Parvati Hill

Parvati Hill rises to about 640 metres in the middle of Pune, the second highest point in the city after Vetal Hill. It once belonged to the Tawares, a Patil family whose goddess was credited with healing a leg ailment suffered by Kashibai, the mother of Peshwa Balaji Baji Rao; the Peshwas bought the hill and raised a temple complex on it. The main temple, Devdeveshwar, built of black stone for Shiva and Parvati, was completed in 1749, with a gold pinnacle added in 1760. It is the oldest heritage structure in Pune.

A flight of 108 steps leads to the top, where there are also temples to Kartikeya, Vishnu, Vitthal and Rama, as well as shrines to Surya and Bhavani. The Peshwa Museum displays weapons, coins, utensils, furniture and palanquins from the period, and the samadhi of Balaji Baji Rao is here too. Halfway up on the southeast side is an unfinished old Buddhist cave. The summit offers wide views across the city.