Pune Offbeat Travel - Gram Samskruti Udyan and Vishrambaug Wada Palace
Time for official travel to Pune and yet another good opportunity to explore some more places in and around Pune.
If you get colleagues who share the same passion as yours then official travel becomes even more fun and exciting. I was lucky enough to find a travel buddy in one of my colleagues this time. It was a weeklong workshop. So we decided to use the first and next weekend for some exploration.
10-Dec-22 | Pune Offbeat Sightseeing
Late Sanjay Mahadeo Nimhan Gram Sanskruti Udyan
This is Pune’s first mock village depicting all the rural aspects of Maharashtra. You get to experience village life first-hand in this place which includes traditions, customs, festivals, events, market places, school etc.
Entry fee: Rs 50 per person
Timings: 10 am to 9 pm
As you take tickets and enter the theme park, you will find a signboard “ Enter the village” and from here starts your journey into this model village. All the statues are life- like and it seems as if we are in a real village.
We saw a model village home too.
Tour of the home looked so real. It was so calm inside this house.
We then walked towards real like local market.
We had lot of young co-travelers during our tour and we had fun seeing them ask inquisitive questions to their teachers. In fact, this is a perfect school picnic spot since kids will know how things have evolved with time.
One can easily spend 1-2 hours in this park. Rest rooms are available inside the theme park.
No eat-out options/restaurants outside the theme park.
And we couldn’t find public transport or an auto stand here to commute to the next place. We had to book Ola auto for our to and fro journey from this place. So the Government needs to really think about this.
Once you are out of this park, you will find Someshwarwadi Shiv Temple right next to Gram Samskruti Udyan.
The temple is dedicated to Lord Shiva but it also houses the replicas of 12 Jyotirlinga’s. I couldn't find any sign board to understand the significance or story of this temple neither there was a priest inside the temple. But it was very peaceful here. And obviously the highlight was the replicas of 12 Jyotirlinga’s.
After offering our prayers to Lord Shiva, it was hunger cravings time. And we had smartly planned our day today accordingly. Our next stop was Hotel Shreyas which is famous for its authentic Maharashtrian thali. But as mentioned earlier, there are no public transport options from this place nor there is an auto stand. So we booked Ola auto from here to Hotel Shreyas.
Hotel Shreyas
I had seen good reviews about Hotel Shreyas in Instagram where food bloggers have specifically mentioned visiting this place for authentic Maharashtrian thali. So this was our next stop.
Restaurant was packed with capacity, and we had to give our names to be added in the waiting queue. While we were waiting for our chance, we saw a lot of families waiting for their turn. It was nice to see big joint families with members from all generations get along and socialize.
Finally after a wait time of around 20 minutes, it was our turn. Service is really fast. Without any time waste they start serving dishes in the thali one after the other. Only desert you need to order separately if required. Food was too yummy and fulfilling.
After hogging this authentic Maharashtrian thali, we next took auto to our last stop of the day which is Vishrambaug Wada.
Vishrambaug Wada
This is a fine mansion situated at central Pune's busiest Thorale Bajirao Road and it was the luxurious residence of Peshwa Baji Rao II, the last Peshwa of Maratha confederacy, in early 19th century.
So, when we reached the destination, we had to get down and look for this place in the busy market area.
The entrance is made of teakwood and is magnificent with its carved pillars. There is no entry fee.
As you enter this mansion, you will be transported to the glorious era of Peshwas with the majestic courtyards and decorated ceilings. You will also find a teak balcony, but visitors are not allowed to enter here.
Only a part of the mansion is open for public visit. As we were walking, we also saw that a considerable section of this mansion is used for post office. Although just a few portions of the palace are exposed to the public, it’s worth a visit to get a glimpse of the grandeur of Bajirao era.
It was evening by now and we had to head back to another corner of Pune city Hinjewadi which would easily take around 1.5-2 hours. So, we hopped onto an auto and headed back after a satisfaction of the day well spent 
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Other Pages from my Pune Dec 22 Travel Diary
Harihar Fort - Maharashtra's 80 Degree Vertically Inclined Trek
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