Energizing the Future with Memories of the Past: The Wadas of Pune City

Abstract

Pune, described as the Queen of the Deccan, [1] is located in the state of Maharashtra, India. It is a historic city associated with the Maratha Empire and seat of the Peshwa power. During the Colonial Period it was a British cantonment. Contemporary Pune city is considered as the cultural capital of Maharashtra and is also referred to as the Oxford of the East due to the presence of several well-known educational institutions. The old city of Pune is constituted by the seventeen Peths or localities. The wadas are a characteristic built-form that evolved during the Maratha Period. They were the residences not only of the Peshwas but also those connected with the administrative system of the times and are the manifestations of the culture of the period. They vary considerably in size and form. They have a characteristic spatial organization harmonizing form and space with distinct architectural features. They were once the seat of power, intrigue and grandeur. Now, they are the surviving witnesses of battle plans and palace intrigues at the height of glory of the Maratha Empire. After more than three hundred and fifty years the wadas themselves are waging a final battle for survival considering the apathy towards their woes and issues from both the civic body as well as their private owners. The objective of the paper is to explore the possibility of developing selected wadas as nodes in developing Pune city’s culture infrastructure as well as heritage showcase. It seeks site specific solutions of ‘Energizing the Future with the Memories of the Past’ in Pune city.