Your city through history
Pune,
through time.
Pune connects the early life of Shivaji Maharaj with the later political world of the Peshwas. Lal Mahal and Shaniwar Wada preserve different chapters of that history, while reconstructed buildings require care when reading the past.
The current Lal Mahal is a reconstruction. Pune’s role in Maratha politics does not make the modern Maharashtra outline an exact boundary of the Maratha state.
A timeline of Pune
- 1630
Lal Mahal and the Bhonsle household
Shahaji Bhonsle established Lal Mahal for Jijabai and Shivaji. The original building did not survive; today’s palace is a later reconstruction.
Source: Pune District — Lal Mahal
Explore 1628 CE on the map ↗Atlas context: 1628 CE is a nearby available snapshot, rather than a reconstruction of this exact event.
- 18th century
A seat of Peshwa power
Shaniwar Wada served as the Peshwas’ headquarters. Construction dates vary across public accounts, so this entry uses a century rather than an exact founding year.
Source: Pune District — Shaniwar Wada
Explore 1740 CE on the map ↗Atlas context: 1740 CE is a snapshot within this period, rather than a reconstruction of this exact event.
- 1828
Fire damages Shaniwar Wada
A major fire destroyed the palace, leaving its fortified walls and gateways as traces of the former seat of power.
Source: Pune District — Shaniwar Wada
Explore 1818 CE on the map ↗Atlas context: 1818 CE is a nearby available snapshot, rather than a reconstruction of this exact event.
Another place, another story.
Mumbai
Mumbai’s colonial history follows changes in control of its island settlement and the growth of transport connections. These moments help explain how a coastal place became linked to a wider commercial hinterland.
Hyderabad
Hyderabad’s history connects a Qutb Shahi urban foundation, the nearby fortress of Golconda, and the later reshaping of the Deccan. Its monuments offer a way into this layered regional story.
Related reading
Find your city
5 cities in our sourced pilot
Hyderabad
Hyderabad’s history connects a Qutb Shahi urban foundation, the nearby fortress of Golconda, and the later reshaping of the Deccan. Its monuments offer a way into this layered regional story.
Read the city’s history ↗Pune
Pune connects the early life of Shivaji Maharaj with the later political world of the Peshwas. Lal Mahal and Shaniwar Wada preserve different chapters of that history, while reconstructed buildings require care when reading the past.
Read the city’s history ↗Mumbai
Mumbai’s colonial history follows changes in control of its island settlement and the growth of transport connections. These moments help explain how a coastal place became linked to a wider commercial hinterland.
Read the city’s history ↗Delhi
Delhi is a landscape of successive capitals rather than one unchanged city. Sultanate rule, the upheaval of 1857, and the imperial capital announcement of 1911 form three entry points into that urban history.
Read the city’s history ↗Kolkata
Kolkata grew around settlements and trading networks on the Hooghly. Company expansion and the later transfer of the imperial capital connect its local history with larger changes in Bengal and British India.
Read the city’s history ↗