Tarkeshwar Mahadev : Pune Hidden Gems

What do you do when you have something good, something that is praiseworthy, and something that can be an attraction? Answer, if you are in Pune – keep silent about it, tell no one. This is seemingly exaggerated – perhaps it is exaggerated; but I am flabbergasted by a series of unbelievable locations that I have visited in Pune City – within main Pune City, mind you. These are not well known – at least not one single localite informed me, even on asking. At least those I talked. If I didn’t talk to the right people, perhaps I am in the wrong.

But – if you expand your vision to TV, Cinema, Popular opinion, hotels – the situation above gets proof. I earlier visited Pune on a family holiday, stayed in a good Hotel. Not one Hotel informed me of these; not one person – Taxi, Tour Guide – even mentioned these. Thus, it seems to me that Puneites don’t realise how lovely a city they have, how mesmerizing are its many, many tourist-worthy places, how rich and unspoiled, unaffected by commercialism and popularity – making them lovely family visits.

I am referring to the many, many locations not mentioned usually, unlike the ever present Shaniwar Wada and Sinhagad etc. Sure, these are noteworthy; these are lovely and stupendous in themselves, they are the crowning Jewels of the city of Pune. But the people here forget that it has many other places – that deserve greater attention, like Pataleshwar Caves, Southern Command War Memorial {shared on my blog earlier} and the current one being reviewed – Tarkeshwar Mahadev, Yerwada, Pune

I did not even know of the existance of these three; Pataleshwar Caves I discovered on my own, as I was visiting JM Road on a market visit with team. The key account we were visiting was out, and I had time; I noticed something across the road – and walked. To my stunned and shocked surprise, I walked in on an ancient Temple cum cave complex, one of the loveliest locales it has been my luck to see. But more of that in the appropriate place when I document and review Pataleshwar… let us look at Tarkeshwar today in this review

Tarkeshwar, like Pataleshwar, is my discovery, insofaras not one single Puneite told me of its existance. I happened to notice a tall Shivji statue on my way from Bund Garden to Yerawada; I just walked in -yet again, to be stunned out of my wits – I was slam-bang right in the middle of one of the loveliest, and extremely holy sites, with a beautiful mesmerizing view and climb, and an even lovelier beauty of a temple  complex, with the primary deity being Shivji.

There is no indication of its heritage, or of its historicity – none that  I saw, at any rate. One of the pilgrims there told me that it is a very ancient temple {that is apparent from the construction etc}, and that it has linkages to the Pandav Brothers. I hunted on the internet – I could not spot anything on any site, save for a small article from January 2016 of its renovation being planned. I don’t think this said renovation has actually happened by the way, judging from the article and the temple. Only on tripadvisor and other such aggregator sites and one or two blogs is there a mention so far as I could see.

So tell me, Puneites – why should this be so? Look at these mesmerizing snaps, and tell me that this place isn’t worth a visit, even without the connected holy temple! Look at the images, dear readers, and decide for yourselves whether this place deserves a visit or not for yourselves. As regards the Temple, I can only say it is clearly very old, and is an immensely calming presence with Shivji as the primary deity, and smaller temples dedicated to other dieties in the Temple complex, like Renuka Mata and including clearly newer addition like one dedicated to Saibaba. Please look at these enclosed photographs, and decide for yourselves that this place deserves at least one visit or not…