated at the top. Hence when I came across an insta post on the walking tour of Parvati in 2019, I immediately signed up for it. A lot had changed but the stairs remained, and I couldn’t contain my excitement. When I was little, I hadn’t even bothered to look around properly but during this walk I came to know about an unfinished Buddhist cave situated on the south-eastern side of the hill. These caves are contemporary with the Pataleshwar Caves. I went to approximately three to four temples on this walking trip. Devdeveshwar, is the main temple which has deities of Shiv and Parvati. Besides that, there are even temples of various other gods like Kartikeya, Vishnu, Vithal and Ram. The latest addition which I saw was the Peshwa museum. I was unable to attend the museum owing to scheduling restrictions. I had taken this walk with Sahapedia. (India Heritage Walks).
Clicked at Pataleshwar Caves
I always wanted to visit the Pataleshwar Caves and my curiosity grew even more after the Parvati Walk. Before attending the walk, I vaguely knew about the place. After reaching the site, I was mesmerized by the monolithic structure. Even more shocking was the part, it’s located at one of the busiest junctions of Pune. These are Hindu rock-cut caves dating back to the 8th century. There are three rock-cut sanctums, which were likely to be dedicated to Brahma, Shiv and Vishnu but now there is Shiv ling and an idol of lord Ganesh. It can be said that Pune started developing around them back then. Geographically, these caves are situated in the northern part of the city. Another distinguishing memory, I have is that of a bougainvillea growing somewhere in the background. Which added a pop of pink to the otherwise grey caves. I went for this walking tour three years ago with Ashwin Chitale. He runs a company called aashwinheritage. I've even joined him on the Gothic Pune Walk. I heartily endorse both walking excursions.
Around two years ago, I came across an Instagram page by the name Pune Heritage Story But being stationed in Mumbai, I was unable to go for any of the walks listed there. Finally, I got a chance to attend one of the walks titled “Royal Temples of Pune” in September 2022.
The Instagram reel that I made on this tour has motivated me to write this blog. The reason being that reel currently has around 9k views. For me, this is unfathomable.
Kasba Ganpati Mandir
The first temple I visited as a part of this tour was the Gram Devta Kasba Ganpati Mandir. The male deity of the Pune region. The stone Deepmala (Usually a tall vertical structure used for placing lighted earthen lamps) situated at the one of the corners was a truly a sight to behold.
Tambdi Jogeshwari Temple
Another temple which was a part of this tour was the Gramdevi Shree Tamdi Jogeshwari Temple. The female deity temple of Pune region. This religious site is quiet and serene place from the inside as compared to the noises at the exteriors. Then the group took blessings of Lord Ganesh at the famous Dagudsheth Halwai Ganpati Mandir.
Belbaug Vishnu Mandir Facade
The next temple we ventured into was just a stone’s throw away. And the surroundings were totally contrast. This was the Belbaug Vishnu Mandir. I had never heard about this temple before. The temple had an eerie vibe to it. Apart from the walking group, I didn’t spot a single soul. Though later, the caretaker did come by.
Shree Ram Tulsibaug Temple
From there we went walked towards the Shree Ram Tulsibaug mandir. I just fell in love with the wooden intricate arches situated at the temple’s entrance. Almost all the temples which I visited on this tour had an element of wood in them. Even the ceilings were worth looking up. Personally, I make it a point to look up once whenever I visit any temple.
Exteriors of Khunya Murlidhar Mandir
The last stop of this walking tour was at Khunya Murlidhar Mandir. A magnificent temple precinct. Just a perfect place to connect with the divine. Due to restrictions, I was unable to click photos of the deities at all these sights. This tour lasted for about three hours.
As usual there are some pros and cons of the Pune walking tours. The walking tours are easier on your pockets or can be free at times. Some of them even provide snacks. The highest I paid for a walk in Pune was Rs.500/- On the other hand, walking tours don’t happen on a regular basis in Pune. Which I find as a major drawback. Initially when I started exploring Pune through such walks, they used to only take place once or twice a month. Now there is at least one walk being conducted on every weekend. I would recommend checking out the Instagram pages of these walking tours for the latest updates.
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