Parvati Hill is a hillock in

Pune Pune (; ; also known as Poona, (List of renamed Indian cities and states#Maharashtra, 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 ...

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

. The hillock rises to above sea level. Atop the hillock is the Parvati Temple, one of the most scenic locations in Pune. The temple is the oldest heritage structure in Pune and was built during the rule of the

Peshwa The Peshwa (Pronunciation: e(ː)ʃʋaː was the appointed (later becoming hereditary) prime minister of the Maratha Empire of the Indian subcontinent. Originally, the Peshwas served as subordinates to the Chhatrapati (the Maratha king); later, ...

dynasty. For visitors, Parvati hill is also an observation point that offers a panoramic view of Pune. It is the second highest point in Pune (after

Vetal Hill Vetal Hill (Marathi language, Marathi: वेताळ टेकडी ) is a prominent hill in the city limits of Pune, India. The hill is the highest point within the city limits, with an elevation of 2600 ft. There is a temple of Betal ...

). The hill has 108 steps (considered a holy number in Hinduism) leading to the top of the hill where the temple is situated. The hill was owned by the Patil named Taware. Peshwa purchased the hill to build a temple of

Shiva Shiva (; sa, शिव, lit=The Auspicious One, Śiva ), also known as Mahadeva (; ɐɦaːd̪eːʋɐ, or Hara, is one of the principal deities of Hinduism. He is the Supreme Being in Shaivism, one of the major traditions within Hindu ...

. The Devi temple was believed to be of Taware's whose angara was able to cure a leg ailment of

Kashibai Kashibai was the first wife of Bajirao I, the Peshwa (Prime Minister) to the fourth Maratha Chhatrapati (Emperor) Shahu. With Bajirao, she had four children, including Balaji Baji Rao and Ragunath Rao. Balaji succeeded Bajirao as Peshwa upon the ...

, mother of Peshwa Balaji Baji Rao. Thereafter, the Peshwa built a temple complex there. The main temple, Devdeveshwara, is made of blackstone. It was completed under Balaji Baji Rao in 1749, and a gold pinnacle was added to the temple in 1760. Other temples are dedicated to

Vitthal Vithoba, also known as Vi(t)thal(a) and Panduranga, is a Hindu deity predominantly worshipped in the Indian state of Maharashtra and Karnataka. He is generally considered as a manifestation of the god Vishnu, or his avatar Krishna. Vithoba is of ...

and Rukmini,

Vishnu Vishnu ( ; , ), also known as Narayana and Hari, is one of the principal deities of Hinduism. He is the supreme being within Vaishnavism, one of the major traditions within contemporary Hinduism. Vishnu is known as "The Preserver" within t ...

, and

Kartikeya Kartikeya ( sa, कार्त्तिकेय, Kārttikeya), also known as Skanda, Subrahmanya, Shanmukha (), and Murugan ( ta, முருகன்), is the Hindu god of war. He is the son of Parvati and Shiva, the brother of Ganesha ...

Temples

Parvati Hill has 5 temples atop it: * Devdeveshwar temple (

and

Parvati Parvati ( sa, पार्वती, ), Uma ( sa, उमा, ) or Gauri ( sa, गौरी, ) is the Hindu goddess of power, energy, nourishment, harmony, love, beauty, devotion, and motherhood. She is a physical representation of Mahadevi i ...

) *

Temple *

Rama Rama (; ), Ram, Raman or Ramar, also known as Ramachandra (; , ), is a major deity in Hinduism. He is the seventh and one of the most popular '' avatars'' of Vishnu. In Rama-centric traditions of Hinduism, he is considered the Supreme Bein ...

Temple Along with other temples of

Surya Surya (; sa, सूर्य, ) is the sun as well as the solar deity in Hinduism. He is traditionally one of the major five deities in the Smarta tradition, all of whom are considered as equivalent deities in the Panchayatana puja and a m ...

(the sun) and Bhawani mandir The temples open at 5:00 am and close at 10:00 pm.

Other structures

Besides the temple, the Peshwa Museum is situated there. The museum houses the weaponry, coins, utensils, wooden furniture, modes of transport (palanquin) and gifts acquired from the times of the Peshwas. The samadhi of Balaji Baji Rao is also located here, where he spent the last moment of his life. The Parvati water tank supplies water to the half of the city of

Half way up the hill, on the south-eastern side, there is an old Buddhist cave. Though unfinished, it is believed to be contemporary with the

Pataleshwar The Pataleshwar Caves, also referred to as the Panchaleshvara temple or Bhamburde Pandav cave temple, are an 8th century rock-cut Hindu temple from the Rashtrakuta period located in Pune, Maharashtra, India. Dedicated to Shiva, it was a monumen ...

caves.

References

External links

Hills of Pune Hindu temples in Pune {{Pune-geo-stub