Pune, also called Poona, is a big city in Maharashtra state, India. The city lies at the junction of the Mula and Mutha rivers. It is the cultural capital of the Marathas. Pune was temporarily occupied by the Mughals but again became the official Maratha capital from 1714 until it was captured by the British in 1817. The city served as the seasonal capital of the Bombay Presidency. It has historic and religious monuments, museums, parks, hotels, and cultural attractions.

The city has long served as an educational and cultural centre; Jawaharlal Nehru, the first prime minister, referred to it as the “Oxford and Cambridge of India.” The city has a wide number of constituent and affiliated colleges of the University of Pune. Pune houses the Bhandarkar Oriental Research Institute, renowned for research and instruction in the Sanskrit and Prakrit languages and incorporates more than 20,000 ancient manuscripts. The headquarter of the southern command of the Indian army is also located at Pune Cantonment in Pune.

Pune has sprawling complex of industrial suburbs, large factories producing a wide variety of products. The roads connect the city to Mumbai, Ahmadnagar, Solapur, and Satara.

The region is surrounded by the Sahyadri Hills, the Balaghat Range, and the Mahadeo Hills; Sahyadri hills has most of the important religious, historical and tourists sites of the region. Some of the famous hill fortes have been now converted into resorts. The city has important religious centres such as Bhimashankar, Dehu, Alandi, and Karli. Chief crops include jowar, bajra, sugarcane, and rice. Nearby are Meherazad and Meherabad, sites associated with Meher Baba.