Gouri Ghadge · View of Shanivar Wada, Pune.jpg · Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0
Shaniwar Wada
The Peshwa seat, completed 1732 and burned in 1828 — ramparts, teak gates and foundations.
Shaniwar Wada
Shaniwar Wada is the reason Pune was a capital. Peshwa Baji Rao I laid the ceremonial foundation of his own residence on Saturday 10 January 1730 — which is what the name records — and the wada was completed in 1732. It was the seat of the Peshwas of the Maratha Confederacy until 1818. On 27 February 1828 a fire started inside the complex and burned for seven days, and what it left is what you visit: the heavy granite ramparts, the teak gateways and the deep foundations of the buildings that stood inside. The main gate, the Delhi Darwaza, faces north towards Delhi, which was not an accident of surveying. Go expecting a fortified footprint rather than a palace, and it is one of the most legible historic sites in Maharashtra.
Explore Shaniwar Wada on the map
City locations, drawn from our published destination data. Attractions, hotels and restaurants are not mapped yet.
What to see
The walls, the gates and the plan of what burned.
The defences
- The Delhi Darwaza, the main gate, facing north towards Delhi, with its spiked teak doors.
- The granite ramparts and bastions that survived the 1828 fire.
- The other gateways around the circuit of the wall.
Inside the walls
- The exposed foundations, which show the plan of the burned buildings.
- The fountain base in the courtyard.
- The scale of the enclosure, which is the thing photographs least convey.
Getting there
In the old city, and central.
Arriving
- It stands in central Pune within the old city and is reachable by app cab or auto-rickshaw from anywhere in town.
- The city metro serves corridors nearby; the last stretch is short.
- Old-city traffic is heavy from mid-morning, so an early start helps.
Best time
Winter, and early — the site is almost entirely open ground.
When to go
- October to February is the comfortable season on the Deccan.
- Early morning or late afternoon; there is very little shade inside the walls.
- The monsoon greens the enclosure and is atmospheric, with the obvious caveat about rain.
Visitor intelligence
Set the expectation before you buy the ticket.
Practical
- Nothing of the residence survives above foundation level — this is a walled site, not a palace interior.
- Allow about an hour; longer if you read the interpretation boards properly.
- An evening sound-and-light presentation runs at the site; check locally whether it is operating.
Nearby
Central Pune, within a short ride.
Frequently asked
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