Agakhan Palace

Agakhan Palace is situated 2 km away from Bund Garden in Yerwada on Pune-Nagar Road. Hugely popular for its historic importance, it is made with Italian arches and spacious lawns.

Mahatma Gandhi, Kasturba Gandhi, Shri Mahadeobhai Desai, Dr. Sarojini Naidu and others were kept under imprisonment in the Agakhan Palace during 1942- Quit India movement. Shri Mahadeobhai Desai and Kasturba Gandhi breathed their last breath in this Palace. Marble memorials of these two great leaders are there.

Agakhan Palace is known for its architectural excellence. Spreading on a 19-acre land, the picturesque beauty of the palace captivates the eye of every onlooker; with its magnificent structure. Mahatma Gandhi's items like his bed, writing desk, Kasturba's saree and other clothes; her Chappals (slippers) are maintained properly at their place.

Prince Agakhan donated this palace to Gandhi Smarak Samittee in 1972. Maintenance of parks and gardens are responsible for the committee since then. Pune is well connected by air, rail and road with all the important places within and beyond the state.

Chand Minar

Chand Minar is at Daulatabad. It was built in the Turkish style in 1435 by Ala-ud-din Bahmani to celebrate his occupation of the fort. This minaret is an outstanding example of Islamic art.

This 30-metre high tower is divided into four storeys. It has 24 chambers and a small mosque at its base. It is covered with the Persian blue tiles that make the Chand Minar outstanding.

Path passes bastions; studded gates, a drawbridge and the Chini Mahal, where Abdul Hasan Tana Shah, the last King of Golconda, was imprisoned in 1687 for 13 years are the important attractions of the tomb. There is also a 6.6m long 'Kila Shikan' (Fort Breaker) iron cannon on the bastion.

There are 100-steps stairs that lead to the 'Baradari' (pavilion) at the end of the tunnel inside the citadel. This pavilion is said to be the palace of the Yadavi Queen and later Shah Jahan.

There is another cannon at the top with a ram's head on the butt. Around the muzzle of the cannon, it is inscribed in Persian as "Creator of storms". Aurangabad is well connected by air, rail and road with the important places within and beyond the state.

Gateway of India

Gateway of India is regarded to be the starting point for most tourists who want to travel around the Mumbai city. This monument was built to commemorate the visit of the first ever British Monarch, King George V and Queen Mary in 1911.

This 26m-high structure has four turrets and intricate latticework carved into the yellow basalt stone. There are steps leading down to the water behind the arch. There are short cruises on the motor launches from here.

This structure is known to be the pride of Mumbai. Mumbaites, as well as the foreign tourists come down to this place in the evening and take a cool rest from day's exhausting work schedules. Mumbai is well connected by air, rail and road with the important places within and beyond the state.

Kesari Wada

Kesari Wada is located at Narayan Peth in Pune, Maharashtra. Gaikwads built the monument. It is very significant in terms of history. Prince of Baroda, Sayajirao Gaikwad used to live in this palace. Now the structure of the palace had been pulled down to renovate. Nightlong discussions were going in this building to overthrow colonial rule during the freedom struggle.

Lokmanya Bal Gangadhar Tilak used to run his two newspapers, the Kesari, in Marathi and Maratha in English from Kesari Wada. The Wada still has the offices of Kesari, and mementos of Tilak, including his writing desk original letters and documents, and the first India national flag unfurled by Madame Cama. During Ganapati festival, the Wada is visited by a large number of people.

Khuldabad

Also known as 'Valley of Saints', Khuldabad is located at distance of about 3 km from Ellora. A large scale Sufi had been migrated to Khuldabad in 14th century, as several Sufi saints of the Chishti ordered to reside Khuldabad (Abode of Eternity).

There is the Dargah, or tomb of Moinuddin Chishti, the spiritual guide of the Mughal emperor, Aurangzeb, within this sacred complex. Aurangazeb's tomb is also there near the tomb.

This simple tomb remains as an eloquent evidence to the staunch faith and Spartan lifestyle of this pious Muslim ruler. The tomb was constructed only with the few rupees he had earned by stitching cloth caps.

"No marble sheets should shield me from the sky as I lie there one with the earth" is the line, which is inscribed on his gravestone elegantly in Persian calligraphy.

Nearest airport is at Aurangabad and Jalgoan. There are regular buses between Aurangabad and Ellora.