18 April 2015

P is for PL Deshpande Garden

My first choice for 'P' for my April 2015 AtoZ blogging challenge was the Peshwe Park in Pune. I have been visiting it since my childhood when it was a Zoo but more recently it has gone a total makeover from a Zoo to an energy park. Another interesting tidbit I have learnt is that way back in the late 1700s, this very site  had a menagerie which was created by Nana Phadnavis. Take a look at this sketch  "A Rhinoceros in the Peshwa's Menagerie at Poona" 

To my utter despair, despite repeated attempts, I could not enter the Park (reserving this for another post!) so I must settle for the PL Deshpande Garden. PL Deshpande was an extremely popular author, poet, music composer, orator (to name just a few of his talents) and he is still revered among Marathi people around the world. The garden is named after him and is also called the Pune Okayama Friendship garden. Here is my original post. Thereafter, the park has an addition which is a version of the 'Mughal Garden' with terrace lawns, walkways and fountains. The entry ticket rates have also been hiked. 

The lawns are off- limits which I think is a good idea as it protects the grass as the park tends to get fairly crowded. There are several interesting species planted here. Prunus serrulata and Platanus orientalis are among the important uncommon trees planted in this garden. 

Here are some images from the garden from a while ago. Enjoy!
PL Deshpande garden, Pune
Photo credit @puneribaker

Japanese garden, Pune,
Photo credit @puneribaker

Japanese garden, Pune
Photo credit @puneribaker

Japanese garden, Pune
Photo credit @puneribaker

Info:
Entry: Ticketed entry
Time: 6AM to 10AM and 4PM to 8PM
Parking: Available
Rest Rooms: Available (quality and hygiene not checked)
Drinking Water: Available (quality and hygiene not checked)

This post is part of my April 2015 AtoZ blogging challenge and I am writing about parks in Pune. You can read other posts on this theme here

2 comments:

Sandy said...

You've got me wondering what an energy park is, never heard of that. Too bad you don't have pictures of these parks. Hopefully you'll be able to get in next time round.

Adding you to the blog log in my right side bar of the folks who visit and comment from a-z.

Archana said...

Sandy, I have been told they have displays of various ways of non-conventional energy generation. I'll surely write about it as and when I can visit the park. Thanks for the addition!