Pune, An Excellent Deccan Odyssey Destination

The sobriquets of Pune, namely the cultural capital of Maharashtra, the Oxford of East, and the Queen of the Deccan, defines the city the best. Located about 3 hr driving distance from the nation's commercial capital Mumbai, Pune is the second largest city in the encompassing state. It contains the headquarters of administration, business houses, and several state of art hospitals and medical institutions. Over the past few decades the city has emerged as one excellent hub of education housing some of the renowned educational institutions in the nation. It has the nation's one of the oldest universities.

Today, it houses a number of Information Technology companies and competes with Bangalore and Hyderabad to become the powerhouse of IT in India. It is among the cities in the nation having a population largely made up of students and young professionals, giving the city a youthful and enthusiast atmosphere and lifestyle. Nonetheless, Pune is also one fine destination to spend a memorable and fun-filled holiday with family or simply solo.

Backed by a glittering history that is nearly 1600 years old, the city is simply a dream to the history buffs. A long lasted bastion of the Maratha empire, the earliest evidences of human settlement in the city date back to the 5th Century. The Pataleshwar caves being one major testimony to the city's oldest settlement. Home to raja Shivaji and later a major seat to the Peshwas, and subsequently a major cantonment to the British troops, the city is marked by magnificent forts, temples, bungalows, and the verdant lands. There is a plethora of historical monuments to explore in the city, serving not just as good references to history buffs but also as visual delights to the tourists.  

There are valid reasons for the city bagging the title of the Cultural capital of Maharashtra. The city houses number of art galleries, museums, theatres, cultural centres, dance and music centres, etc. Also known as Poona, the city is one of the most popular cities in India. Other than commerce and education, tourism is one prime contributor to the city's economy. It is the city's sleek buildings, plus residencies, state of art malls, multiplexes, public places, cosmopolitan clubs, nightlife, and the plush hotels in Pune etc. that immediately attract the attention of the tourists.

Located at the east of the popular Western Ghats and encircling some of the most popular weekend getaways in India, namely Lonavala and Khandala, the city is replete of nature's riches. It is a beautiful city that lies on the convergence of Mutha and Mula rivers in the Deccan plateau. The weather here is ideally pleasant almost throughout a year, adding more to the tourism in the city. If you are in the city, the most significant places that you should not miss at any cost include: Parvati hill temple, Tribal cultural museum, Neelkantheshwar temple, Ohel David Synagogue, Osho International Meditation Resort, Bhuleshwar temple, Shreemant Dagdusheth, Shaniwar wada palace, Phoenix Market City, Pataleshwar cave temple, Rajgad fort, Aga Khan Palace, National war museum, and Bhimashankar temple. Note that these are just a few and there's more!

Arriving at the city is easy, as there exists excellent rail, roads, and flights connectivity to Pune. The Pune International Airport is one of India's best airports. It is a state of art airport complete with all modern amenities and equipments. There are excellent frequencies of Chennai to Pune flights and flights from Delhi, Kolkata, Bangalore, and Lucknow etc.

Author Bio: Anjali is a travel enthusiast and writes about hotels in Pune. Pune is one of the hub for IT industry. Also, check out Chennai to Pune flights, Delhi to Pune flights etc to reach directly to the city.