Exploring Pune: Nothing in India is what you Expect

Another day exploring India – another whirlwind ride of crazy experiences! This time in the city of Pune just 3 hours from Mumbai where I was visiting my friend from university, Hayley, who was living there and had recently gotten married.

Learning about Hinduism at the Ganesha Temple

Before we put our lives at the mercy of Indian traffic again, we visited a Ganesha temple in Pune. Situated in a park it was quite a serene and relaxing experience.

The temple was more open plan, more relaxed and less elaborate than I expected. The coolness inside the temple and the tolling of the bell each time a worshiper entered was soothing.

Ganesha Temple, Pune
The Ganesha Temple in Pune

Hinduism is the world’s oldest religion and is very interesting but also seems very complicated so I can’t pretend that I understand the religion yet but I did learn some interesting things from Sam. I learnt that Hindus don’t have specific organised worship ceremonies on particular days, like Christians and Muslims do.

Hindus worship many different gods, goddesses or deities but there is only one ultimate reality which is Brahman – the infinite manifestation of the universe. The other deities personify aspects of Brahman or are reincarnations of other gods.

Hindus come to the temple of the deity of their choosing (which best fits the situation of the time) when they feel it is appropriate. The temple we visited was dedicated to Ganesha the elephant headed god and the remover of obstacles.

Street Food and Fun Fairs

pune street food collage

After a stroll around the lily pond and park we were ready to face the city of Pune. The chaos began as soon as steeped outside from the serenity of the temple. We came across a fun fair where the rides looked like they had been made out of straws – a Meccano set would have looked safer!

Needless to say we didn’t risk the fun fair, instead we drank coconuts from a cart stall on the street. They didn’t look or taste how I expected. They weren’t brown and hairy, they were green and hard; instead of tasting like creamy coconut they tasted similar to water. We also tried some cute looking street food – pani puri which was indescribable and unlike anything I’d ever tasted before.

The Aga Khan Palace – Gandhi’s Prison

Aga Khan Palace, Pune
The Aga Khan Palace, Pune where Gandhi was imprisoned

Next we whizzed off through Pune to the Aga Khan Palace where Gandhi was imprisoned for 2 years following the “Quit India” campaign in 1942. His wife and loyal secretary both died here in confinement.

There was a small collection of artefacts but the museum didn’t explain things awfully well. The Aga Khan Palace was a grand, whitish coloured, almost Portuguese style villa, set in what would have been quiet grounds if not for a large gaggle of nuns chattering and shrieking nosily.

In the afternoon we whizzed off and had a tour of the Sangam World Centre, the girl guide centre where Hayley lived and worked for her first 2 years in Pune, India. The complex was set around a swimming pool  and had a nice atmosphere. As it is set away from the busy roads it was lovely and quiet and I can imagine young girl guides would have a great time here.

Sari Shopping

One of the most beautiful things about traveling through India is the flashes of sparkles and colour from the women’s saris. I especially enjoy the flashes of multitudes of colours that billow out from the doors of the women’s carriages on the trains. I was keen to dive straight into Indian culture and wanted to purchase some Indian clothes and saris.

However, even shopping in India is different. A lot of the times shopping (and eating) takes place on the street. In the shops, instead of browsing and taking an item off the peg, you chose the fabric that you want for your clothing. Shops consist of a huge variety of different fabrics that can be made into your choice of clothing that I had never heard of including Salwar Kamez, Kurtas, and the one piece sari.

I was ushered to the upstairs of a Pune shop where you had to take your shoes off. Then the assistant started throwing piles of fabrics toward me. On the floor in front of me quickly rose a mountain of fabrics of all different colours, patterns and intricate sequined designs for my perusal.

Sari Shopping
Sari shopping

I was a little intimidated by the choice but I chose one of the less elaborate options – a bright turquoise blue sari with an embroidered and sequined detail running down the side. A woman assistant quickly and skilfully bundled and wrapped me up it it. It looked beautiful and was floaty to wear. I felt like a princess but it was so different, so bright and elaborate from what I’m used to seeing myself in and had no idea how I would wrap it on my own.

The heat in the shop was stifling, the choice too confusing and I couldn’t understand how to tie the sari or stop it from falling off my shoulder. Even though it is the most widely and commonly worn mode of women’s dress in India it seemed pretty impractical for everyday backpacking wear and I was too hot, tired, overwhelmed and traumatised from the traffic to make a decision amongst the multitude of colours, farbics and patterns.

Trying South Indian Food

huge dosa in pune

Hungry from the failed attempts at sari shopping, Sam and Hayley took us to a local restaurant and ordered some various South Indian starters and snacks, including a massive dosa which looked like a huge papery joint half the size of the table.

I tried all the dishes, spongy rice cake idlys, various forms of rice and vegetable pickle things with spicy orange and green sauces and some sort of omelet. All were very different tastes from what I’m used too, even from the Indian food that we are familiar with in the UK. It was a taste adventure and I enjoyed eating some of the snacks as they tasted quite nice after getting over the initial weirdness.

In the evening we went to an IndoGerman music festival which was a fun but strange fusion of Indian music and tasty German sausages and beer, an international and cosmopolitan side to India that I wasn’t expecting.

Even the Moon is Upside Down!

Upside down moon in India
Upside down moon

I looked up at the moon that night and noticed how it was upside down. It was a crescent moon shape but lying down so it resembled a smiley face. You never see it that way in England, another example of how nothing in India is as you would expect. Everything is different and is usually the opposite of what you were expecting. Who knows what surprises tomorrow will bring!

This post is part of a series about traveling across India. For more check out my other India travel blogs.

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6 comments

Lakshmi Loves To Shop April 11, 2013 at 12:39 am

Namaste…thank you so much for the link to my sari article 🙂 it is very much appreciated!

Reply
Anna April 11, 2013 at 9:36 am

Thanks, no problem. I enjoyed your article about saris.

Reply
She April 11, 2013 at 11:41 am

I love you’re article, thanks for the link too, it’s a brilliant idea! I stayed in Pune for just over a week at the Girl Guiding World Centre – also, I didn’t realise the moon would look different in other parts of the world! How amazing! xx

Reply
Anna April 11, 2013 at 12:47 pm

Thanks, how cool that you’ve been to Sangam, I liked it there. Yes, isn’t crazy about the moon. I never realised either until I saw it. There must be a geographical/ scientific reason but it kinda freaked me out a bit when I first saw it like that. Thanks for reading.

Reply
sporadicblogger April 11, 2013 at 2:21 pm

Keep on traveling and having fun. More power to you!

Reply
Sham April 5, 2019 at 12:29 pm

Nice post of this article. thanks for sharing.

Reply

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