Raj Bhavan, Pune

Last updated

Raj Bhavan, Pune
Entrance of Raj Bhavan, Pune.jpg
Raj Bhavan, Pune
General information
Coordinates 18°32′46″N73°49′29″E / 18.5461373°N 73.8247585°E / 18.5461373; 73.8247585 Coordinates: 18°32′46″N73°49′29″E / 18.5461373°N 73.8247585°E / 18.5461373; 73.8247585
Current tenants
Construction started1866
Completed1871
Owner Government of Maharashtra
Management Government of Maharashtra
Design and construction
Architect(s)James Trubshawe
Government House in Ganeshkhind at Pune, India - Around year 1875 KITLV 100081 - Unknown - Government House of the British rule in Ganeshkhind at Poona in India - Around 1875.tif
Government House in Ganeshkhind at Pune, India - Around year 1875

Raj Bhavan, Pune is the monsoon official residence of the governor of Maharashtra. It is located in the city of Pune, India.

Contents

History

Raj Bhavan (The Dhapooree House - Pune) were the government houses during the British Raj era in India. It was the monsoon resort of the Governor of Bombay and was built in 1866. The building was impressively designed by James Trubshawe and is situated in Ganeshkhind, Pune.

Today Ganeshkhind might mean the Pune University to most. But half a century ago it suggested the Government House, the monsoon resort of the Governor of Bombay. Yet the name still evokes the memories of that fateful night of 22 June 1897. It was on this day that Walter Charles Rand, Special Officer for Plague in Pune, who invited the wrath of Pune residents for his atrocities, was assaulted by the Chapeker brothers while he was returning from the Government house after attending the Golden Jubilee celebrations or the Queen's coronation.

But before Ganeshkhind became the official residence of the Governor, there was another house, at Dhapooree, where the story really began. It was here that the political diplomacy of the British, relating to the Southern Maratha Country, took shape. Today its tangible and intangible traces have completely faded out of memory.

Pune has the distinction of being the monsoon residence of the Governor of Bombay, now Maharashtra, for almost a hundred and eighty years, through the period of stay has now been reduced to a symbolic month. Even so, the Governor today attends the Independence Day celebrations on 15 August at Pune just as he presides over the Republic day celebrations on 26 January at Mumbai, Shri Sri Prakasa (1956-1962) was, perhaps, the last Governor who kept the schedule of a stay of four months, away from Mumbai, residing at Mahabaleshwar in May and at Pune from June to August.

Comments

Commenting on this practice Maclean, as early as 1875, remarked,

"Even the Bombay Government stays (at Bombay) sometime, from the end of November to the end of the March, though in most years it takes itself off to Matheran or Mahabaleshwar at the end of February, moves to Poona at the end of May and does not till November come down".

Pune, by then, had indeed become the second capital of Western India. It was the HQ of the Army and of several government departments. Maclean even thought

"it can boast of the finest Governor’s palace in India, a Council Hall big enough for a Parliament of Western India instead of a dozen legislators who assembled in it three or four times a year.

The new house at Ganeshkhind that was completed and occupied in 1871 overwhelmed Maclean.

While the residency at Mahabaleshwar was clearly for physical comfort, to avoid the hot and sultry summer of Bombay, political expediency was undoubtedly the motivation for Elphinstone’s choice of Pune for establishing a residency. It also came with a premium, as the climate of Pune during the monsoon was "as pleasant as the English summer". Despite the inconveniences of travel and often inclement weather, Elphinstone seems to have enjoyed staying away from Mumbai and Parel for he built for himself a cottage at Malabar Point, a bungalow at Khandala and often stayed at ‘Ghorabunder’ with friends in a small but handsome building, a very cool and convenient house for this climate and commanding a magnificent view".

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Maharashtra</span> State in the western region of India

Maharashtra is a state in the western peninsular region of India occupying a substantial portion of the Deccan Plateau. Maharashtra is the second-most populous state in India and the second-most populous country subdivision globally. It was formed on 1 May 1960 by splitting the bilingual Bombay State, which had existed since 1956, into majority Marathi-speaking Maharashtra and Gujarati-speaking Gujarat. Maharashtra is home to the Marathi people, the predominant ethno-linguistic group, who speak the Marathi language, the official language of the state. The state is divided into 6 divisions and 36 districts, with the state capital being Mumbai, the most populous urban area in India, and Nagpur serving as the winter capital, which also hosts the winter session of the state legislature. Godavari and Krishna are the two major rivers in the state. Forests cover 16.47 per cent of the state's geographical area. Out of the total cultivable land in the state, about 60 per cent is used for grain crops in the Deccan region, rice in coastal Konkan, and other high rainfall areas.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Malabar Hill</span> Neighbourhood in Mumbai City, Maharashtra, India

Malabar Hill is a hillock and upmarket residential neighbourhood in South Mumbai, Maharashtra, India. Malabar Hill is one of the most exclusive residential areas in Mumbai. It is home to several business tycoons and film personalities. Notable residents include Adi Godrej, Radhakishan Damani, Chandrasekaran Natarajan, Cyrus Broacha, Ashish Pandey the Birla family, Shashi Ruia and family, Pallonji Mistry, the Jindal family, the Petit family, the Shah family, the Sanghvi family, the Bilakhia family, and the Thakkar family. As of 2014 it is one of the most expensive areas in the world regularly featuring in the top 10 world wide localities.

Mahabaleshwar is a small town and a municipal council in Satara district, Maharashtra, India. It is a place of pilgrimage for Hindus because Krishna river has its origin here. The British colonial rulers developed the town as a hill station, and served as the summer capital of Bombay Presidency during the British Raj.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Raj Bhavan, Bangalore</span> Building in Karnataka, India

Raj Bhavan, Karnataka is the official residence of the governor of Karnataka located in Bengaluru city, in the State of Karnataka, India. Constructed in the late 18th century.

Raj Bhavan, Mumbai is the official residence of the governor of Maharashtra. It is located on the tip of Malabar Hills, Mumbai.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vasai</span> City in Maharashtra, India

Vasai, is a historical place and City near Mumbai (Bombay)'s western suburbs, located in Palghar district which was partitioned from the Thane district in 2014. It also forms a part of Vasai-Virar twin cities in the Konkan division of Maharashtra, India.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Matheran</span> Place in Maharashtra, India

Matheran is an automobile-free hill station and a municipal council in the Karjat taluka of the Raigad district located in the Indian state of Maharashtra. Matheran is part of the Mumbai Metropolitan Region, and one of the smallest hill stations in India. It is located in the Western Ghats, at an elevation of around 800 m above sea level. It is about 90 km from Mumbai, and 120 km from Pune. This proximity to these urban areas makes it a weekend getaway for many. Matheran, which means "forest on the forehead" in Marathi, is an eco-sensitive region, declared by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Government of India. It is Asia's only automobile-free hill station.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Panchgani</span> Hill station in Maharashtra, India

Panchgani, called Paachgani (in Marathi), is a hill station and municipal council in Satara district in Maharashtra, India. Panchgani attracts tourists throughout the year. It is also known for having many boarding schools.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pune district</span> District of Maharashtra in India

Pune district is the most populous district in the Indian state of Maharashtra. The district's population was 9,429,408 in the 2011 census, making it the fourth most populous district amongst India's 640 districts. This district has an urban population of 58.08 percent of its total. It is one of the most industrialized districts in India. In recent decades it has also become a hub for information technology.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Usha Mehta</span> Indian freedom fighter

Usha Mehta was a Gandhian and freedom fighter of India. She is also remembered for organizing the Congress Radio, also called the Secret Congress Radio, an underground radio station, which functioned for few months during the Quit India Movement of 1942. In 1998, the Government of India conferred on her Padma Vibhushan, the second highest civilian award of Republic of India.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bombay Castle</span>

Bombay Castle is one of the oldest defensive structures built in the city of Mumbai. The current castle is a structure built by the British on the site of the Manor House built by a Portuguese nobleman Garcia de Orta. Orta had leased the island of Bombay from the King of Portugal between 1554 and 1570.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mahad</span> City & Sub-district in Maharashtra , India

Mahad is a city in Raigad district situated in the North Konkan region of Maharashtra state, India. It is located 108.5 km (67.4 mi) from District's headquarter Alibag, and 167 km (104 mi) from Mumbai. Mahad is known for Raigad Fort, the capital of the Maratha Empire in Shivaji's era and the revolutionary Mahad Satyagraha launched by at Chavdar Tale in the wake of modern India.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Battle of Khadki</span>

The Battle of Khadki, also known as or The Battle of Ganeshkhind, took place at modern day Khadki, India on 5 November 1817 between the forces of the British East India Company and the Maratha Empire under the leadership of Appasaheb Bhonsle. The Company forces achieved a decisive victory, and Khadki later became a military cantonment under the British rule.

Raj Bhavan is the official residence of the governor of Kerala. It is located in the capital city of Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala. Built in 1829 as Palace Guest house of Travancore Government Guest, this heritage structure hosts the present governor of Kerala, Arif Muhammad Khan.

Raj Bhavan of Nagpur is the Second residence of the Governor of Maharashtra, It is located in the Second Capital city of the state Maharashtra: Nagpur.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tourism in Maharashtra</span>

Maharashtra attracts tourists from other Indian states and foreign countries. It was the second most visited Indian state by foreigners and fifth most visited state by domestic tourists in the country in 2021. Aurangabad is the tourism capital of Maharashtra.

Raj Bhavan, Mahabaleshwar is the summer residence of the Governor of Maharashtra. It is located in the hill station town of Mahabaleshwar, Maharashtra.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bankot</span> Village in Maharashtra, India

Bankot is a town in Maharashtra, India. It became part of the Bombay Presidency in 1756.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pratap Singh (Raja of Satara)</span> First Raja of Satara from 1818–1839

Pratap Singh Bhonsale was the eighth and last Chhatrapati of the Maratha Empire from 1808 to 1819. He was also the Raja of Satara until 1839, when he was replaced with Shahaji of Satara by the British.

Raj Bhavan, Maharashtra may refer to:

References