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Description: Khodad is a town situated in the Pune district of Maharashtra, about 88 km from Pune city, within Junner Taluka. It is recognized for housing the Giant Meterwave Radio Telescope (GMRT), which holds the distinction of being the world's largest telescope that operates at meter wavelengths. The GMRT is a low-frequency radio telescope that investigates a diverse range of radio astronomical phenomena, from objects within our solar system to the most distant reaches of the observable universe.

The telescope was conceived and constructed from 1984 to 1996, thanks to the visionary leadership of the late Prof. Govind Swarup. It is now operated by the National Centre for Radio Astrophysics (NCRA), a prominent division of the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research. The GMRT comprises 30 antennas distributed over a diameter of approx. 25 km, with each antenna measuring 45 meters in diameter. The innovative design features a cost-effective wire truss structure, which replaces the conventional steel beam reinforcement typically used in parabolic surfaces. As the world's largest interferometric array, the GMRT provides a baseline of up to 25 km. The telescope underwent a significant upgrade in 2019, resulting in more than three years of highly sensitive observational data. Researchers and astronomers from around the globe utilize this advanced facility to study a variety of celestial objects, including regions of areas where interstellar atomic hydrogen is ionized, galaxies, pulsars, supernovae, and solar phenomena such as solar winds. Operating at comparatively long wavelengths, which range from 20 cm to 6 m, the GMRT is recognized as one of the most sensitive telescopes in the world. It stands as a testament to the ambitious experimental endeavours undertaken by Indian scientists and engineers in the foundational fields of science. The dish antennas and the entire electronic system have been developed by Indian experts, reflecting significant national achievement in radio astronomy.