Notes on the Geography of Peninsular India: PunePune (Poona during the British period) has had several lives. It was for a time the home of Shivaji and later the seat of the Peshwas, or Maratha leaders. During the British period, it was (as it remains today) a military center. Recently, it has become a major industrial and high-tech center. Make default image size smaller ![]() Government House, during the monsoon the residence of the British Governor of Bombay. In the early 1950s it was put to a new use as the home of the then-new Poona University. At the time the photo was taken in 2008, it was being restored. ![]() Rear view. ![]() Vice-chancellor's lodge, a classic British-era home. ![]() A classic of a different sort, a university information office that politely asks to be left alone. ![]() Another Pune educational center, the College of Engineering. ![]() The interior of the main hall is very grand. ![]() A cathedral of learning. ![]() Theodore Cooke, M.A., principal from 1865 to 1893. ![]() Perhaps in the internet age an old-fashioned library is less essential than it once was. ![]() Campus relaxation. ![]() Another college, that of Nowrosjee Wadia. ![]() "Sitting an exam." ![]() The city's Sassoon Hospital. ![]() Tower of the hospital. ![]() The Sassoon family originated in Iraq but became prominent elsewhere in Asia, including China. ![]() A trilingual plaque. Henry Wilkins, who attained the rank of general, was an architect on the side. Among other projects, he renovated the famous Aden tanks, q.v. under Yemen. ![]() A recycled British government guest house. ![]() Post office. ![]() The remarkably churchlike synagogue, another Wilkins production. ![]() Tower clock, made by John Bennett, Cheapside, London. ![]() Sassoon's tomb on the synagogue grounds were also designed by Wilkins. ![]() St. Mary's Church, in the cantonment area. ![]() Interior. ![]() An unusual last name and perhaps related to the Cecil Le Mesurier who worked in the Ceylon Civil Service and established the village there known as Lemesuriergama. ![]() Monument with tarboosh or fez. ![]() Monument with truncated palm. ![]() Tablet to a junior officer on the Great Trigonometrical Survey. ![]() A metaphor gone wrong. ![]() A popular spot, the Empress Botanical Garden. ![]() Queen's Garden. ![]() A new shopping center. ![]() High-rise suburb with a farfetched name. ![]() The location adjoins a major highway. ![]() The same road, running south to Bangalore. ![]() One of many car dealerships along the highway. ![]() Farther north, the road drops down to the coast. ![]() The section of the highway between Pune and Bombay is about the most modern one in India. ![]() Along its entire length there seem to be no bullock carts or loose animals. ![]() Back near Pune, an office building has sprouted in the Rajiv Gandhi Infotech Park, adjoining the village of Chinchwad. |
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