Pu La Deshpande Garden
Pune's Japanese-style garden on Sinhagad Road, built as a symbol of friendship with its partner city Okayama in Japan. Also called the Pune Okayama Friendship Garden.
Quick facts
- Official name:
- Pune Okayama Japanese Style Friendship Garden
- Location:
- Sr. No. 537, Sinhagad Road, Pune
- Area:
- About 10 acres (40,000 sq. m)
- Timings:
- 6 am to 11 am and 4 pm to 9 pm
- Open:
- All 7 days
- Entry fee:
- Children ₹5, adults ₹10, foreign nationals ₹50
- Monthly pass:
- ₹100
- Run by:
- Pune Municipal Corporation, Sinhagad Road ward office
About the garden
The Pu La Deshpande Garden, officially the Pune Okayama Japanese Style Friendship Garden, celebrates the friendship between Pune and Okayama, its partner city in Japan. The Pune Municipal Corporation describes it as the largest Japanese-style garden in Asia outside Japan, and one of the proudest green spaces of the city.
The idea came from the Korakuen Garden of Okayama, a famous garden about 300 years old that was created by the Ikeda royal family. Pune's version recreates the spirit of that garden on about 10 acres, and is meant to bring the two cities closer in culture, trade and friendship.
The garden is named after Purushottam Laxman Deshpande, the much-loved Marathi writer and humorist known to everyone as Pu La. See Pu La Deshpande in Pune's Pride.
What you can see today
- A Japanese garden plan: laid out on Zen ideas, so that a walk through it feels calm and balanced in every season.
- Water everywhere: a large pond with brightly coloured fish, winding streams and small waterfalls.
- Six pagodas made of mahogany wood, and wooden pergolas where you can sit and rest.
- Lawns, little hills and woods: wide green lawns, gentle man-made hills and a small forest of Indian and foreign trees.
- Birds: many birds and insects live among the trees and the water.
Japanese gardens use opposites to create harmony: light and shade, soft and hard, still water and moving water. Look out for these as you walk around.
Timings and entry fee
- Open all 7 days: 6 am to 11 am and 4 pm to 9 pm. The garden is closed in the middle of the day.
- Entry: ₹5 for children, ₹10 for adults and ₹50 for foreign nationals.
- A monthly pass for regular walkers costs ₹100.
Timings and fees are set by the Pune Municipal Corporation and can change. Please check before a special visit.
How to reach
The garden is at Sr. No. 537 on Sinhagad Road, on the way from Pune city towards Vadgaon and Sinhagad. PMPML buses on Sinhagad Road and autos stop close to the gate. The garden comes under the Sinhagad Road ward office of the Pune Municipal Corporation.
Tips for visitors
- Early morning and late evening are the most pleasant times, and the light is best for photographs.
- Walk slowly along the streams and sit at a pagoda for a while. The garden is made for quiet enjoyment.
- Do not feed the fish or step on the plants, and carry your rubbish back with you.
More in Gardens and Parks
- Chhatrapati Sambhaji Raje Garden A big, much-loved garden on Jangli Maharaj Road with Pune's old fish aquarium, a toy fort, fountains and the famous Diwali fort and flower shows.
- Saras Baug A Peshwa-era garden at the foot of Parvati, built around a lake in 1750, with the much-loved Talyatla Ganpati temple at its heart. Free entry.
- Empress Garden A large old botanical garden near the Race Course, with rare trees, a lake and the city's famous flower shows.
- Mughal Garden A four-acre garden on Sinhagad Road laid out in the formal Mughal style, with terraces, water channels and fountains that light up in the evening.
- Bund Garden A riverside garden next to the old Fitzgerald Bridge, now called Mahatma Gandhi Udyan. A long-time favourite for evening walks.
- Seven Wonders Park (Late Yashwantrao Chavan Garden) A small theme park near Parvati with models of famous world wonders, from the Taj Mahal to the Pyramids, plus 3D and 4D shows.
Questions and answers
What are the timings of Pu La Deshpande Garden?
It is open all 7 days, from 6 am to 11 am and from 4 pm to 9 pm.
What is the entry fee?
Children ₹5, adults ₹10 and foreign nationals ₹50. A monthly pass costs ₹100.
Why is it called the Okayama Friendship Garden?
It was built as a symbol of friendship between Pune and Okayama, its partner city in Japan, and is modelled on Okayama's Korakuen Garden.
How big is the garden?
About 10 acres, or 40,000 square metres.
Who is the garden named after?
Pu La Deshpande, the famous Marathi writer and humorist.
Sources: Facts from Pune Municipal Corporation (pmc.gov.in, garden list), checked 9 October 2026.