Home :: Monuments
Glossary :: Rashtrapati Bhawan
Rashtrapati Bhavan
Rashtrapati Bhavan, the official residence of the President of India,
is an imposing edifice located at the west end of the Rajpath in New
Delhi with the India gate at the opposite end. Designed by Edwin Landseer
Lutyens, this palatial building was the erstwhile residence of the
British Viceroy. Few official residential premises of the State Heads
in the world will match the Rashtrapati Bhavan in terms of its size,
vastness and its magnificence.
The decision to build a residence in New Delhi for the British
Viceroy was taken after it was decided that the capital of India
would be shifted from Calcutta (Kolkata) to Delhi. It was constructed
to affirm the permanence of British rule in India and the building
and its surroundings were supposed to be 'an empire in stone'. That
'empire in stone' and the perpetual Durbar was transformed to be
the permanent institution of democracy on 26th January 1950 when
Dr. Rajendra Prasad became the first President of India and occupied
this building to preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of
India. It was from that day that this building was renamed as Rashtrapati
Bhavan - the President's House.
The building completed in 1929, was scheduled to be constructed
in four years but it took 17 years to complete it. This vast mansion
has got four floors and 340 rooms. With a floor area of 200,000
square feet, it is built by using 700 million bricks and three million
cubic feet of stone. Hardly any steel has gone into the construction
of the building. The building is built in two shades of sandstone
and reflects a blend of Mughal and classical European style of architecture.
The most prominent and distinguishing aspect of Rashtrapati Bhavan
is its huge dome that is structured in the pattern of the great
Stupa at Sanchi. The dome is visible from a distance and surmounts
a long colonnade, which adds to the magnificence of the Rashtrapati
Bhavan.
The Durbar Hall, Ashoka Hall, Marble Hall, North Drawing Room,
Nalanda Suite are so decorated that any onlooker can easily fall
in awe of their beauty and grandeur. Inside the Presidential Estate
there is the elegant Mughal Gardens, which covers an area of 13
acres and is a blend of the formal Mughal style with the design
of a British Garden. The Main Garden is the largest portion of the
Mughal Gardens, the "piece de resistance". It measures
200 meters by 175 meters. On the north and south it is flanked by
terrace gardens and to its west are the tennis courts and the long
garden.
Two channels running north to south and two running east to west
divide this garden into a grid of squares. There are six lotus shaped
fountains at the crossings of these channels. Whereas the energetic
fountains rising upto a height of 12 feet create soothing murmur
that enthralls the visitor, the channels are so tranquil in their
movement that they seem frozen. There are wooden trays placed on
stands in the centre of the channels where grain is put for the
birds to feed upon. The garden, which grows a variety of indigenous
and exotic flowers, is a visual treat especially during the blooming
season. Apart from all this the Presidential Estate also has tennis
courts, polo ground, golf course and a cricket field.
The Mughal Gardens are open to the public in February-March every
year. Visitors are allowed entry from 9.30 A.M. till 2.30 P.M. on
all days except Mondays. The dates are made known to the public
through various media. The entry and exit into the gardens is regulated
from Gate No. 35 of the President's Estate, which is located near
the North Avenue, at the western end of the Church Road
