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| Ganesh
Peth Gurudwara - Gurusingh Sabha |
This Gurudwara opens for prayers in the wee hours
of the morning when the entire city is asleep. The
routine starts with the 'Matha Tekna'- which means
bowing down to Granthsaheb, the holy book containing
hymns by Gurus and Saints. Some of the hymns are
written by Hindu and Muslim saints. Then follows
the morning prayer called the 'Japjisaheb'.  Then
there is 'Kirtan'. Kirtan means holy songs sung
(along with instruments) in praise of God. Kirtans
are followed by 'Ardas'. Ardas is again a ten minute
long prayer. It is said after the end of every session.
After the Ardas, excerpts from the Granthsaheb are
read at random. The paragraph which is read is then
considered as the message of the day. 'Langar' the
community lunch or dinner is served every Sunday
after the morning session in which everybody, irrespective
of rich or poor, sit on the floor and eat. The gurudwaras
are open to all people irrespective of caste and
creed. Each gurudwara has a high or the main priest.
The birth anniversaries of the first guru, Guru
Nanakdevji and tenth guru, Guru Govindsinghji are
celebrated as festivals with great enthusiasm. The
celebrations start three days before the birthday
when different Rashi jathas are invited from different
places of India who perform Kirtans daily in the
mornings and evenings after the end of which Langar
is served daily during the festival. More than 10,000
people visit the Gurudwara then. There are 'Prabhat
Pheris' or morning rounds, which begin twenty days
before these anniversaries. The pheris start from
the gurudwara at 5 am and end by 7 am. Different
routes are taken everyday. 'Asadiwars' another form
of prayers are sung during the pheris.
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Trishundya Ganapati temple |
This is another temple of Lord Ganesh of the Peshwa
times.  The
pecularity of the idol of Ganesh here is that it
has three trunks and hence the name 'Tri-shundya'
which means three trunks. The idol is of wood and
the temple made of stone has beautiful carvings
on its exteriors. Located in Somwarpeth, it is the
only one of its kind in the entire country.
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| Kamar
Ali Darvesh Darga |
Located at Shivapur, a small village, about 16 km
away from Pune city, the Kamar Ali Darvesh Darga
has two huge stones which can be lifted by reciting
the sacred name of Kamar Ali Darvesh in one breath.
Out of the two stones one can be lifted up by a
group of seven people using just one finger each,
with all the seven of them saying Kamar Ali Darvesh
in one breath. The other stone can be lifted the
same way, the only diference is the people in the
group should be eleven. How it is done still remains
a mystery, be it spiritual or scientific. People
of all religions visit the darga . There is an 'urus'
or fair held at Shivapur once every year.
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Parnakuti |
Parnakuti, the temple of Lord Shiva is situated
atop a hill across the famous Bund Garden. Inspite
of being situated in the crowded  area
of Yerawada, once inside the temple one gets a feeling
of being away from the city. The view of the city
from Parnakuti is breathtaking. |
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| Places of interest in
Pune |
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| Places of Religious
Interest |
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