Kamala Nehru Park

At Kamala Nehru Park one can go for evening or morning jogs/ walks. The place has a long stretch of well-maintained jogging track that runs encircling the considerably expansive lawns. When tired, one can take a seat on the wooden/ wrought iron benches or take a small space on the rows of cement seats. The lawns are lush green, properly trimmed and provide a soothing ambience. Most sections of the park have dense tall trees with seats underneath. Visitors can sit and enjoy the cool air, read a book or even meditate. Friends often catch up at this public place to chit-chat. Fitness freaks utilize the remaining parts of Kamala Nehru Park for other fitness activities.

 

Kamala Nehru Park is also sometimes used for entertainment and fitness workshops. Its location, when preferred by the participants, draws a good number of people to the park. The park has over 300 trees out of which over 150 are quite old. In the concrete jungle that the city is transforming into, one can definitely head to Kamala Nehru Park and observe these trees. The park also has colourful flower beds that add a vibrant touch to the attraction. Parents can take their children to the children’s playground where they can play the slides, swings, see-saws and the jungle gym. The park also has a fountain, and a genuine but non-functional Indian Airforce Aircraft (MARUT HF24).

 

This area of Pune is also quite famous for street food. There are vendors selling Chaats like Bhel Puri, Ragda Pattice, Pani Puri and other snacks like Vada Paav, Samosas, Pakoras, Roasted Corn etc. Although there is no restriction on bringing a snack inside the park, people must be careful not to litter. One can easily find cafes, restaurants, eateries etc around Kamala Nehru Park. Some of them are Casa Lolo, Varhadi, South and More, Raviraj Restaurant, Spring Onion Pune, Panchavati Gaurav, Le Plaisir, German Bakery Wunderbar, Barbeque Nation, Café 96 Garage etc. There are choices between Maharashtrian snacks and meals but there is no dearth of international cuisine and fusion foods too. There is something to suit everyone’s taste buds.

 

Kamala Nehru Park and the adjoining regions are identified as a prime location in the city. Therefore, one would find something to do around the park be it for food or shopping or just sightseeing. Some of the major malls and market places are located near Kamala Nehru Park. People can head to Hong Kong Lane, Central Mall, R Deccan Mall, Fergusson College Road, Deccan Gymkhana and Jangali Maharaj Road for shopping. Other attractions that can be explored along with Kamala Nehru Park are Dagdushet Halwai Ganesh Mandir, British Library, Shaniwar Wada, Pataleshwar Cave Temple, Vishrambaug Wada, Kelkar Museum etc.

·         06:00 AM to 11:00 AM IST

·         04:00 PM to 09:00 PM IST

 

The Park is open all days of the week

Nature’s touch

The main attraction of Kamala Nehru Park is the lush greenery of it. Covering an area of around 4,000 square feet, the park is all about undulating green plains dotted with towering trees and bright, colourful flowering shrubs. Together they make this park one of the most pleasant locations in Mumbai, set apart from the usual crowd and traffic and absolutely pleasant to the eyes and mind.

Boot House and other installations

Kamala Nehru Park boasted the unique structure of the Boot House, also known as the Old Women’s Shoe within its premises - a famous attraction for the kids. This is a building that looks exactly like an old boot, with a house on top. The design of this building has been taken from the famous nursery rhyme, ‘There was an old woman who lived in a shoe’. Inside the house, there is a stairway, which leads to a balcony in the house on top. A view of the surroundings can be enjoyed from that balcony. This is a very popular attraction among the kids who visit the park.

Recently, there have been additional installations in the park continuing on the theme of nursery rhymes. There is also a rainbow coloured amphitheatre, a railing designed like a real abacus and a selfie point with Minion installations.

The Viewpoint

The viewpoint of Kamala Nehru Park offering the mind-blowing sight of the Chowpatty Beach on one side and the Queen’s Necklace on the Marine Drive on another is the reason why people visit this place. As the sun sets and the famous Mumbai seaside lights up in the darkness, it is probably one of the best views you will find in the entire city.

No entry fees

Pune has a well-connected network of roadways that can be used to reach Kamala Nehru Park from any part of the city. The park itself is a famous landmark in Erandwane, so reaching the park wouldn’t be an issue if people take a direct auto rickshaw or a rental cab. Reaching on self-driven cars/ bikes can also be a good option although traffic might be high during peak hours. City buses ply frequently to the area. Travellers can head to the closest bus stand and board one of the buses heading to Deccan Gymkhana or Erandwane.

For those taking the state transport buses or railways to reach Pune would have to take public transport from the Pune Railway Junction or Pune Station Bus stand which are located approximately 6.2 kilometres away. The route to follow goes through Sadhu Vaswani Road – Raja Bahadur Motilal Road – NH 60/ NH 65/ SH 60 – Late Narubhau Limiye Road – Fergusson College Road – Bhandarkar Road. From Bhandarkar Road, the park is about 800 metres away.

Those flying in to Pune can take the route via Vishrantwadi Lohegaon Road – Shivanjali Chowk – Alandi Road – Deccan College Road – B E G Marg – New Holkar Bridge – NH 60/ NH 65 – NH 4/ NH 65/ NH 60 – Old Mumbai Pune Highway – Netaji Subhash Chandra Chowk – Barve Chowk - Late Narubhau Limiye Road – Fergusson College Road (F C Road) – Bhandarkar Road. Approximately 800 metres ahead is where the attraction is located. Pune airport is located about 17 kilometres away from Kamala Nehru Park.