A Tryst with History

The B. M. Purandare Auditorium at Lonavala, near Pune, currently under construction, is both a unique and ambitious project entrusted to NDDC. It also occupies a special place in the firm’s design portfolio.

Conceived as a place to commemorate the work of the renowned nonagenarian historian, Shivashahir B. M. Purandare (शिवशाहीर ब. मो. पुरंदरे), the project consists of two main elements: an auditorium with a capacity to seat about 700 spectators and a museum. While the auditorium will offer a permanent stage for Shivashahir Purandare’s acclaimed Marathi historical play, Jaanta Raja (जाणता राजा), the museum will be a place where visitors can have an informative and edifying peep into the hoary Maratha history. The stage here will be large enough to facilitate the entries and exits of equestrian characters in the play. The area behind the green room will be evocative of an old Maratha wada (वाडा), its spacious courtyard serving as a place where members of the audience will be able to meet and interact with members of the dramatis personae.

The museum will house artefacts and other objects of historical importance related to the reign of the illustrious Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj (छत्रपती शिवाजी महाराज). It will also pay homage to the 16^th-century saint, Samartha Ramdas (समर्थ रामदास). In other words, a place where valour meets devotion.

The topography of the tract of land where this project is going to take its final shape naturally divides the place into two sections: a cluster of the aforesaid buildings and a car park on one side and a cafeteria on the other. Visitors entering the premises will be greeted by a huge replica of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj’s royal seal (राजमुद्रा). A huge avenue with a fountain at its centre will take them to the auditorium and the museum for their tryst with history.