Shaniwar Wada- The Pride Of The Maratha Empire

The Shaniwar Wada is a historical monument of tremendous significance, located in Pune. It tells the story of the peshwas, who were a huge part of the maratha empire and it’s glory. With it’s construction starting as long ago as 1730, this monument is over 250 years old. Initially, it was intended to be a huge palace of seven stories made entirely out of stone. But the people of the national capital argued against this notion, since only the kings followed this practise.

This led to the entire project being reconsidered, and was finally built with bricks. The entire construction period lasted slightly over two years and when completed, was a sight to behold. The overall theme of the wada was an elegant blend of Maratha and Mughal architecture.

Architecture Of Shaniwar Wada

The architecture of the monument is a fine example of the Maratha style of construction blended with authentic Mughal architecture. Besides the main gate, the Wada has four more gates, namely Khidki Darwaza, Narayan Darwaza, Ganesh Darwaja, and Mastani Darwaza. The walls have floral carvings and paintings resembling the Mughal architecture style. What’s slightly tragic though, is that the wada caught fire and the reasons are still unknown. A lot of the property, artefacts and scriptures suffered heavy damage. Built on an expensive budget of 16,000 rupees, there was a huge amount of curiosity and fascination associated with the wada.

Things To See Inside The Wada

The Shaniwar Wada is extremely vast and one can study about it’s history through a multiple number of faucets. Starting off with the main entrance gate, which is adorned with iron rods and spikes, to act as a medium of protection from intruders. It also hosts a beautiful garden, constructed to act as a place of recreation for the individuals living in it.

A light and sound Show takes place after sunset, from 7:30 pm. The first show at 07:30 pm is narrated in Marathi and then at 08:30 pm, in Hindi. The stories of conquest and battle from the maratha empire are depicted with great detail using the water fountain as a medium of reflection.

Written By Ankit Lad | Subscribe To Our Telegram Channel To Get Latest Updates And Don’t Forget To Follow Our Social Media Handles Facebook | Instagram | LinkedIn | Twitter. To Get the Latest Updates From Arco Unico