Rashtrapati Bhavan

For a similar structure in Nepal, see Rastrapati Bhawan.

which resulted in a dispute with Baker. After completion, Lutyens argued with Baker, because the view of the
front of the building was obscured by the high angle of
The Rashtrapati Bhavan pronunciation , Presidential Residence) is the ocial home of the President of the road.
India, located in New Delhi, Delhi, India. It may refer to only the mansion (the 340-room main building)
that has the Presidents ocial residence, halls, guest
rooms and oces; it may also refer to the entire 130
hectare (320 acre) President Estate that additionally includes huge presidential gardens (Mughal Gardens), large
open spaces, residences of bodyguards and sta, stables,
other oces and utilities within its perimeter walls. The
main palace building was formerly known as Viceroys
House. In terms of area, it is the largest residence of a
Head of State in the world.

History

Cannon outside the entrance to Rashtrapati Bhawan

The decision to build a residence in New Delhi for the

British Viceroy was taken after it was decided in the Delhi
Durbar of 1910 that the capital of India would be shifted
from Calcutta (Kolkata) to Delhi in the same year. When
the plan for a new city, New Delhi, adjacent to and south
of Old Delhi, was developed in the beginning of the 20th
century, the new palace for the Viceroy of India was given
an enormous size and prominent position. About 4,000
acres of land was acquired to begin the construction of
Viceroys House, as it was ocially called, and adjacent
Central Secretariat between 1911 and 1916 by relocating
Raisina and Malcha villages that existed there and their
300 families under the Land & Acquisition Act.[3]
The British architect Edwin Landseer Lutyens, a major member of the city-planning process, was given Rashtrapati Bhavan from Outside
the primary architectural responsibility. The completed
Governor-Generals palace turned out very similar to the
original sketches which Lutyens sent Herbert Baker, from
Simla, on 14 June 1912. Lutyens design is grandly
classical overall, with colours and details inspired by
Indian architecture. Lutyens and Baker who had been
assigned to work on Viceroys House and the Secretariats, began on friendly terms. Baker had been assigned
to work on the two secretariat buildings which were in
front of Viceroys House. The original plan was to have
Viceroys House on the top of Raisina Hill, with the secretariats lower down. It was later decided to build it 400
yards back, and put both buildings on top of the plateau.
While Lutyens wanted Viceroys House to be higher, he
was forced to move it back from the intended position, Grand staircase and the forecourt of the Rashtrapati Bhavan.
1

2 ARCHITECTURE DESIGNS

Lutyens campaigned for its xing, but was not able to get
it to be changed. Lutyens wanted to make a long inclined
grade all the way to Viceroys House with retaining walls
on either side. While this would give a view of the house
from further back, it would also cut through the square
between the secretariat buildings. The committee with
Lutyens and Baker established in January 1914 said the
grade was to be no steeper than 1 in 25, though it eventually was changed to 1 in 22, a steeper gradient which
made it more dicult to see the Viceroys palace. While
Lutyens knew about the gradient, and the possibility that
the Viceroys palace would be obscured by the road, it is
thought that Lutyens did not fully realise how little the
front of the house would be visible. In 1916 the Imperial Delhi committee dismissed Lutyenss proposal to alter the gradient. Lutyens thought Baker was more concerned with making money and pleasing the government,
rather than making a good architectural design.
Lutyens travelled between India and England almost every year for twenty years, to work on the building of
Viceroys House in both countries. Lutyens had to reduce
the building size from 13,000,000 cubic feet (370,000
m3 ) to 8,500,000 cubic feet (240,000 m3 ) because of the
budget restrictions of Lord Hardinge. While he had demanded that costs be reduced, he nevertheless wanted the Rashtrapati Bhawan central dome
house to retain a certain amount of ceremonial grandeur.
When Chakravarti Rajagopalachari assumed the oce
as the rst Governor General of India and became the
occupant of this building he preferred to stay in a few
rooms which is now the family wing of the President and
converted the then Viceroys apartments to be the Guest
Wing where the Heads of State of other countries stay
during their visit to India.
On 26 January 1950, when Rajendra Prasad became the
rst President of India and occupied this building, it was
renamed as Rashtrapati Bhavan - the Presidents House.

2
2.1

Architecture designs
Design

Consisting of four oors and 340 rooms, with a oor area

of 200,000 square feet, it was built using 700 million
bricks and three million cubic feet of stone. Hardly any
steel was used in the construction of the building.
The design of the building fell into the time period of
the Edwardian Baroque, a time at which emphasis was
placed on the use of heavy classical motifs in order to
emphasise power and imperial authority. The design process of the mansion was long, complicated and politically
charged. Lutyens early designs were all starkly classical Jaipur Column, Rashtrapati Bhavan
and entirely European in style. His disrespect for the local building tradition he dismissed as primitive, is evident
in his numerous sketches with appended scrawls such as to do Hindu - Hindon't I say!' In the post-Mutiny era,
'Moghul tosh' and his short remark that 'they want me however, it was decided that sensitivity must be shown

The ancillary dome-like structure on top of the building is known

as a Chuttri, an integral part of Indian architectural design.
(This picture shows one of the Secretariats, designed by Baker,
which are not a part of Rashtrapati Bhavan.)

There were grilles made from red sandstone, called jalis

or jaalis. These jalis were inspired by Rajasthani design.
The front of the palace, on the east side, has twelve unevenly spaced massive columns with the Delhi Order capitals. These capitals have a fusion of acanthus leaves with
the four pendant Indian bells. The bells are similar in
style to Indian Hindu and Buddhist temples, the idea being inspired from a Jain temple at Moodabidri in Karnataka. One bell is on each corner at the top of the column. It was said that as the bells were silent British rule
in India would not end. The front of the building does
not have windows, except in the wings at the sides. Lutyens established ateliers in Delhi and Lahore to employ
local craftsmen. The chief engineer of the project was Sir
Teja Singh Malik, and four main contractors included Sir
Sobha Singh.[6]
Lutyens added several small personal elements to the
house, such as an area in the garden walls and two ventilator windows on the stateroom to look like the glasses
which he wore. The Viceregal Lodge was completed
largely by 1929, and (along with the rest of New Delhi)
inaugurated ocially in 1931. Interestingly, the building
took seventeen years to complete and eighteen years later
India became independent. 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.

Lutyens stated that the dome is inspired by the Pantheon

of Rome.[7] There is also the presence of Mughal and
European colonial architectural elements. Overall the
Elephant statues on the outer wall
structure is distinctly dierent from other contemporary
British Colonial symbols. It has 355 decorated rooms and
a oor area of 200,000 square feet (19,000 m). The
to the local surroundings in order to better integrate the structure includes 700 million bricks[8] and 3.5 million
building within its political context, and after much polit- cubic feet (85,000 m) of stone, with only minimal usage
ical debate Lutyens conceded to incorporating local indo- of steel.
Saracenic motifs, albeit in a rather supercial decorational form on the skin of the building. Various Indian designs were added to the building. These included several
circular stone basins on top of the building, as water fea- 3 Layout plan
tures are an important part of Indian architecture. There
was also a traditional Indian chujja or chhajja, which occupied the place of a frieze in classical architecture; it was The layout plan of the building is designed around a masa sharp, thin, protruding element which extended 8 feet sive square with multiple courtyards and open inner areas
(2.4 m) from the building, and created deep shadows. It within. The plan called for two wings; one for the Viceroy
blocks harsh sunlight from the windows and also shields and residents and another for guests. The residence wing
the windows from heavy rain during the monsoon sea- is a separate four-storey house in itself, with its own court
son. On the rooine were several chuttris, which helped areas within. This wing was so large that the last Indian
to break up the atness of the rooine not covered by governor-general, Chakravarti Rajagopalachari, opted to
the dome. Lutyens appropriated some Indian designs, live the smaller guest wing, a tradition that has since been
but used them sparingly and eectively throughout the followed by subsequent presidents. The original resireceptions and
building. There were also statues of elephants and foun- dence wing is now used primarily for state[2]
as
a
guest
wing
for
visiting
heads
of
state.
tain sculptures of cobras in the gar of the retaining walls,
as well as the bas-reliefs around the base of the Jaipur The centre of the main wing of the building, underneath
Column, made by British sculptor, Charles Sargeant Jag- the main dome, is the Durbar Hall, which was known as
ger.[4] The column has a distinctly peculiar crown on top, the Throne Room during British rule when it had thrones
a glass star springing out of bronze lotus blossom,[5]
for the Viceroy and Vicereine (his wife). The interior of

4 MUGHAL GARDENS

this room and almost all the rooms of the palace are bare,
relying on stonework and shapes to show austerity rather
than intricate decoration. In the hall, the columns are
made in Delhi Order which combines vertical lines with
the motif of a bell. The vertical lines from the column
were also used in the frieze around the room, which could
not have been done with one of the traditional Greek orders of columns. The hall has a 2-ton chandelier which
hangs from a 33-metre height. The two state drawing
rooms, the state supper room and the state library are
each on the four corners of the hall. There are also other
rooms such as many loggias (galleries with open air on
one side) which face out into the courtyards, a large dining hall with an extremely long table, sitting rooms, billiards rooms, and a large ball room, and staircases. Water features are also throughout the palace, such as near
the Viceroys stairs, which has eight marble lion statues
spilling water into six basins. These lions were symbolic
of the heraldry of Great Britain. There is also an open
area in one room to the sky, which lets in much of the
natural light.

3.1

Dome

Dome of the adjacent Central Secretariat

building.
The height of the dome was increased by Lord Hardinge
in the plan of the building in 1913. The dome combines classical and Indian styles. Lutyens said the design
evolved from that of the Pantheon in Rome, while it is
also possible that it was modeled partly after the great
Stupa at Sanchi. The dome is supported by evenly spaced
columns which form a porch with open area between the
columns. In the New Delhi summer heat haze this gives
an impression of the dome being aoat. The reinforced
concrete shell of the outer dome began to be formed at
the beginning of 1929. The last stone of the dome was
laid on 6 April 1929.

4 Mughal Gardens
This is situated at the back of the Rashtrapati Bhavan,
incorporate both Mughal and English landscaping styles
and feature a great variety of owers. The Rashtrapati
Bhavan gardens are open to the public in February every
year.

Rashtrapati Bhavan
illuminated for Indian Republic Day

Main 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 up to a height of 12 feet create a soothing murmur
that enthralls the visitor, the channels are so tranquil in
their movement that they seem frozen. In the channels at
appropriate times of day can be seen reections of the imposing building and the proud owers. There are wooden
trays placed on stands in the centre of the channels where
grain is put for the birds to feed upon.

The dome, in the middle, reects both Indian and British

styles. In the centre is a tall copper dome, surmounting
a drum, which stands out from the rest of the building
due to its height. The dome is exactly in the middle of
the diagonals between the four corners of the building.
The dome is more than twice the height of the rest of the

Terrace garden: There are two longitudinal strips of garden, at a higher level on each side of the Main Garden, forming the Northern and Southern boundaries. The
plants grown are the same as in the Main Garden. At the
centre of both of the strips is a fountain, which falls inwards, forming a well. On the Western tips are located
two gazebos and on the Eastern tips two ornately designed

5
sentry posts.
Long Garden or the 'Purdha Garden': This is located
to the West of the Main Garden, and runs along on
each side of the central pavement which goes to the
circular garden. Enclosed in walls about 12 feet high,
this is predominantly a rose garden. It has 16 square
rose beds encased in low hedges. There is a red sandstone pergola in the centre over the central pavement
which is covered with Rose creepers, Petrea, Bougainvillea and Grape Vines. The walls are covered with creepers like Jasmine, Rhyncospermum, Tecoma Grandiora,
Bignonia Vanista, Adenoclyma, Echitice, Parana Paniculata. Along the walls are planted the China Orange trees.
Around the circular garden there are rooms for the oce
of the horticulturist, a green house, stores, nursery etc.
Here is housed the collection of Bonsais, one of the best
in the country.
All the presidents who have stayed at the Rashtrapati Bhavan have taken a keen interest in the maintenance and
upkeep of the Mughal Gardens. All have contributed in
their own way. The underlying themes, however, have
remained unaltered.

4.1

Udyanotsav

8 References
[1] Kahn, Jeremy (30 December 2007). Art & Design.
Amnesty Plan for Relics of the Raj (Report). The New
York Times. Retrieved 26 June 2012. He also invented
his own Delhi Order of neo-Classical columns that fuse
Greek and Indian elements.
[2] Rashtrapati Bhavan. The President of India. Retrieved
2011-12-23.
[3] New Delhi villagers seek compensation 100 years after
being evicted by Raj. The Daily Telegraph. 4 August
2011.
[4] Hussey, Christopher (1953). The Life of Sir Edwin Lutyens. Antique Collectors Club. ISBN 0-907462-59-6.
[5] Lucy Peck; INTACH (2005). Delhi, a thousand years
of building. The Lotus Collection, Roli Books. p. 276.
ISBN 978-81-7436-354-1.
[6] Lutyens Legacy. Forbes. 07.02.07. Check date values
in: |date= (help)
[7] Rashtrapati Bhavan Rashtrapati Bhavan Delhi, Presidents House New Delhi India. Iloveindia.com. Retrieved 2012-07-12.

The Mughal Gardens opens for general public viewing in

February-March every year during Udyanotsav.[9]

[8] Wilhide, Elizabeth (2000). Sir Edwin Lutyens Designing

in the English Tradition. p. 50.

[9] President to open Udyanotsav 2014 at Rashtrapati

Bhawan on Feb 15. IANS. news.biharprabha.com. Retrieved 14 February 2014.

Museum

[10] President inaugurates Rashtrapati Bhavan museum.

In July 2014, a museum inside Rashtrapati Bhavan was

news.biharprabha.com. IANS. 25 July 2014. Retrieved
inaugurated by President of India Pranab Mukherjee.
27 July 2014.
The museum helps visitors to get an inside view of the
Rashtrapati Bhavan, its art, architecture and get educated [11] Setting the House in order. The Times of India. 17 July
about lives of past presidents.[10]
2010.

Restoration

[12] Kalams 'thinking hut' demolished. The Times of India.

16 July 2010.

The rst restoration project at the Rashtrapati Bhavan 8.1 Bibliography

was started in 1985 and ended in 1989, during which
the Ashoka Hall was stripped of its later additions and
Philip Davies (1987). Splendours of the Raj: British
restored to its original state by the architectural restorer
Architecture in India, 1660-1947. Penguin. ISBN
Sunita Kohli. The second restoration project, begun in
978-0-14-009247-9.
2010, involved Charles Correa and Sunita Kohli.[6][11][12]

See also
Pranab Mukherjee
Rashtrapati Nilayam
The Retreat Building

Gradidge, R. (1981). Edwin Lutyens, Architect Laureate, George Allen & Unwin, London.
Irving, Robert Grant (1981). Indian Summer: Lutyens, Baker, and Imperial Delhi. Yale University
Press. ISBN 978-0-300-02422-7.
Aman Nath; Amit Mehra (2002). Dome over India:
Rashtrapati Bhavan. India Book House.

External links
President of India: Rashtrapati Bhavan, Ocial
website
http://www.cs.jhu.edu/~{}bagchi/delhi/writing/
lutyens.html
She does Chandigarh proud, Research on Rashtrapati Bhavan architecture
Tensions Manifested: Reading the Viceroys House
in New Delhi, by Aseem Inam, book chapter in
The Emerging Asian City: Concomitant Urbanities
and Urbanisms (edited by Vinayak Bharne and published by Routledge UK, 2012)

Coordinates: 283652N 771159E / 28.614342N

77.199804E

EXTERNAL LINKS

10
10.1

Text and image sources, contributors, and licenses

Text

Rashtrapati Bhavan Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rashtrapati_Bhavan?oldid=671643730 Contributors: Ahoerstemeier, Docu,

Kaysov, Hemanshu, Curps, Alvestrand, Bobblewik, Utcursch, Rworsnop, JoJan, Doops, Mindspillage, LindsayH, Rakesh Mehta, Alren,
BrokenSegue, Konetidy, Sripathyrao, Cavrdg, Pearle, Grutness, Wiki-uk, Ghirlandajo, Evolve75, Woohookitty, RHaworth, Nemonoman, Boshtang, BD2412, Rjwilmsi, Gryndor, Crazyvas, Vegaswikian, Dcastor, Sumanch, RexNL, KFP, Russavia, Bgwhite, Gaius
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