Shaniwar Peth is a historic ward in the centre of the Indian city 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 ...

. Shaniwar means ''Saturday'' in Marathi and other Indian languages. Under the

Muslim Muslims ( ar, المسلمون, , ) are people who adhere to Islam, a monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God of Abrah ...

rule this place was known as Murujabad/Murtuzabad. Gate of shaniwar wada

History

The area has ruins of

Jain Jainism ( ), also known as Jain Dharma, is an Indian religion. Jainism traces its spiritual ideas and history through the succession of twenty-four tirthankaras (supreme preachers of ''Dharma''), with the first in the current time cycle being ...

temples and

ghat Ghat, a term used in the Indian subcontinent, depending on the context could refer either to a range of stepped hills with valleys (ghati in Hindi), such as the Eastern Ghats and Western Ghats; or the series of steps leading down to a body of ...

s dating back to Yadava period. Shaniwar peth also has two muslim tombs , the Shaikh salah on the bank of the Mutha river. These were built on the ruins of hindu temples of Kedareshwar and Amriteshwar in the 13th century. The systematic development of the area started under the Nizamshahi of Ahmadnagar. The area was named Murtazabad after the sultan ruling at that time. In 1728, the Peshwa ruler,

Bajirao I Baji Rao I (18 August 1700 – 28 April 1740), born as Visaji, also known as Bajirao Ballal (Pronunciation: ad͡ʒiɾaːʋ bəlːaːɭ, was the 7th Peshwa of the Maratha Empire. During his 20-year tenure as a Peshwa, he defeated Nizam-ul- ...

moved his administration from nearby

Saswad Saswad is a municipal council located on South-Eastern corridor of Pune district of the Indian state of Maharashtra. Saswad is situated on the banks of the Karha River. Saswad is about 31 km from Pune-Central Station. History Saswad is a ...

to Pune, and in the process, laid the foundation for turning Pune into a large city. Before Bajirao I made Pune his headquarters, the town already had six " Peths" or wards, namely, Kasba, Shaniwar, Raviwar, Somwar, Mangalwar, and Budhwar. Bajirao also started construction of a palace called

Shaniwar Wada Shaniwar Wada is a historical fortification in the city of Pune, India. Built in 1732, it was the great seat of the Peshwas of the Maratha Empire until 1818. Following the rise of the Maratha Empire, the palace became the center of Indian poli ...

on the eastern bank of the Mutha River and at the northern end of shaniwar peth. The construction was completed in 1730, ushering in the era of Peshwa control over the city. Many senior officials of the Maratha empire built their own residence close to Shanwarwada including in Shaniwar peth.

Businesses and Amenities

Ahilyadevi Girls High school Pune 20160102 011228

Shaniwar is primarily a residential locality but has pockets of commercial activities. The area has many businesses involved in printing and publishing. The services offered include Offset printing, Paper cutting, paper & cardboard wholesale, and retail sales. Appa Balwant Chowk, the cross roads which has been the go to place for books for many decades in the city is partly in Shaniwar peth.

Schools

Shaniwar Peth has many Marathi language schools. *Ranade Balak Mandir *Navin Marathi Shala *New English School, Ramanbag (adjacent; in Narayan Peth) *SNDT Kanya Shala (adjacent; in Narayan Peth. Playground of the school in Shaniwar Peth) *Ahilyadevi High school

Hindu Temples

The peth has many old temples dedicated to different Hindu deities. The historic ones include Omkareshwar temple dedicated to

Shiva Shiva (; sa, शिव, lit=The Auspicious One, Śiva ), also known as Mahadeva (; Help:IPA/Sanskrit, ɐɦaːd̪eːʋɐ, or Hara, is one of the Hindu deities, principal deities of Hinduism. He is the Supreme Being in Shaivism, one o ...

, Dakshin-mukhi Maruti to

Hanuman Hanuman (; sa, हनुमान, ), also called Anjaneya (), is a Hindu god and a divine '' vanara'' companion of the god Rama. Hanuman is one of the central characters of the Hindu epic ''Ramayana''. He is an ardent devotee of Rama and on ...

, and Gupchup Ganpati to

Ganesh Ganesha ( sa, गणेश, ), also known as Ganapati, Vinayaka, and Pillaiyar, is one of the best-known and most worshipped deities in the Hindu pantheon and is the Supreme God in Ganapatya sect. His image is found throughout India. Hindu ...

. The

on Mutha river, at Omkareshwar used to serve as Hindu cremation ground until 1971.

References

Peths in Pune {{Pune-geo-stub