In the eighteenth century Pune was the seat of the Peshwas, chief ministers of the Maratha Empire. Their fortified palace, Shaniwar Wada, still anchors the old city, surrounded by the market lanes of the peths.
Older and newer layers sit close by: the rock-cut Pataleshwar cave temple, the Dagdusheth Halwai Ganpati temple, and the Aga Khan Palace, where Mahatma Gandhi was imprisoned from 1942 to 1944.
West of the city the road to Mumbai climbs into the Western Ghats. Our Lonavala day stops at the viewpoints and Bhushi Dam before dropping you in Mumbai.