A tunnel beneath a familiar landmark
Most people know Savitribai Phule Pune University for its grand historic main building. Far fewer know that a roughly 300-foot tunnel runs beneath the campus, linking that building with Potdar Sankul. The passage is not presented as a secret escape route. Its purpose was more practical—and more revealing: it connected the kitchen and servants’ quarters with the governor’s residence, allowing food to reach the dining area quickly and unobtrusively.
Potdar Sankul was the service end
The tunnel begins at Potdar Sankul, which was originally the governor’s kitchen and servants’ quarters. In the residence’s working arrangement, this was where food preparation and service activity were concentrated. The passage connected that service area to the main building, ending near the former Butler’s Pantry. What looks like an unusual piece of campus infrastructure was therefore part of a carefully organized household route.
The tunnel kept service out of sight
The passage did more than shorten the journey between kitchen and dining hall. Its design reflected the colonial racial and class hierarchy of the residence: Indian staff could serve the household while remaining outside its visible social spaces. Food could arrive at the dining area without service activity crossing the rooms associated with elite life. The tunnel’s real story is therefore not mystery, but separation—between kitchen and dining room, staff and residents, work and display.
