- Type
- Fortress
- Built
- 1730 · 18th century
- Location
- Maharashtra, India
- Coordinates
- 18.5192°, 73.8553°
History
Peshwa Bajirao I laid the foundation stone of the palace in January 1730, and it was completed in 1732. Its name means the Saturday residence, as work began on a Saturday. For almost a century Shaniwar Wada was the seat of the Peshwas, the real rulers of the Maratha Empire, and in time it was ringed with bastioned walls. In 1773 the young Peshwa Narayanrao was murdered in the palace. In 1818, after the Marathas lost their war with the British, the British flag was raised over it, and in 1828 a fire, said to have burned for seven days, destroyed almost every building inside the walls.
What to see
What survives are the fortified walls with bastions and five gates, the grandest of which, the Delhi Darwaza, has doors studded with iron spikes against war elephants. Inside are the stone foundations of the palace buildings, gardens and the remains of the lotus-shaped Hazari Karanje fountain. The complex stands right in the centre of old Pune.
Wikipedia article Wikidata Q1351060
Popularity: articles about this site in 16 Wikimedia projects (Wikipedia language editions and others).