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Aga Khan Palace
Photo: Wikimedia Commons
poi · India

Aga Khan Palace

Getting around: In Pune, reachable by auto-rickshaw or taxi from the city center.
Hours: Open daily, roughly 9am to 5:30pm.

Aga Khan Palace was built in 1892 by Sultan Muhammed Shah Aga Khan III, partly as a charitable gesture to provide employment during a famine, but it's most historically significant as the place where the British colonial government detained Mahatma Gandhi, his wife Kasturba, and several other independence leaders following the 1942 Quit India movement. Kasturba Gandhi died during this imprisonment, and her memorial (samadhi) is located within the palace grounds, along with Mahadev Desai's memorial.

The building now functions as a Gandhi memorial and museum, with photographs and personal items on display, and its combination of grand European-influenced architecture with the weight of India's independence history makes it a meaningful, if somber, stop in Pune.

Aga Khan Palace FAQs

Why is Aga Khan Palace significant for Indian independence?

The British colonial government imprisoned Mahatma Gandhi, his wife Kasturba, and other independence leaders here following the 1942 Quit India movement; Kasturba Gandhi died during this imprisonment.

Is there a memorial to Kasturba Gandhi here?

Yes, her samadhi (memorial) is located within the palace grounds, along with a memorial to Mahadev Desai, Gandhi's secretary who also died during the imprisonment.

How long does a visit take?

1-1.5 hours for the museum and grounds.

Is there an entry fee?

Yes, a modest ticket fee applies.

What can I see inside the palace?

Photographs, personal artifacts, and displays documenting Gandhi's imprisonment and the broader independence movement, alongside the original grand architecture of the palace.

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