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The curated walk takes visitors inside the main building complex, which was built in 1871 and served as the summer residence of the Governor of Bombay. Building was designed by James Trubshaw and was modeled in lines of Prince Albert’s Osborne House on the Isle of Wight, while the bell tower was inspired by Giotto’s Bell Tower in Florence, Italy. The interior consisted of a grand ballroom which has been converted into an auditorium. The dining room today serves as a seminar room. In spite of the adoptive reuse the interior is mostly kept unchanged and still contains the antique furniture and chandeliers. The building also houses a museum with exhibits from history, geology and anthropology. Weapons from the 19th-century Maratha armory are also on display.The most interesting part of the Pune University heritage tour is a 300-foot-long underground tunnel that once connected the kitchen. Note: The notice appears on the Savitribai Phule Pune University website on Friday and there is no need for a prior booking and participants can simply drop in at the venue at 11:00AM. The walks starts at 11:30AM.
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Pune University
The site of Pune University was the official residence of the Governor of Bombay during the monsoon season. The campus features mansions built in Italian-Gothic style. A 300-m-high tower beckons to all these who come here in the pursuit of higher education. It is one of the oldest universities in India.
This historical landmark's architecture features Italian arches, salons, suites and spacious lawns. During the 1942 Quit India Movement, the British interned Mahatma Gandhi and his wife Kasturba Gandhi here. The palace belonged to Aga Khan, prince and head of the Khoja sect, who later donated the palace to erect a memorial dedicated to Mahatma Gandhi and his wife. Must see is an exhibition of very rare black-and-white photos and paintings from various epochs in the freedom movement, but descriptions are sparse so it helps if you already have background to the story. Also worth seeing is the Samadhi of Kasturba Gandhi in the backyard.
A multipurpose stadium owned and managed by the Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC).
The house of the Chapekar brothers, two Indian revolutionaries in the British period, now converted to a museum.
A science centre housing a museum, an art gallery, an auditorium, an amphitheatre and a planetarium.
The museum contains various exhibits on Indian history. It was founded by French author François Gautier.