It was originally built with the intent of serving as the Viceroy's House. it has more than 340 rooms, spread over 200,000 square feet about 18,500 square meters including the inner courts, which makes it larger than the palace at Versailles. In 1916 the Imperial Delhi committee dismissed Lutyens's proposal to alter the gradient. His disrespect for the local building tradition he dismissed as primitive is evident in his numerous sketches with appended scrawls such as 'Moghul tosh' and his short remark that 'they want me to do Hindu – Hindon't I say!' The Bhavan is surrounded by beautiful greenery and garden. The constructors of the building have used 1 billion bricks and 3,000,000 cu ft of stone with steel to construct this national pride of India. After India gained independence, it became the official residence of the President of India. The dome is supported by evenly spaced columns which form a porch with an open area between. Rashtrapati Bhavan was the creation of architects of exceptional imagination and masterfulness, Sir Edwin Lutyens and Herbert Baker. Ashoka Hall is a rectangular room of 32×20 m and the most beautiful of all the halls. Designed by Edwin Landseer Lutyens, this palatial building was the erstwhile residence of the British Viceroy. The Mughal gardens are located at the back of the Rashtrapati Bhawan. Originally called the Viceroy's House, the Rashtrapati Bhavan covers an area of 4.5 acres of land. Seth Haroun Al-Rashid, a prominent contractor from Sindh, was given charge of Government House i.e. It took seventeen years to build this presidential palace which was completed in the year 1929. it is one of the largest residences of any head of state. [17], The first restoration project at the Rashtrapati Bhavan was started in 1985 and ended in 1989, during which the Ashoka Hall was stripped of its later additions and restored to its original state by the architectural restorer Sunita Kohli. Built as the official residence of the Viceroy of India after the capital of British ruled India was changed from Calcutta to Delhi, the Rashtrapati Bhavan was designed by Sir Edwin Lutyens. of commemorative postage stamps on the 80 years of the Rashtrapati Bhawan, official residence of the President of India in New Delhi : Issued by India. The walls are covered with creepers like jasmine, Rhynchospermum, Tecoma Grandiflora, Bignonia Vanista, Adenoclyma, Echitice, Parana Paniculata. [13][18][19], Official residence of the President of India, "Viceroy's House" redirects here. It is located in New Delhi to the west of Rajpath. The gardens were initially designed and laid out in Mughal style by William Robert Mustoe who was influenced by Lady Hardinge who in turn had sought inspiration in the book by Constance Villiers-Stuart in her Gardens of the Great Mughals (1913). The need for a new colonial capital was felt in the late 19th century and early 20th century, when Calcutta, then the capital of the East India Company, became a political tinderbox for the British. The garden will be … Its architect was Edwin Landseer Lutyens. 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. After completion, Lutyens argued with Baker, because the view of the front of the building was obscured by the high angle of the road. The Design of Rashtrapati Bhavan : The official home of the President of India 3. After Indian independence in 1947, the now ceremonial Governor-General continued to live there, being succeeded by the President in 1950 when India became a republic and the house was renamed "Rashtrapati Bhavan". Ask your question. The original residence wing is now used primarily for state receptions and as a guest wing for visiting heads of state.[2]. Durbar Hall is situated directly under the double-dome of the main building. Stories. Lutyens established ateliers in Delhi and Lahore to employ local craftsmen. The Jaipur Column stands at a height of 145 feet on the Rashtrapati Bhavan Forecourt. The completed Governor-General's palace turned out very similar to the original sketches which Lutyens sent Herbert Baker, from Simla, on 14 June 1912. Lutyens and Baker, who had been assigned to work on Viceroy's House and the Secretariats, began on friendly terms. The Mughal Gardens are situated at the back of the Rashtrapati Bhavan, incorporate both Mughal and English landscaping styles and feature a great variety of flowers. The Rashtrapati Bhavan was designed by Edwin Lutyens and built in 1931 to be the central point of British power in Delhi. [16], In July 2014, a museum inside Rashtrapati Bhavan was inaugurated by then President of India Pranab Mukherjee. About 4,000 acres of land was acquired to begin the construction of Viceroy's House, as it was originally called, and adjacent Secretariat Building between 1911 and 1916 by relocating Raisina and Malcha villages that existed there and their 300 families under the Land Acquisition Act, 1894.[3][4]. The last stone of the dome was laid on 6 April 1929. The grandeur of the Rashtrapati Bhavan in Delhi involves several dimensions. The dome, in the middle, reflects both Indian and British styles. Rashtrapati Bhavan Museum is another great place to spend some time. The building took seventeen years to complete and eighteen years later India became independent. On 26 January 1950, when Rajendra Prasad became the first President of India and occupied this building, it was renamed as Rashtrapati Bhavan – the President's House. Whereas previous British examples of so-called Indo-Saracenic Revival architecture had mostly grafted elements from Mughal architecture onto essentially Western carcasses, Lutyens drew also from the much earlier Buddhist Mauryan art. When the plan for a new city, New Delhi, adjacent to end south of Old Delhi, was developed after the Delhi Durbar, the new palace for the Viceroy of India was given an enormous size and prominent position. The new parliament building, the foundation stone for which was laid by Prime Minister Narendra Modi today, will be built on 64,500 square metres area, a stone's throw from Rashtrapati Bhavan… Rashtrapati Bhavan was the creation of architects of exceptional imagination and masterfulness, Sir Edwin Lutyens and Herbert Baker. The present day Rashtrapati Bhavan was the erstwhile residence of the British Viceroy. The Rashtrapati Bhawan is of great national Significance and is considered an important heritage building internationally. Rashtrapati Bhavan History. It will be open on all days except on Monday and government holidays. Main garden: Two channels intersecting at right angles running in the cardinal directions divide this garden into a grid of squares: a charbagh. New Delhi, Feb 04: The heart of the Rashtrapati Bhavan, the iconic Mughal Garden will be opened to the public from Wednesday. President Pranab Mukherjee is trying to change the functioning and image of the 340-room palace built by Edwin Lutyens on Raisina Hill The main building of Rashtrapati Bhawan has 340 room in which accommodates president’s official residence, offices, halls, and guest rooms. Being above the portraits of former Presidents, it is a signal to the staff of when or when not to serve, or when to clear the hall. Lutyens campaigned for its fixing, but was not able to get it to be changed. Relationships: ‘Romantic Burn-Outs’ Exist: And Here Are The Signs! Around 23,000 workers were involved in the construction. 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