While the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party in Maharashtra has not supported the bandh call, its Rajya Sabha member Udayanraje Bhosale, a descendant of Shivaji Maharaj, joined a silent march organized by the protesters.
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The march began from Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj's statue and would end at the Lal Mahal in the city.
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Shiv Sena leader Sushma Andhare also participated in the march.
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The Congress, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray), Sambhaji Brigade and some other outfits are supporting the bandh.
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The bandh call was originally given to protest Maharashtra governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari's controversial statement at a public function where he described Shivaji Maharaj, the founder of the Maratha empire, as an "icon of olden times".
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Last week state minister and BJP leader Chandrakant Patil's statement that Dr B R Ambedkar and social reformer Mahatma Jyotiba Phule "begged" to people for money to start educational institutions instead of seeking government aid was also perceived as insulting, and drew protests.
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Earlier, BJP spokesperson Sudhanshu Trivedi's statement that Shivaji Maharaj had `apologised' to Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb had evoked angry reactions in the state.
The Agriculture Produce Market Committee (APMC) in Pune also remained closed on Tuesday.
A local traders' body has extended support to the bandh by keeping the shops closed till 3 pm.
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Officials of the Pune Mahanagar Parivahan Mahamandal said that most of its buses were plying on the roads. Only 10 percent buses were pulled off the roads, an official said.
