Baner a suburban area is situated on the Western side of Pune and comes under the Pune Municipal Corporation. It is well known for the Varkari Parampara and Bhakti Aradhna. Bordered by Pashan in South, Balewadi to the West, Aundh to the North and Pune University to the East. It is a residential and commercial Hub occupied by various IT companies.
HISTORY: In the 17 th Century the Kalamkar family inherited Baner and became the ruler of the area. Kavaji Kalamkar built a temple of Goddess “Tukai Mata” on the hillock which is over 400 yrs old, today popularly known as the Baner Hills which is a part of the Baner Pashan Bio diversity Park.
CULTURE: The most prominent temple in Baner is the Bhairavnath Temple(known as Gram Daivat which means Town Deity) During Navratri large crowd gathers here in procession and for worship. Urus or the Gram Daivat festival is celebrated with fervour on every Akshay Trithiya for 3-4 days. Ram Navami, Bhagwan Baba and Navratri are big festivals of Baner.
AGRICULTURE: Until 2005 Baner was known for its agricultural development however with the emergence of IT companies and residential complex Baner lost this status. The famous Baneri Bores get their name from the place they are grown in.
BANER HILL: Baner Hill is a famous landmark of Baner and it seperates two suburbs of Pune, Pashan and Baner. The hill is the third highest point within city limits with an elevation of 2224 feet surpassed by the Vetal Hill and Sutarwadi Hill. Hidden in the route up the Baner Hill is a small cave temple. According to a folklore these caves date back to the Pandava Era and it is said that the Pandavas lived in those caves during there exile almost 5000 yrs ago. The hillock runs East West, It has a spur which is locally known as the Pashan Hill having an elevation of 2100 feet. The temperature here is 1 to 2 degree lower than the rest of the region.
VASUNDHARA ABHAYAN BANER: The Baner area is primarily lush with greenery. To protect the environment, the Pune Municipal Corporation has put forth a proposal for the Baner-Pashan Biodiversity Park on the area around Baner Hill. The citizen groups in Baner have also undertaken a tree plantation drive since 2006. This group collects funds to help towards tree plantation especially before and during the monsoons and the construction of trenches. Once every week the citizens of Baner gather for a clean-up campaign as well as carry out soil and wa