The Bal Gandharva Ranga Mandir is a drama theatre with an auditorium and exhibition hall located in Shivajinagar area of

Pune Pune (; ; also known as Poona, ( the official name from 1818 until 1978) is one of the most important industrial and educational hubs of India, with an estimated population of 7.4 million As of 2021, Pune Metropolitan Region is the largest i ...

, India. It is named after Marathi singer and stage actor,

Bal Gandharva Narayan Shripad Rajhans, popularly known as Bal Gandharva, (26 June 1888 – 15 July 1967) was a famous Marathi singer and a stage actor. He was known for his roles in female characters in Marathi plays, since women were not allowed to act on ...

. The cornerstone for the theatre was laid in 1962. The opening ceremony was performed under the chairmanship of Acharya Atre in the year 1968 and it was inaugurated by the then home minister of India,

Yashwantrao Chavan Yashwantrao Balwantrao Chavan (Marathi pronunciation: əʃʋənt̪ɾaːʋ t͡səʋʱaːɳ 12 March 1913 – 25 November 1984) was an Indian politician. He served as the last Chief Minister of Bombay State and the first of Maharashtra after ...

Pu. La. Deshpande Purushottam Laxman Deshpande (alternatively written as Pu La Deshpande; 8 November 1919 – 12 June 2000), popularly known by his initials ("Pu. La.") or as P. L. Deshpande, was a Marathi language, Marathi writer and humorist from Maharashtra. ...

, the popular writer and humourist of Maharashtra was instrumental in the formulation of idea for this drama theatre.

Pune Municipal Corporation The Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC, IAST: Puṇe Mahānagarpālikā) is the civic body that governs the inner limits of Pune, India. It is in charge of the civic needs and infrastructure of the metropolis, which is spread over an area of 48 ...

, the civic body of Pune, owns the theatre. The theatre is located near Sambhaji Park in Pune. It is one of the most important cultural destinations in Pune City. Apart from the plays, many cultural, educational, social and corporate, along with other seminars and exhibitions are also conducted in the auditorium and in exhibition hall which is on the upper floor of the premises.

References

Theatres in Pune {{India-theat-struct-stub mr:बालगंधर्व रंगमंदिर, पुणे