Admiring Ancient Architecture at Shaniwar Wada

Posted by Colleen
On May 19, 2022
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6

There’s so much to explore in Pune and elsewhere in Maharashtra, and I’m trying to see as much as I can while I’m here! While I’m not exactly a history buff, I am quite intrigued by India’s ancient temples and palaces (and the history that comes with them).

Shaniwar Wada was an impressively huge 7-story palace when it was built in 1732. For almost a century, it was the center of the Maratha Empire, which I learned a lot about from my guide as we walked the palace (but later I found this short explainer video super interesting).

The Delhi Darwaza (main gate), named for the King’s ambitions of conquering Delhi to the North

The history of this fort sounds quite dramatic, with events ranging from military attacks (by the British in 1818), a devastating fire that burned for seven days (in 1828), murder of the ruling Peshwa (Prime Minister) by the Palace Guards in 1773, and the suicide of that murdered Peshwa’s son years later in the palace fountain. Rumor has it that the murdered Peshwa haunts the grounds to this day, and his screams can still be heard on full moon nights.

Although this former architectural marvel is now mostly in ruins, it’s still quite impressive to visit. The garden complex was lovely to walk around, and you have to appreciate the archways and beautifully carved pillars that have survived for centuries.

The perimeter of the palace is fully intact, so you can walk on top of the outer stone walls where palace guards would have patrolled and see the holes that appear every so often in the thick stone wall that were intended to help defend against attackers (some were made to shoot canons through and apparently some were intended for pouring boiling oil on attackers!). The front gate was also set up for palace defense with a series of huge metal spikes about halfway up each of the towering doors (installed at that height to keep attackers from using elephants to break down the doors).