The Maharashtra government is considering a proposal to rename Pune’s Khadakwasla Reservoir after social reformer Mahatma Jyotirao Phule as part of the observance of his bicentenary birth anniversary year.

The proposal was tabled by the Maharashtra government’s Water Resources Department in April 2026. If approved, the reservoir, located in Pune, will be named after Mahatma Jyotirao Phule. (Pune News)

Mahatma Jyotirao ‘Jyotiba’ Govindrao Phule was a prominent 19th-century social reformer and thinker known for his contribution to education and social reform. He played a pioneering role in promoting education for women and girls, with the support of his wife, Savitribai Phule.

In 1851, he established a school for girls and later opened additional schools, including one for children from lower-caste communities. He also worked towards the welfare of widows and established an orphanage in 1854.

The proposed renaming of Pune’s Khadakwasla Reservoir comes in the context of the bicentenary year of Mahatma Phule’s birth. (Pune News)

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