Pune is the 9th most populous city in India and the second largest in the state of Maharashtra after the state capital Mumbai. The history of the city is closely related to the rise of the Maratha empire of the 17th and 18th centuries. In the 18th century, Pune became the political centre of the Indian subcontinent, as the seat of the Peshwas who were the prime ministers of the Maratha Empire.[1] After the fall of Peshwa rule in 1818, the new British rulers made the city one of their major military bases. Prior to British takeover, the city was confined to the East bank of the Mutha river. Since then the city has grown on both sides of the river.In the 19th and early 20th century, Pune was considered by the British as the center of political unrest against their rule. The city population and area grew rapidly after the Indian independence in 1947. The floods of 1961 resulted in loss of housing on the river bank and the subsequent housing of the homeless into new suburbs.The post-independence era saw Pune area emerging as a major manufacturing center. The city has also seen further growth in the higher education sector during this period.
