Tulshi Baugh, Pune

 Rajendra Mehta

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TULSHIBAG , pune

This busy market, which sells a variety of goods, buzzes with temple visitors and shoppers thronging its stores and socialising with each other.

Tulshibaug is one of Pune’s traditional markets. It sells everything from kitchen appliances to clothing to cosmetics to toys.

In the 18th century, on the bank of the Ambil stream was a tulsi garden, which occupied more than an acre of land. It was owned by a soldier named Khasgiwale. Khasgiwale’s garden and wada formed the southernmost boundary of Pune at the time. Naro Appaji Khire, a minister of the Peshwa, bought the garden from Khasgiwale and started building a Ram temple (later known as Tulshibaug Ram temple) on the site. His descendants adopted the surname Tulshibagwale. The construction of the temple started in 1761, during the rule of Nanasaheb Peshwa, also known as Balaji Baji Rao, and continued for approximately 30 years with the support of Thorle Madhavrao Peshwa. It was finally completed in 1795 under the reign of Peshwa Thorle Madhavrao.

In the early 1800s, British rule replaced the Peshwai in Pune. This change in governance brought the management and conservation of the Tulshibaug temple under question. In 1885, after the establishment of Reay Market (later renamed Mahatma Phule Mandai), this area became a crowded trading centre. Space in the temple courtyard was given to shops to meet the increased demand for goods such as home appliances and ritual paraphernalia. Devotees could visit the temple, shop, and socialise in the same vicinity. Over time, the market became a landmark of the area and gained popularity among locals and tourists.

Tulshibaug can be accessed from the west, north, and south sides. The entrance opening into the side lane of Das Maruti Mandir, near Minerva Theatre, is now closed. The market stretches from Laxmi Road to Vishrambaug Wada on Bajirao Road, and from Shanipar and Kunte corner and Datta temple on Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Road all the way till Rameshwar Chowk and Mahatma Phule Mandai. There are more than 400 roadside vendors and 300 shops present in this area. Shops within the temple complex sell accessories for worship, ornaments and sculptures of deities, and metal utensils, while those on the outer periphery of the temples deal in toys, footwear, cosmetics, doormats, bedsheets, bangles, and imitation jewellery. It is believed that some of these shops make a turnover of crores on a daily basis. This concentration of retail stores is managed by organisations such as the Association of Small Business owners; Stationery, Cutlery & General Merchants Association; Tulshibaug Area Trade Organisation; Tulshibaug Urban Credit Society; Hutatma Babu Genu Ganpati Mandal, Tulsibaug Mandal; and Shree Jilbya Maruti Mandal.

Most of the stores around the Ram temple are older than the other shops. Narayana Hiraji Pandya’s utensils shop, Gajanan Shalgar, Gore, Thakkar, Suratwala, Agarwal, Gokuldas Gowardhandas, Ambadas, the instrument vendor Miraskar, the sweetshop Ghodake, and Porwal Cycles have serviced customers here for generations. Apart from this, Shri Krishna Misal, Maharashtrian Bhojnalay, Agatya, and Kaware Ice Cream are special food corners in Tulshibaug.

There is constant hustle and bustle here, except for on Mondays. What started within the courtyard of the temple is now spread over a huge area around it. In this crowded market, the Ram temple and Tulshibaug Ganapati stand peacefully as silent spectators of the changing face of Pune.

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