Pune Camp: The Old Cantonment and Its Lanes

Pune’s old cantonment, everyone’s “Camp”, is more than a shopping street. Step off MG Road into the lanes behind it, and you find synagogues, fire temples, old bakeries and a quieter, older city.

Ask anyone in Pune where to shop, and they will say Camp. Ask where to find old Irani cafes, bakery biscuits, a nineteenth-century church or a synagogue with a red brick spire, and they will say Camp again. Officially it is the Pune Cantonment, created by the British army in the early nineteenth century. In practice, it is one of the most layered neighbourhoods in India: soldiers and traders, Parsis and Jews, Goans and Muslims, Sindhis and Marathis, all living and building side by side for two centuries.

Most visitors see only MG Road on a crowded evening. This guide takes you into the lanes behind it.

A short history

After the British defeated the Peshwa’s forces at the Battle of Khadki in 1817, they established a large military cantonment east of the old city. Around the barracks grew a “bazaar” area to supply the troops: shops, bakeries, tailors, workshops and homes for the communities who came to trade. Many Parsi, Jewish, Bohra, Iranian and Christian families settled here. The cantonment remains under military administration today, run by the Pune Cantonment Board, and the Indian Army’s Southern Command is headquartered in Pune.

Mahatma Gandhi Road

Start on MG Road, the main street of Camp, once called Main Street. It is lined with arcaded buildings, many from the late nineteenth and early twentieth century, with shops on the ground floor and homes above. Look up to see wooden balconies, cast-iron brackets, and old painted signs. In the evening, the street is crowded; in the morning, it is calmer and the architecture is easier to appreciate.

East Street and the side lanes

Parallel to MG Road runs East Street, with more shops and old buildings. Between and around them are the lanes that make Camp special: narrow streets of tailors, cycle shops, small mosques and temples, old houses with verandahs, and bakeries whose ovens have been running for generations. Wander without a plan. Camp is compact, and you can’t really get lost.

Ohel David Synagogue

The Ohel David Synagogue, known locally as Lal Deval (“red temple”), was built in 1867, funded by the Baghdadi Jewish philanthropist David Sassoon. Its tall red brick tower, in Gothic Revival style, is one of the landmarks of Camp. It is still used by Pune’s small Jewish community. Visits are possible at some times with permission; security is tight, so carry ID and check in advance.

St. Mary’s Church

St. Mary’s Church, consecrated in 1825, is one of the oldest churches in the Deccan, built for the British garrison. It has memorial tablets to soldiers and officers, and a quiet churchyard. Visitors are usually welcome outside service times; dress modestly.

Parsi Pune

Camp has long been home to many of Pune’s Parsis, and there are agiaries (fire temples) in and around it. Fire temples are closed to non-Parsis; admire them from the outside and be respectful. The community’s influence lives on in the bakeries, the old Irani and Parsi cafes, and the family names on old buildings.

The cafe and bakery trail

Camp’s great pleasure is its food. Look for:

Irani cafes: bentwood chairs, marble-topped tables, bun maska (buttered bun) and milky tea, keema pav, and egg dishes.
Old bakeries: shrewsbury biscuits, nankhatai, mawa cakes, cream rolls and pattice. Some bakeries are famous enough to have queues; go early.
Kebab and biryani places: especially in the lanes towards Bhavani Peth and around the mosques, busiest in the evening and during Ramzan.
Sindhi and Punjabi snack shops: samosas, chaat and sweets.

We have not named individual places; ask a local which bakery their family swears by, and be prepared for a passionate answer. More in Pune food that is not a café list.

Empress Garden and the Race Course

South of Camp is Empress Garden, a large old botanical garden with huge trees, maintained by the Agri-Horticultural Society of Western India. It is a lovely, shady place for a walk on a hot afternoon; check opening hours and the entry fee. Nearby is the Pune Race Course, where the racing season traditionally runs through the monsoon and after.

How to reach

Camp is close to Pune Junction railway station, a short auto or cab ride away. From the old city, it is about fifteen to twenty minutes by road, depending on traffic. Once there, walk; the main sights are close together. Parking is difficult in the evening.

Best time

Mornings are the best time for architecture, churches and bakeries, which often sell out of popular items by afternoon. Evenings are for shopping and street food, when MG Road and East Street are lively and lit. Christmas, when Camp’s churches and shops decorate, and Ramzan evenings, when the lanes fill with food stalls, are special. In April, avoid walking in the midday sun and spend that time in a cafe or in Empress Garden’s shade.

Where to stay

Camp and nearby Koregaon Park, Bund Garden and Wellesley Road have many hotels across all budgets, from heritage-style guesthouses to business hotels. Staying here puts you close to the railway station and the airport road.

Tips

Dress modestly at places of worship and ask before entering.
Carry ID for the synagogue.
Bring small cash for bakeries and cafes.
Be patient with crowds and traffic on MG Road in the evening.
Ask before photographing people and shopfronts.
Pair Camp with the old city’s morning walk for two very different faces of Pune.

A cantonment with many stories

Camp is where Pune’s many communities met, traded, prayed and baked, and where you can still taste and see the results. Leave MG Road, take a side lane, buy a bag of biscuits, and you will understand why so many Punekars think of Camp as the heart of their city.