The Ashtekars belong to Ashti, a town in Jalna district of Maharashtra and have been in the business since the 12th century! One of their antecedents was the late Shri NimbajiAshtekar, who was the goldsmith and jeweller to the Peshwas of Pune. The Ashtekars have been known for their honesty, quality and service for generations. As the generations passed by, Shri Rajaram Ranganath Ashtekar migrated to Pune in 1934 along with Shri Bhausaheb Ashtekar who lent him a helping hand. Bhausaheb was an extraordinary craftsman and designer and soon created jewellery which later came to be recognized in his name as the ‘Bhau Pattern’. Later on, the two separated and in 1937, Rajaram Ashtekar started a small shop, known in local parlance as a ‘pedhi’, in the name and style of ‘WAMAN NIMBAJI ASHTEKAR’ on Laxmi Road, the famous market place of Pune. Business grew and so did the trust of the customers. The Ashtekars came to be known as one of the most dependable goldsmiths of Pune. Unwavering in quality and services, the customer base grew far and wide, going outside Pune and into the surrounding villages and towns. Down the line, as the family expanded, Shri Krishnakant Rajaram Ashtekar branched off to establish his own showroom by the name of Krishna Rajaram Ashtekar Jewellers in 1977. Shri Krishnakant is the patriarch, the ‘K’ of what is today known simply as KRA, an extremely well-established brand in the plethora of goldsmiths and jewellers.