Shivaji raje, Jijamata and Dadoji Kondadev completely transformed the ruined city of Pune on their arrival. The town- cursed- by placing an iron rod and ploughed Donkey driven plough was given new life when bull driven golden ploughs were used as a ceremonial gensture. There was transformation, and the wild, ravaged countryside developed into a small town. Shahaji Raje had earlier established Peth Shahapura as a supplementary town to the Kasabe Pune. Jijamata founded the Kasba Ganapati temple- the gram daivat of Pune, got built the Lal Mahal- the royal palace, and hence she can be considered as the first pioneer of the modern Pune. The location of the Kasba Ganapati temple and earstwhile expanse of the city indicates that the main entrance to the city was from the south east part.
Under the administration of Shivaji raje, Shahpura was reestablished along with Murtazabad. However, during the time of Shivaji Raje, Pune was a war torn territory, often exchanging hands, and subject to much plunder and loot. As such, no development from urbanization prospective took place in this time. Another setback was shifting the center of Power from Pune to Rajgad, and then to Raigad, owing to the impregnability of the latter.
What can be noted is that when Mughal General Shaistakhan came to Pune, he himself stayed in the Lal Mahal, while his army was camped in the area which is todays Mangalwar Peth, known as Ashta then. Shaistakhan ordered repopulating the area to have supplies to his troops and re established the peth, naming it after himself – Shaistapura.
Later, when Aurangzeb arrived in Deccan, Pune was under his rule, and he founded Mohiyabad- what is todays Budhwar Peth.
However, these were supplementary towns akin to cantonments, to provide for the troops stationed in the city, and hence can be discounted as serious developmental projects. No effort was taken to rebuild fortifications in place of the old ruined walls, and no serious effort was made to incorporate new established peths into a single command. These remained as isolated weekly bazaars and hamlets outside the main town.
The fact that territory was unstable, and often exchanged hands, subject to loot and plunder, stagnated the development of Pune as a city. This was revived in after the city was handed over to Bajirao Peshwa by Chhatrapati Shahu in 1726. This will be discussed in the next part.
3.
Development by Bajirao Peshwe (1726- 1740)
Pune, this it can be said that until 1726 was a desolate place, war torn and completely ruined. The first of redevelopments were done by Bajirao Peshwe and Chimajiappa from 1726-1740. This constituted the first major urbanization phase of Pune. Pune, which was vulnerable at the time to attacks, was given a fortified base in the form of Shaniwar Wada- the palace of the Peshwas. The wada was capable of supporting 10 foot soldiers on each of its bastions, plus patrols, which amounted to about 200 soldiers, plus 200 cavalry and other units, thereby having a total of 500 soldiers. In addition to this, a cavalry unit was established along the banks of the Ambil Odha, and was called as the Hujurpaga – the royal stables.
It was during the reign of Bajirao, Murtazabad was renamed redeveloped and repopulated as Shaniwar Peth. In this area, he built the beautiful temple of Omkareshwar and its many ghats, along with a playground for children- Ramanbag. Large donations would be made in the park in the month of Shravan. Today the premises of Omkareshwar include the temple complex as well as the Samadhi sthan of Chimaji Appa. The old ghats have long disappeared, and replaced by a road along the river bank.
Bajirao was also responsible for reestablishing Malkapur, Shahpura and Shaistapura, and renamed these as Aditwar(Ravivar) Peth, Somwar Peth and Mangalwar Peth respectively. Both these Peths were established earlier, however, since these were on the other side of the Nagzari, contact with Kasbe Pune was not that good. This changed when Bajirao redeveloped these two areas. As flow of people started increasing in these areas, a bridge was needed to cross the stream. A bridge was built here on the stream – known as Jakate Pul, and jakat(octroi) was levied on all goods brought into that part of the city through the bridge. Chavdi (police stations) were established in Somwar Peth, north of Nageshwar Mandir and to east of the Maruti Mandir. With regular patrols, and a bridge connecting Kasbe Pune, these two underdeveloped and overlooked outlying villages were reabsorbed into the Town of Pune (Details of the accounts of these Kotwals and Jamadars can be found in the book relating to governance of Peshwas by Wad.) The assimilation of Somwar and Mangalwar Peth into Pune were the first serious expansions to the east of the Nagzari.
The arrival of Bajirao saw the arrival of other Sardars, Money lenders, well known businessmen into Pune. To accomodate the newly arriving people, Bajirao ordered a Koul to redevelop the Old Malkapur Peth, south of Kedar Ves. The peth was set up on both sides of the road from Kedar Ves to Pasodya Maruti Mandir- the southern border of Ravivar Peth. Mercentile activity flourished. The redevelopment was done for mercantile as well as residential purposes. In 1734, Bajirao issued an order to establish a new peth- Peth Visapur, as a bazarpeth for the troops garrisoned in Pune. These issuing of orders for new establishments is known as a “Koul”. The “Koul” for Peth Visapur was given to certain Veerkar Bandhu, who acted as the shetya. Stable Pune thus, in this time consisted of what is Shaniwar Peth, Somwar, Mangalwar, Kasba Peths, alongside Ravivar Peth, and an insignificant colony in Mohyabad and Visapur.
It should also be noted that Bajirao built the Mastani Mahal in what is todays Kothrud region for his mistress Mastani, who was not allowed to enter Shaniwar Wada. However, as it falls outside the scope of the developments under consideration, it will be overlooked.
 |
| Pune at the time of Bajiraos Death - 1740. |
As you can see from the above map, boundries of different Peths are marked by Maruti Mandirs- Pasodya Maruti on the western extreme of Ravivar, and Veer Maruti on western extreme of Shaniwar Peth.
4.
Development by Nanasaheb Peshwe (1740-1761)
Bajirao, though a brilliant general, was never settled in Pune, leading his troops to battlefields all across the country. On that account, development of the city was slow under his rule. That completely changed when Nanasaheb became the Peshwa. He was a brilliant administrator and can be called the person chiefly responsible for giving Pune the structure it has today.
In terms of establishment of wards, Nanasaheb gave the “Koul” to establish Shukrawar Peth in place of the earlier Peth Visapur, and thus completely redeveloped it as a residential area. The northern boundry was marked by initially Akra Maruti and later by Jilbya Maruti, while the southern boundry was marked by Panchamukhi Maruti. South of shukrawar Peth- in what is todays Satara Road area - the tophkhana or artillary unit of the Peshwa was established.
Similarly, provisions were made to dedicate Ravivar Peth to the merchants. Ravivar Peth thereby became a commercial area of the city and soon ran out of space, which resulted in the establishment of Budhwar Peth to the west. However, this congestion also led to no place for Sarafs- jewellers and goldsmiths, and hence, Ravivar Peth was extended further to the south of Pasodya Maruti, and the area known as Saraf Katta- an area dedicated to jewelers and goldsmiths was established. The boundary of Ravivar Peth was now marked by Sonya Maruti.
What happened as a result was that Ravivar Peth soon became overcrowded and merchants who came to sell their goods from outside the city could not find space to set up shops. Realizing this problem, Nanasaheb issued a Koul to establish what is “Gurwar Peth”. Traders from across the country used to set up part time stalls to sell their goods by the day and used to return to their villages in the evening.This was known as"Men Bazaar". This caused commotion and difficulty, and hence to meet the need of these part time traders or small traders, Nanasaheb ordered the establishment of Guruwar Peth. Gurwar peth was filled by merchants who specialized in providing building material. A list of merchants include: sonar, lodi, sutar, tamboli, mali, bagwan, mochi, gurav, marwadi, pardeshi, gujrati, chhaparband, govardhan etc.
Ravivar Peth ran out of space in 5 years of its establishment, and instead of crowding the peth, Nanasaheb decided to establish a new peth for businesses. This was established to the east of Ravivar Peth and came to be known as Ganesh Peth. Merchants who could not find space or afford rents in Ravivar Peth and opened shops here. It can be said that Ganesh Peth was an extension of Ravivar Peth- an indicator is the temple of Dulya Maruti, named so as it is said that the idol was oscillating during the defeat at Panipat. Similarly, Salt Merchants were given a dedicated area- known as Mithaganj, which later came into existance as a seperate Peth known as Ganj Peth. Pune was already a big city, and trade prospered. Population swelled, and demand for goods increased.
As Ravivar Peth ran out of space, Nanasaheb issued a Koul to Jivajipant Khajgiwale for establishment of Budhwar Peth in place of the old Mohiyabad. This area includes what was known as Belbag and Tulshi bag. Budhwar peth was established as a residential cum commercial peth, and largely had shops which sold cloth. A lane known as Kapad Ali was famous. In its peak days, Budhwar peth, along with Ravivar Peth was considered to be an extremely affluent and rich area of Pune. The growth of Budhwar Peth can be observed from corresponding Maruti Mandirs in the ward - when the southern boundry of Budhwar Peth was extended, it let to the establishment of Bhangya Maruti. Similarly, when western expansion took place, it resulted in the establishment of Gavatya Maruti.
What can be concluded is that Nanasaheb issued a Koul to either establish and/or redevelop Ravivar, Shukrawar, Budhwar, Guruvar, Ganj and Ganesh Peths. The expanse of Pune in this time can also be observed in changing Maruti temples. This will be discussed at the end of the writeup.
However, Nanasaheb was responsible not just for expanding Pune but also for its beautification. Many beautiful temples such as the Parvati Complex were built during his time. Parvati, a small temple on the hill, was converted into a huge temple complex at this time, and was an alltime Peshwa favourite, with each one adding to and beautifying the complex. When the Parvati was completed, Nanasaheb decided to undertake beautification of the surrounding areas. He initially dammed the Ambil Odha and changed its course. What happened was the the surrounding marshy area was converted into a lake, with an island, and the island was later covered in a garden, rather poetically named as Sarasbag. The lake was used as a boat club, and secret meetings used to take place on the bag on the island. Nanasaheb is also responsible for developing the “Hira Bag” not far off from Sarasbag. Other Bags that were created during this time were Natu Bag, Bel Bag, Tulshi Bag – in the affluent arreas adjoining Budhwar Peth.
A Ganapati Mandir on the other side of Parvati (Laxminagar side) was established and called Ramana Ganapati. Huge donations were given to Sanskrit scholars from all over India during the month of Shravan. Learned people used to flock from all over india to get this Dakshina, which was of the order of a few lakh rupees each year- with the exception being 1761- the year of Panipat War. This annual programme of giving dakshina encouraged learned people from all over to come to Pune, and thereby helped in establishing Pune as a center of education.
While the rule of Nanasaheb brought crowning glory to the Marathas who captured territory as far as Atock near Peshawar, it also bought upon them the worst deafeat that they have ever suffered- Panipat. In 1761, the beaten forces of the Marathas were returning to pune, and the only way in from the left bank of the Mutha was through the old bridge near Shaniwar Wada, which would lead right into the city. To save the army the ignominy of passing through the city, Nanasaheb ordered the construction of a new wooden bridge, west of the city, which would open up a new route to Maval region. The work was completed in 4 days before the beaten troops arrived, and Nanasaheb himself oversaw the work of this bridge.
These developmental projects were enough to give Nanasaheb a lasting legacy. However, this great administrator also left us a civil engineering marvel of the highest order. The Katraj Shaniwar Wada Water pipeline. During Nanasahebs reign, Pune expanded leaps and bounds, and its population also increased significantly. To provide drinking water, Nanasaheb came up with his most glorious project. He had dammed the Ambil odha twice near Katraj, thereby creating two artificial lakes- An upper lake and a lower lake. The upper lake, which acted as a water filter was connected to the lower lake which acted as a reservoir. Underground stone pipes large enough for a man to walk through it were constructed, and the water of Katraj was brought to Pune city through this system of Pipes and Ochhwas – collection and filteration tanks and pipes. The total distance covered by this system was roughly 12 km, and water thus coming in were distributed to the general population by means of 18 public houds and 40 private houds. A few of the famous Public houds were Kala Houd, Badami Houd, Lakadkhana Houd, Bhau Maharaj Bol Houd, Tulshibag Houd, Budhwar Houd, Faraskhana Houd, Budhwar Wada, Phadke Houd, Datar Houd, Bahulicha houd, Nana Houd, Dhamdhere Bol, Bohari Jamatkhana Houd, Khajgiwale Bag, Rameshwar Houd and Ganesh Houd(Dulya Maruti). This intricate water system is a civil engineering miracle, as using only the natural gradient, water was supplied to over 100000 residents. No motors or any other mechanisms were needed.
 |
| Pune at the Time of Nanasahebs Death-1761 |
In conclusion of this section, it can be said, that Pune as a city got its fabric and skeleton from the administrative genius of Nanasaheb.
5.
Development by Madhavrao Peshwe (1762-1772)
While Pune took shape under the administration of Nanasaheb, Madhavrav Peshwe did no less to contribute to the development of the city. Firstly, he foresaw the importance of expanding east of the Nagzari, and thereby gave a Koul to a Mahadaji Vishwanath, a karkoon for establishment of a new Peth near the Bhavani temple east of Nagzari. This area , covered in Bor trees came to be called as Bhavani Peth. At the same time, he gave a Koul to establish a new peth known as Muzzaffarganj Peth south of Gurwar peth- which is the area south of Ganj Peth and East of Ghorpade Peth.
In 1769, a Koul was given to a certain Appa Mundhe to populate the southwest part of Budhwar peth. This came to be known as Sadashiv peth. People of Pune were initially reluctant to settle over here since it was seen to be too far off from the main city. A tax waiver of 7 years was passed for anyone who settled in the area, and soon population swelled. Sadashiv peth later went on to be the most affluent part of Pune City, giving rise to its own unique subculture. At the intersection of Sadashiv Peth, Budhwar Peth and Shukrawar Peth- an important junction, a new paar was established with a Maruti Mandir- called as Shani Par. The boundries of Sadashiv Peth can be traced through the following Maruti temples- Nagnath Paar, Shani Paar, Bhikardas Maruti and Pavan Maruti.
Other than these, Madhavrao is also credited to having established a very small and residential Nihal Peth east of Nagzari. This area was mainly residential and very small, and was latter(during british administration) absorbed into the more expansive Rasta Peth and Somwar Peth.
 |
| Pune at the time of Madhavraos Death |
6.
Later developments:
In 1773, a Koul was given by Narayanrao to establish the Narayan Peth( if this was executed by him or Nana Phadanvis is unknown) to ease the burden on the capacity of Sadashiv Peth. A new ward was thus established. Narayan Peth soon flourished and all of Narayan, Sadashiv and Shaniwar Peth were needed to be expanded to occupy the increasing population. This was marked by "Patrya Maruti"
In 1790 a Koul was issued by Nana Phadanvis for establishment of a new peth east of Ganesh peth, across the Nagzari, to accommodate more traders. This was named as Hanumat Peth, which later became Nana Peth. Sawai Madhavrav Peshwe, during this time, built the famous Talyatla ganapati mandir In Sarasbag.
During this time, other areas such as Rasta Peth, developed by Sardar Anandrao Raste as Peth Shivpura, later renamed as Rasta Peth, as well as Ghorpade peth developed by Sardar Gorpade came up. (Ghorpade peth is todays Swargate and nearby areas). However, due to lack of water supply, Ghorpade Peth never took off as a major trading area.
It should be noted that both, Nana Phadanvis and Sardar Anandrao Raste made significant contribution to the development of the city. Both got into the city earthen pipelines from outlying village wells and lakes to provide water to the population. Nana Phadanvis got water from Ambegaon to Sadashiv Peth. Sadashiv Peth houd is a famous houd on this system. The water from Ambegaon was considered to be of especially good quality. If one goes on Sinhagad road towards Vitthalwadi, we see on the left side of the road an old Ochhhwas from this water system(Questionmarks over its current existence). Similarly Sardar Raste and Sardar Roopram Chaudhari got water to areas of Rasta Peth and Shukrawar Peth from near Mundhwa and Wanowrie
By 1800, Sawai Madhavrav had died in an accident, and Nana Phadanvis had passed away, and the power and stability of the Maratha Empire was waning. The last Peshwa Bajirao II(deemed by many as a fool and a coward) built lavish Mahals for himself such as Vishrambag Wada, Budhwar Wada etc. Most of these beautiful wooden structures were burnt in fires post the Peshwa rule. The last development project undertaken by the Peshwa was the establishment of a new Peth “Nrusinhapur” which can be equated to todays extension of Sadashiv Peth -the Lokmanya Nagar area. There were no major developmental project done by the Peshwas thereafter. Individual efforts from earstwhile sardars, traders, money lenders and other rich citizens established many of today's temples in the City area of Pune- such as the Khunya Muralidhar Mandir. The latter development- especially bridges, establishment of the Cantt, Navi Peth, Deccan , Formation of Railways, Mandai etc is a British legacy, and is beyond the scope of this study.
 |
| Pune 1805 |
