AGA KHAN PALACE

This palace, a World Heritage Site since 2003, was built by Sultan Muhammad Shah Agakhan III in 1892. He undertook the construction of this palace to help part of the population of Pune affected by a severe famine. The building occupies nearly 3 hectares on a 7 hectare plot. It took 5 years to complete and 1.2 million rupees. In addition to being the 48th imam of the Shiite Muslim community, Aga Khan III also occupied an important political position in the country's liberation movement. In 1938, he was elected president of the League of Nations and was also the founder and first president of the Indian Muslim League (political party).

The palace is most famous for having served as a prison for Mahatma Gandhi, his wife and his secretary Mahadev Desai. After launching the "Quit India" movement in 1942, the British put Gandhi under house arrest in Pune between August 9, 1942 and May 6, 1944. His secretary died there during his captivity and his ashes were placed in the garden. An urn containing the ashes of Kasturba Gandhi stands beside it, along with those of the Mahatma. The palace attracts many visitors and pilgrims who come to pay homage to the Father of the Nation.

The Aga Khan's palace was used as a location for the famous film Gandhi by Richard Attenborough (1982). The 5 reception halls, the private apartments on the upper floors and the vast 2.5 meter wide corridor made it the ideal place to depict the Mahatma in colonial times.