Pune, also known by its older name of Poona, is a major city in Maharashtra, India. It has a population of about 4 million.
It is a major industrial centre and has many institutions of higher education, including the University of Pune, several colleges of engineering, IUCAA (Inter University Center for Astronomy and Astrophysics), TIFR (Tata Institute of Fundamental Research) and Armed Forces Medical College.
Students from all over India come to Pune for higher education, particularly engineering and management. Pune is rapidly becoming a major centre of Information Technology in India.
This is also a historically important city. The Maratha empire was headquartered here, and the city has atleast two major forts along with many ancient temples.
Pune is also home to one of the world's largest two-wheeler manufacturer - Bajaj Auto.
With the construction of the Mumbai-Pune Expressway, this city is now only a three hour drive from Mumbai.