Pune
The title of this article is ambiguous. For other meanings, see Pune (disambiguation).
Poona is a redirect to this article. For the Danish general cargo ship, see Poona (ship).
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Pune (Marathi: पुणे, Puṇe, formerly Punavadi पुनवडी, formerly anglicized Poona(h)) is a city in the Indian state of Maharashtra. With a population of 3.1 million in the city proper and 5 million in the agglomeration (2011 census), it is an industrial centre (automobiles, light industry, software development and engineering) as well as the cultural hub of the region with a university, theatres, cinemas and museums. Pune is considered the ninth largest city in India; after Mumbai, it is the second largest city in Maharashtra.
Pune is the capital of Pune district. The city also calls itself the "Oxford of the East".
Location
Pune is located on the Mula and Mutha rivers at a distance of about 150 kilometers (driving distance) southeast of Mumbai at an altitude of about 560 meters above sea level on the Deccan Plateau. Aurangabad, another city with a population of over a million and an important industrial centre, lies just under 240 kilometres to the northeast.
Toponomy
As can be seen from two copper plates with inscriptions that have been found, a settlement called Punyanagari already existed in the 9th/10th century; the name later became Punak, and in the 13th century Kasbe Pune or Punavadi. The British made it Poona, which remained valid until 1976.
