Shaniwarwada (Marathi: शनिवारवाडा) is a palace fort in the city of Pune in western Maharashtra, India. It covers six and a quarter acres in central Pune. It was constructed in 1732 as the seat of the Peshwa (prime ministers of the Maratha Empire), and remained the political capital of the Empire until its annihilation. The fort itself was largely destroyed in 1828 by an unexplained fire, but has the surviving structures are now maintained as a tourist and archaeological site.

By 1758, at least a thousand people lived in the fort.

In June 1818, the Peshwa, Bajirao II, abdicated his Gadi (throne) to Sir John Malcolm of the United Kingdom and went into political exile at Bithoor, near Kanpur in present-day Uttar Pradesh, India.

On February 27, 1828, a great fire started inside the palace complex. The conflagration raged for seven days. Only the heavy granite ramparts, strong teak gateways and deep foundations and ruins of the buildings within the fort survived.

Aga Khan Palace is situated in the Yerwada area of Pune. Sultan Mohammed Shah, Aga Khan III, had the palace constructed in the year 1892. The aim behind the construction of the Aga Khan Palace was to provide employment to the people of the nearby areas, who were hit by famine. Prince Karim El Husseni, Aga Khan IV, donated the palace to India in 1969, in the honor of Gandhiji and his philosophy. Aga Khan Palace is also known as Gandhi National Memorial because of its close association with Mahatma Gandhi.

One of the major attractions of the Aga Khan Palace is the samadhis (memorials) of Kasturba Gandhi (wife of Mahatma Gandhi) and Mahadev Desai (a long-time aide of Mahatma Gandhi). Since both of them breathed their last in here, Charles Correa had their samadhis built in the grounds of the palace itself. Gandhi's ashes are also interred at the Gandhi National Memorial of Poona. Exhibitions are held at the palace on a regular basis to acquaint people with the life and career of Mahatma Gandhi.

The palace served as the venue for the famous movie Gandhi. Since 1980, the management of the museum, samadhis and campus of the Agakhan Palace is under the Gandhi Memorial Society. The museum inside the palace complex has rich collection of pictures, depicting almost all the important incidents in the life of Mahatma Gandhi. There is also a wide assortment of his personal items like utensils, clothes, mala, chappals (slippers), letter written by Gandhiji on the death of his secretary, etc.

Among the architectural sights, you shouldn’t miss the memorial to the Great Mahadji Shinde. You can see the warrior’s painted likeness in silver, swathed in a flame coloured turban and an elaborately worked shawl. At his feet are his original puja vessels, used to propitiate his family deity each morning. A painted sign requests you not to open an umbrella within the Chhatri’s precincts as it would be insulting to the great warrior’s memory. This monument was built as a tribute to the great Maratha nobleman Mahadji Shinde who was the Commander-in-chief of the Maratha Army under the Peshwas.

The Pune War memorial is the result of efforts of the citizens of the city who pay homage to those who laid down their lives. The National War memorial is built at the Morvada Junction. On the walls of the memorial, you will find the names of around 1200 martyrs from the state who have laid down their lives in various operations after Independence. The memorial, a 25-foot stone pillar is surrounded on three sides by plaques of stone. Each stone plaque has the names of all the soldiers, airmen and sailors who have laid down their lives in the defense of the motherland since independence. At the moment there are almost 1200 names that are inscribed on the walls. Enough space has been left, for any new inscriptions on the monument.