River Mula Mutha – Punyache Paani

Mythical apsaras turned into rivers,
Soaked with earthy wisdom and riches
Nurturing and flowing through many ages
Mula & Mutha – true daughters of the Sahyadris

Flowing since ages, the Mula & Mutha rivers bring with them the riches and the wisdom of the great old Sahayadris to the plains of Maharashtra. Supposed to be as old as the Sahyadri mountains, some 6,00,00,000 years they are older than the Himalayas and the Ganges. They have seen it all from the prehistoric times to the formation of modern cities.

Imagined as a royal Maratha queen, the Mutha is a blend of beauty and riches as she flows through the heart of the city. Her composed stance exudes determination and fierceness, reminiscent of the great Maratha period. While the Mula river is imagined as a forest maiden as she curves along the (old) city borders – a little far from the city aspirations.

The origin

Lovingly called ‘Muthai’–meaning ‘mother Mutha’ in Marathi, Mutha river originates in the western ghats at a village named Vegre. Mula originates at the Muleshwar devrai, a sacred lush green forest in Mulshi. A small tank near the Muleshwar or Shiva temple protects a small stream which is regarded as the origin of the river. The sources of both the rivers are a rich natural habitat for various species of plants, herbs and interesting birds.

The mythical origin

The story of the river goes back to the times of a king named Gajanak who sat for penance in the Sahyadri mountains. This made Indra, the King of the Gods, insecure. So he sent two apsaras down to earth to break king Gajanak’s penance. Enraged by the two apsaras, he cursed them and turned them into rivers that became the Mula and the Mutha flowing through Pune. He later told them that they could attain salvation when they flowed down to meet and form the river Bhima.

Vegre Mutha river source

Polygonum Glabrum

Temghar
dam

Mose
River

Ambi
River

Warasgaon
Dam

Panshet
Dam

The Mutha banks once had dense forest cover. Fossils discovered along its banks suggest presence of elephant and large cattle called Auroch, now extinct.

Muleshwar Temple Mula river source

Manas Lake

Mutha
River

Panshet Dam Primarily built for irrigation in the late 1950s on the Ambi river 50 kms south-west of Pune it provides drinking water to the city.

Also called Tanajisagar dam, it burst in its ﬁrst year of storing water in 1961 because of total absence of RCC strengthening. It caused massive flooding in the city resulting in loss of life and property.

Sinhagad Fort Formerly called Kondana, it earned its name after the iconic ﬁght of Maratha warrior Tanaji Malusare against Udaybhanu, the Mughal general.

Pawna
Lake

Pawna
River
Source

Mulshi
Dam

Mula
River

Ram
Nadi

Khadakwasla
Dam

NDA Hills

Vetal Hills

Bhikar Dam

Taljai Hills

Katraj Lake Man-made lake built in 1750 during the Peshwa era. The intricate katraj water system comminsioned by Peshwa Bajirao II supplied water through an underground canal to the old city of Pune.

Parvati Hill The heart of the city on which is the Parvati Temple, built during the rule of the Peshwa dynasty in 1749.

Pashan
Lake

Rajaram
Bridge

Mhatre
Bridge

Little Grebe

Ambil
Odha New
Diverted
Course

Ambil Odha
old course

Joshi
Bridge

Chavan
Bridge

Sarasbaug The Ganesh temple in Sarasbaug was built in 1784 under the direction of Nana Saheb Peshwa.

Mutha
Bank
Canal

Nana Saheb
Peshwa Samadhi

Sambhaji
Bridge Famously known as Lakdi pool ( Timber Bridge) is the first bridge to be built over Mutha by visionary Nanasaheb Peshwe Legend says, it was built to provide a back-door entry to the troops after Panipat war.

Bhide
Bridge

Omkarehwar
Temple

Deccan Masjid

Pune
University

Shinde
Bridge

Dashakriya
Ghat

Pataleshwar
Temple

Tilak
Bridge

Ganesh Utsav Popularized by Bal Gabgadhar Tilak during the freedom struggle, the annual Ganesh festival is the high light of Pune’s culture.

White-browed
Wagtail

Shaniwar Wada Built in 1732, it was the seat of the great Peshwas.

Shivaji Bridge Formally known as Lloyd’s Bridge

Shree
Kasba
Ganapati

Lal Mahal

Sangameshwar
Temple

KUMBHARVES The small dam constructed in the peshwa era marked the boundary of the then Pune. The british rebuilt it after it was destroyed in a flood. The remains can be still seen under the dengle bridge.

Dengale
Bridge

Bopodi
Bridge

River Tern

Pheasant-tailed Jacana

Sangam
Bridge Formerly known as the Wellesley bridge, it was rebuilt after the Panshet ﬂoods and named Sangam bridge after the conﬂuence of the rivers- Mula and Mutha.

Nagzhari Nala

Mula
River

New Yerwada
Bridge

Holkar
Bridge

Sangamwadi
Bridge

Mula
meets
Mutha

Pune
Municipal
Coorporation

Nageshwar
Temple

Pune AISSMS Shri Shivaji Preparatory Military Scool

AIIMS
Shri Shivaji
Preparatory
Military School

Ambedkar
Bridge

Ganapti
Ghat

Discovery of stone age tools on the
riverbank near Bund garden suggest that
the river dates back to pre-historic times.
These tools belong to Homo erectus and
Homo sapiens.

Bund Garden
Bridge Bund Garden bridge, earlier known as Fitzgerald bridge, was built in 1867 by the British

Bund Garden Bandhara Built in 1852, to retain water to be supplied to Pune Cantonment. It was named Jamsetjee Jejeebhoy bund

Dr Salim Ali Bird
Sanctuary Environmentalist Mr. Prakash Gole created a bird sanctuary on the banks of Mula-Mutha in 1978.

Yerwada
Bridge

Empress Garden

Painted
Stork

Agakhan
Bridge

Bhairoba Nala

Agakhan Palace

Crinum Viviparum

Bhimashankar
Temple Built in the 13th century, the Bhimashankar temple is one of the 12 holy Shiva temples (Jyotirlinga). The architecture is a composite of old and new structures in the Nagara style of architecture.

Source of Bhima river

Bhama river

Indrayani river

Bhima river

Velu river

Mula-Mutha
meets Bhima

Ujani dam

Vitthal Temple
Pandharpur

Chandrabhaga / Bhima River

Krishna River

Bhima meets Krishna

Mutha
Bank
Canal

Mula
River

Disclaimer: The visualisation and the map of Mula Mutha is an artistic interpretation based on the information research and references from multiple sources. There may exist some differences with respect to any/some individual opinions or studies. This is a humble attempt to present the information to the best of our knowledge and experience.

Rivers Mula & Mutha

The origin

The mythical origin

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