FunderfulWorld

Many years ago, I would often hike in the hills in the Sahakar Nagar neighborhood of Pune with my parents and sister. Sometimes, as a special treat to ourselves, we would cross several hills and reach the beautiful temple complex of Parvati, located on a hillock. At other times, we would go to Parvati the “official” way: climb approximately 80 steps from the main entrance near Mahila Mandal. And each time, the beauty of the temple complex and the views of the city from atop the hill made it a joyful experience.

Baneshwar, the site of an old Shiva temple, is located about 40 km from Pune. We headed to Baneshwar on a Saturday morning. The small charming temple is surrounded by a forest, and hence the name ‘Baneshwar’. In the temple premises, Junior was drawn to a couple of tanks and their inhabitants (turtles and fish).  Outside the temple, several walking paths trace routes through the green environs; one of these paths leads to a waterfall.

The Pimpri-Chinchwad area, home to several major automobile companies, now has a Science Centre. Explore the world of automobiles, enjoy learning science in the “Fun Science” section, and walk among dinosaurs in the open Dinosaur Park. We spent a Sunday afternoon at the centre and thoroughly enjoyed our visit.  The Pimpri-Chinchwad Science Centre(or Pimpri-Chinchwad Science Park) is located near the Auto Cluster in Chinchwad. At the entrance, one can purchase general entry tickets to the science centre, as well as additional separate tickets for the 3D Science show and the Taramandal, an inflatable portable planetarium.