Museums in Pune

Dr Dinkar Kelkar (1896–1990), an optician by profession, began collecting around 1920 and kept at it for over sixty years, dedicating the collection to his only son, Raja, who died young. The museum counts about 22,000 objects, shown in galleries of lamps, musical instruments, textiles, ivory, arms and armour, puppets, carved doors and some 400 betel-nut cutters. The Mastani Mahal is a palace interior that Kelkar dismantled and reassembled on the premises, telling the story of Bajirao I and Mastani. Kelkar gave the collection to the Government of Maharashtra. More about the museum.

A historical theme park about Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, created by the foundation of the historian Babasaheb Purandare at Ambegaon Budruk, on the Katraj bypass. Shows include Durga Vaibhav, with 3D models of nine forts, a revolving-stage show, a re-enactment of the escape from Agra and a Raigad 4D show. Tickets are booked online; foreign nationals are asked to contact Shivsrushti to book. Shivsrushti.

Recognised as the world's largest cricket museum, it fills one floor of a residential building in Sahakar Nagar. Rohan Pate, a former Maharashtra under-19 player, founded it in 2012; the 51,000-plus items include bats and kit signed by Bradman, Gavaskar, Kohli and Dhoni. Call ahead. Blades of Glory.

Inside a house in Kothrud (Erandwane), a whole miniature city of trains, trams, flyovers and working signals runs through a scripted light-and-sound show of about 25 minutes, down to nightfall. The engineer B. S. Joshi built it with his family. Shows run every half hour and need at least four visitors; hours change by day, and on Sundays there are evening shows only, so check before setting out.

Eight walk-through sets over 10,000 sq ft tell the life of Sadhu Vaswani, the Sindhi spiritual teacher, with holographic figures, life-like statues and theatre lighting. Entry is free; shows start on the hour from 10:00 to 17:00 and last 60 to 90 minutes. It is closed on Thursdays and stands beside the Sadhu Vaswani Mission, near Pune railway station. Darshan Museum.

Three floors of a Karve Nagar bungalow hold more than 150 vintage bicycles, among them a 1914 Golden Sunbeam and a folding BSA Airborne paratrooper bike from the Second World War. Visits are arranged by phoning ahead, and Vikram Pendse tells the stories himself.