the walls that make up moti mansion were built nearly a century ago and the botanical survey of india has been caring for it since the 1970sthe word mansion is used almost flippantly to name properties all around the world in the case of moti mansion the term feels rather underwhelmingthat mansion almost a palace in its size and opulence is nearing a century in its existence it was once an imposing and beautiful symbol of newfound wealth and prosperity later it became a club for the british to socialize these days moti mansion is a reserve of botany including hosting part of the western regional office of the botanical survey of india bsi just off koregaon parkthe current tenants make sense given the surrounding garden being as opulent as the mansion itself ornate stone carvings mark the beginning of the stone pathways into the garden angels and fairies carved out of marble hold fountains on their shoulders and the sprinklers of the fountains empty out onto carved poolsthis plot of land was a reward by the british to the friendly locals that was also the case with most of koregaon park and bund garden where british loyalists and a new class of local businessmen were granted land to build their mansionsaccording to research by the city chapter of the indian national trust for art and cultural heritage which has organized a number of tours to the mansion the original owner of the land did not live to see the building constructed shapoorji bharucha was one of the largest spinning mill owners in the bombay presidency despite being pals with the thenrulers he was also a pioneer in selfsufficiencyhe was one of the first industrialists to use electricity produced by the tata power company set up by jn tata at his millbharucha died in 1920 a nanjee one of the owners upon whom he bequeathed the land constructed the mansion over the next few years it was among the first residential properties in pune to be added to the electrical grid with power being supplied by the poona electric companythe bsi used to occupy the entire mansion as their headquarters and laboratory after they established base here in 1977 as the building aged the government built slightly more modern campuses close by almost all of the facilities shifted and the old mansion is opened only for occasional tours the main doors remain locked up from the immaculately decorated and carved porch wide enough to accommodate both vintage cars and horsedrawn phaeton carriagesthe sense of abandonment is writ large on the entrance of the twofloored mansion as the greenpainted doors remain locked up the wide marbletiled staircases from the porch the elaborate and intricately carved stucco is peeling off at a number of places revealing itself to be a false ceiling however the minton tiling exists almost without any damage all across the long balcony one end of the balcony links to a smaller annexe an outhousethe bsi did