Budhwar Peth, Pune
Budhwar Peth (Marathi: बुधवार पेठ) is one of many commercial localities in the old city of Pune, India. The area has a high number of electronics shops, is known for its red-light district and is located in the heart of the city. Three out of the five important ganesh mandals (Manache Ganpati) i.e. Jogeshwari Ganpati, Guruji Talim Mandal, Tulshibaug Ganpati are located here, as is Appa Balwant Chowk, known as ABC. History. For some period, Pune was ruled by the Mughal emperor Aurangzeb of Delhi. When Aurangzeb attacked Pune, he inhabited Budhwar Peth in 1660. In  his era, this Peth was known as "Mohitabad" or "Moheyabad". Thorale Madhavrao Peshwa made developments and renamed it as Budhwar Peth when he got the power in their hand. "Tulshibag", "Belbaugh" and "Gramdevata Jogeshwari" are the historical proofs of Budhawar Peth. The Bhide Wada, located near Limbraj Maharaj Temple hosted the first school for girls in Maharashtra. The school was started by Savitribai and Jyotiba Phule in January 1848. Present. Today, Budhwar Peth is a business area particularly for electrical goods market, books and traditional items. Places of interest include; Jogeshwari Temple, N.M.V High School, Laxmi Road, Appa Balwant Chowk  and Dagadusheth Halwai Ganapati temple, which is believed to be the richest amongst all Ganesh Temples with the Lord Ganesha icon laden with several lakhs of rupees of gold, and worshipped for obstacle removal. Red-light district. Budhwar Peth houses India's third largest red-light district. It has been estimated to contain about 700 brothels and 5,000 prostitutes. The area suffers from sex trafficking, child prostitution and police corruption. HIV was formerly a large problem, but an HIV/AIDS programme, including education and condom distribution has resulted in a considerably reduced HIV prevalence. Due to the Covid19 situation workers  form this area have been more affected in the terms of financial impact, with many having difficulty earning daily wages.