Sarasbaug, Public park in Pune, India

Sarasbaug is a 25-acre park in Pune at the foot of Parvati hill, occupying the site of an artificial lake created between 1750 and 1753. A 25,000-square-foot island in the former lake bed holds the Ganesh temple, reached by paved paths across flat lawns. The photograph shows two tall palm trees, low shrubs and red-flowering plants along a fenced waterside walkway.

The park began in the mid-1700s as an artificial lake built by Peshwa rulers as a recreational space. A temple was later built on the island, transforming the site into a place of worship and leisure combined.

The temple on the island is called Talyatla Ganapati, Marathi for "the Ganapati of the lake", after the water that once surrounded it. Its Ganesh idol is of marble and faces right, with a hall and circumambulation path around it. A small museum added in 1995 displays several hundred Ganesh idols.

Sarasbaug lies within a kilometre of Swargate Bus Station and about 6 km from Pune Railway Station. The flat, grassy grounds are crossed by paved paths, and a blue "ENTRY" sign marks one access point beside a low metal fence along the water. The temple sits on an island reached from the surrounding garden.

The grounds feature diverse local plant varieties planted in gardens across the island and lakeside areas. These green pockets often go unnoticed by visitors focused only on the main pathways and temple.