Travelogue: Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Park near Dange Chowk, Thergaon, Pune

Very near to Dange Chowk, Thergaon, Pune, there used to be a municipal park along with a statue of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj. Recently this same park has been renovated and upgraded into a theme-based park by Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC). Of late several new parks have been developed by PCMC in the Chinchwad area and it is a good trend. 

You can find it on Google Maps here. 

Here are some of the pictures from the park:

(Above) The statue of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj

(Above) The beautiful garden provides shade and a peaceful sitting 

(Above) A giant saffron flag (pataka) can be seen proudly in the sky

(Above) The park has this theme of wall murals depicting the whole life of Shivaji Maharaj; starting from his birth as seen above

(Above) An exhibition in the form of series of wall murals can be seen inside the park

(Above) Another wall mural showing victory of Shivaji in the South India. Do you know that Shiva ji had spread his empire till Tamil Nadu? In 1677 Shiva ji had invaded Madras and you can read about it in the Hindu newspaper here. 

(Above) The skyline of the park is dominated by the Shivaji Maharaj statue

(Above) The beautiful gate to the park; at Dange Chowk, Thergaon

(Above) The flyover at Dange Chowk is also named "Shri Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Udan Pul, Thergaon"

(Above) Wonderful wall murals at the park showing different stages of Shivaji Maharaj's life

The entry to the park is free. Though the park seems to be still developing and a few sections may be added in the future. Kids were seen touching these murals and I saw a kid applying force to check how strong an elephant's trunk was! I stopped him and asked him not to touch it; but in the meanwhile the kid did beak a small bell from the neck of a bullock's statue. Feeling guilty, he picked it up and tried to install it back on the statue without success. I helped him do that but not before hurting my finger a bit. :) I think protective chains need to be installed before these murals so that they can be viewed but still remain safe. Also, it seems there will be a shade built to protect these murals from the rains - as of now these stand in the open sky and hence dust and water can harm those. 

The park is situated at the very busy Dange Chowk and there is no other place so near to the buzzing junction which is so calm and peaceful. Appreciation goes to the municipal corporation and government for making this park a wonderful and inspiring place to visit.

- Rahul Tiwary | April 2019

Hindu Temples: Shri Ram Temple in Chinchwad, Pune

I visited this amazing Ram Mandir in Chinchwad, Pune:

The temple appears to be made of gold. It shines and shines and one can simply get mesmerized. When I went inside, a group of women were singing bhajans and it had amazing atmosphere. The deity is in the form of Ram Darbar, i.e. consists of Lord Ram, Goddess Sita, Lakshman ji and Lord Hanuman. 

If you are visiting anywhere nearby, it is my recommendation to visit this temple too. You can find it on Google Maps here. 

- Rahul Tiwary | Pune | Feb 2019

Travelogue: Chapekar Chowk at Chinchwad, Pune

Below pictures show a splendid sculpture of the Chapekar Brothers from Pune who gave up their life fighting the British: 

If you are not from Pune/Maharashtra you might not have heard about these legendary brothers. 

The Chapekar brothers, Damodar Hari Chapekar (1870–1898), Balkrishna Hari Chapekar (1873–1899) and Vasudeo Hari Chapekar (1879–1899), were Indian revolutionaries involved in the assassination of W. C. Rand, the British plague commissioner of Pune.

Chapekar family came from a traditional Maharashtrian Brahmin family and were rich and influential once in the past. Later the family had turned into poverty.

Chapekar brothers were ardent followers of Bal Gangadhar Tilak and influenced by his hardliner and nationalist thoughts. Bal Gangadhar Tilak is an icon amongst Indian freedom fighters and is also considered "Father of Indian Unrest" against the British rule over India. Many also consider Tilak as one of the original 'Hindu Nationalists'. Influenced by Tilak's ideals and in attempt to make true his visons, Chapekar brothers founded a secret organization called "Binashi Samity" in Pune.

When there was a Plague outbreak in Pune, in the late 1896; part of the "global Third plague pandemic". A Special Plague Committee was formed by the British under the chairmanship of Walter Charles Rand, a Civil Services officer. Mr. Rand, the "Plague Commissioner" and Lieutenat Ayerst treated Indian patients ruthlessly in the pretext of preventing the plague epidemic and were detested by local population. Stories of their atrocities on Indian population were commonly known. Chapekar brothers were enraged and thought to eliminate the two British officers as a lesson to the British.

Chapekar brothers shot Mr. Rand and Mr. Ayerst dead. this was perhaps one of the first such assassinations.

The British police got hold of Chapekar brothers and hanged them till death. The selfless and defiant sacrifice of Chapekar brothers helped spread the revolutionary spirit all across Maharashtra. Reference

Where else can we find examples of such brave revolutionary brothers who gave up their lives for their motherland?

Chapekar Wada or Chapekar House:

The house of Chapekar brothers still exist today; called Chapekar Wada; in the same Chinchwad locality. I visited this wonderful house which is now converted into a museum:

Entry to this museum is free

I could simply walk into the main door

The view the house is amazing

It was indeed a wonderful visit to pay tributes to the great Indian revolutionary brothers... 

- Rahul Tiwary | Chinchwad, Pune | Feb 2019