Pune City - Back to Pune History

Pune has been ruled by many different dynasties. The earliest evidence found are
copper plates of 758 A.D. and 768 A.D. which shows that the Rashtrakootas ruled
the region at that time. Pune was known as Punaka Vishaya or Punya Vishaya. The
copper plates of 960 A.D. refer Pune as Punaka Desha and Punaka Wadi. Vishaya in
these names means region. Later in the history of Pune the city came to be known
as Kasabe Pune.

Pune's history explains the term Pune as Punya or a holy place. According to the
Hindu tradition, the meeting of two rivers is sacred. That is why the city where there
is a union of two rivers is Punyanagari. The Yadava dynasty followed the rule of this
region after Rashtrakootas. Later on, this dynasty fell as it came under the Muslim
dominance until the middle 17th century.

Chhatrapati Shivaji emerged and founded the Maratha Empire and hence Pune came
to the Delhi Sultanate's attention. Shivaji spent his childhood in Lal Mahal in Pune, a
place built by his father. Pune city was developed by Dadaji Konddev, Shivaji's
mentor. He built a temple called Kasba Ganapati dedicated to Ganesha.

It was in Lal Mahal that Shivaji attacked the Moghuls and defeated the uncle of
Aurangazeb, Shahistekhan. In the 1680, after the death of Shivaji, Aurangazeb
named Pune as Muhiyabad. In the early 17th century, Pune started gaining
importance through the second Peshwa Thorala Bajirao. He expanded the Maratha
Empire towards the north provinces. After Bajirao, Nanasaheb Peshwa ruled this
region from 1740 to 1761. He encouraged setting up the Peths in Pune.

Family fights led to the end of the Maratha Empire in 1818. At this time in the history
of Pune the British rule was established. Pune and Delhi were the center powers
throughout this century. Pune was recognized later on in 1851 as a city of learning
and the Deccan College started the educational movement in Pune.

The first literary movement was started by organizing a Marathi Conference in 1878.
Tilak, Agarkar, Nam Joshi and Principal Apte started the Deccan Education Society
and Fergussan College in 1885. Later on, a high school for girls was established in
the later 18th century. Lokmanya Tilak started two newspapers, the Mahratta in
English and the Kesri in Marathi. These newspapers were used as a tool to arouse
the interest in national education, national language, swadeshi and swarajya; the
four main aims for independence. Tilak gave India the freedom slogan, 'Swaraj is my
birthright'.

Another builder of Moden India, Gopal Krishna Gokhale, established the Servants of
India Society which represented the Indian interest in the imperial legislative council.
Mahatma considered Gokhale as his guru. Hence, we can find the origin of various
path breaking movements- social, educational, political, literary and religious, in the
history of Pune.