Shaniwar Wada

Bajirao Peshwa built the Shaniwar Wada in 1736. It is a seven storied mansion and served as a seat of political power during its time. It acclaimed tremendous importance and is the city’s main attraction till date. The Shaniwar Wada was largely destroyed by mysterious fires in 1827 which continued to rise during the 19th century and led to the destruction of the entire palace leaving just the mirror hall intact. When visiting the palace, one can still get a view of the leftover plinths, the fortification walls with five gateways, and nine bastions that enclosed the whole complex. The elaborate foundations of the original palace along with the nagarkhana showcasing the wooden pillars and lattice work add up to the beauty of the mansion. The sturdy doors were designed to be protected from the enemy. There are many reasons people visit here but one of the most common reason is to go see a place that is known as the most haunted of Pune. As per the legend, on a full moon night, one can still hear the young Peshwa screaming “Kaka! Mala Vachva”, looking for a help that never came. People working around the fort swear it’s haunted. In 1828, a massive fire broke out on this expansive estate, complete with huge gardens and fountains, that raged on for 7 days. What caused this fire is still unknown but the entire fort was destroyed in it. The fire burnt for seven long days and after it was extinguished, only the huge walls and gates remained, everything else was destroyed. The fort was abandoned after the fire and no one has lived here ever since.

The Shaniwar Wada was originally the seven storied capital building of the Peshwa. It was supposed to be made entirely of stone but after the completion of the base floor or the first story, the people of Satara (the national capital) complained to the Siva(King) saying that a stone monument can be sanctioned and built only by the Siva(King) himself and not the Peshwas. Following this, an official letter was written to the Peshwas stating that the remaining building had to be made of brick and not stone. The Wada was then completed and upon being attacked by the British Artillery 90 years later, all the top six stories collapsed leaving only the stone base, which was immune to the British artillery. Hence only the stone base of the Shaniwar Wada remains and can be seen even today in the older parts of Pune. By 1758, at least a thousand people lived in the fort. In 1773, Narayanrao, who was the fifth and ruling Peshwa then, was murdered by guards on orders of his uncle Raghunathrao and aunt Anandibai. A popular rumour says that Narayanrao's ghost still calls for help on full moon nights. Various people, working around the area, have allegedly reported such cries.[3][4] Sound of"Kaka mala wachawa"(Uncle save me) by Narayanrao Peshawe after his death. In June 1818, the Peshwa, Bajirao II, abdicated his Gaddi (throne) to Sir John Malcolm of the British East India Company and went into political exile at Bithoor, near Kanpur in present-day Uttar Pradesh, India. On February 27, 1828, a great fire started inside the palace complex. The conflagration raged for seven days. Only the heavy granite ramparts, strong teak gateways and deep foundations and ruins of the buildings within the fort survived. The important buildings in the palace includes the Thorlya Rayancha Diwankhana (Marathi:The court reception hall of the eldest royal, meaning Baji Rao I), Naachacha Diwankhana (Dance Hall), and Juna Arsa Mahal (Old Mirror Hall). Since the buildings were destroyed in the fire of 1828, only descriptions of the living areas of the fort are available. All the state halls in the buildings are said to have doorways with exquisitely carved teak arches, with ornamental teardrop teak pillars shaped like Suru (cypress tree) trunks supporting the ceilings, which were covered with beautiful teak tracery, carved creepers and flowers. Exquisite glass chandeliers hung from the ceilings. The floors were made of highly polished marble, arranged in a mosaic pattern and adorned with rich Persian rugs. The walls contained paintings with scenes from the Hindu epics, the Ramayana and the Mahabharata. The buildings are said to have been designed and constructed by well-known artisans, including Shivaram Krishna, Devaji, Kondaji Sutar, Morarji Patharwat Bhojraja (an inlay-work expert from Jaipur) and Ragho (a painter).