Budhwar Peth is one of many commercial localities in the old city of

Pune Pune ( ; , ISO 15919, ISO: ), previously spelled in English as Poona (List of renamed Indian cities and states#Maharashtra, the official name until 1978), is a city in the state of Maharashtra in the Deccan Plateau, Deccan plateau in Western ...

, India. The area is located in the heart of the city has a high number of electronics shops, and is known for its

red-light district A red-light district or pleasure district is a part of an urban area where a concentration of prostitution and sex industry, sex-oriented businesses, such as sex shops, strip clubs, and adult theaters, are found. In most cases, red-light district ...

. Three out of the five important Ganesh Mandals (''Mana che Ganpati'') i.e. Jogeshwari Ganpati, Guruji Talim Mandal, Tulshibaug Ganpati are located here, as is Appa Balwant Chowk, known as ABC.

History

For some period, Pune was ruled by the Mughal emperor

Aurangzeb Alamgir I (Muhi al-Din Muhammad; 3 November 1618 – 3 March 1707), commonly known by the title Aurangzeb, also called Aurangzeb the Conqueror, was the sixth Mughal emperors, Mughal emperor, reigning from 1658 until his death in 1707, becomi ...

in mid to late 1600s. When Aurangzeb attacked Pune, he camped Budhwar Peth in 1660. During Mughal rule, this Peth was known as ''Mohitabad'' or ''Moheyabad''. Peshwa

Madhavrao I Madhavrao I (formerly known as Madhavrao Ballal Bhat) was the second son of Peshwa Balaji Bajirao and grandson of Peshwa Bajirao I, who served as the 9th Peshwa of the Maratha Empire. During his tenure, the Maratha Empire recovered from losse ...

(1761–1773) renamed it as Budhwar Peth. '' Tulshibaug'', ''Belbaugh'' and the Jogeshwari temple are some of the historical landmarks of Budhwar peth from the Peshwa era. The ''Bhide Wada'', located near ''Limbraj Maharaj Temple'' hosted the first school for girls in Maharashtra. The school was started by Savitribai and

Jyotiba Phule Jyotirao Phule (11 April 1827 – 28 November 1890), also known as Jyotiba Phule, was an Indian social activist, businessman, anti-caste social reformer and writer from Maharashtra. His work extended to many fields, including eradication of u ...

in January 1848.

Economy

Budhwar Peth is a business area particularly for electrical goods market, books and traditional items. Places of interest include; Tambdi Jogeshwari Temple, N.M.V High School, part of Laxmi Road, the main shopping area of inner Pune, Appa Balwant Chowk and

Dagadusheth Halwai Ganapati temple The Dagadusheth Halwai Ganapati Temple is a Hindu temple dedicated to the Hindu god Ganesha (Ganapati) in the city of Pune, India. The temple is visited by over one hundred thousand devotees every year. A large number of devotees visit the temple ...

, which is believed to be the richest amongst all Ganesh Temples with the Lord Ganesha icon laden with several , of rupees of gold.

Red-light district

Budhwar Peth houses India's third largest

. It has been estimated to contain about 700

brothel A brothel, strumpet house, bordello, bawdy house, ranch, house of ill repute, house of ill fame, or whorehouse is a place where people engage in Human sexual activity, sexual activity with prostitutes. For legal or cultural reasons, establis ...

s and 5,000

prostitute Prostitution is a type of sex work that involves engaging in sexual activity in exchange for payment. The definition of "sexual activity" varies, and is often defined as an activity requiring physical contact (e.g., sexual intercourse, non-pe ...

s. The area suffers from

sex trafficking Sex trafficking is human trafficking for the purpose of sexual exploitation. Perpetrators of the crime are called sex traffickers or pimps—people who manipulate victims to engage in various forms of commercial sex with paying customers. Se ...

child prostitution Child prostitution is prostitution involving a child, and it is a form of commercial sexual exploitation of children. The term normally refers to prostitution of a minor, or person under the legal age of consent. In most jurisdictions, child ...

and police corruption.

HIV The human immunodeficiency viruses (HIV) are two species of '' Lentivirus'' (a subgroup of retrovirus) that infect humans. Over time, they cause acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), a condition in which progressive failure of the im ...

was formerly a large problem, but an HIV/AIDS programme, including education and

condom A condom is a sheath-shaped Barrier contraception, barrier device used during sexual intercourse to reduce the probability of pregnancy or a Sexually transmitted disease, sexually transmitted infection (STI). There are both external condo ...

distribution has resulted in a considerably reduced HIV prevalence.

References

External links

Vishram Baug Wada

Dagdusheth Ganapati
{{Prostitution in India Prostitution in India Peths in Pune Red-light districts in India

History

Economy

Red-light district

See also

References

External links