From everything that the Britishers have left behind in their colony, Rashtrapati Bhawan is the best marvel of all. British colonialists were known for their lavish architecture and Rashtrapati Bhawan is the best example of that. When the plan for a new city New Delhi adjacent to and south of Old Delhi(Purani Dilli)
was developed in the beginning of the 20th century, the
Governor-General's House was given an enormous size and prominent
position. About 4,000 acres of land was acquired to begin with the
construction the Viceroy’s House and adjacent Central Secretariat
between 1911 and 1916 by relocating Raisina and Malcha villages that
existed here under the "1894 Land Acquisition
Act"
It is the largest residence of any chief of the state in the
world. Even as population of people in India's slums is projected to rise
to 93 million in 2011 or 7.75 percent of the total population, our head
of the state lives in a grand palace maintained at a cost that runs
into crores. In 2007, the maintenance cost of the presidential palace
was estimated to be more than Rs 100 crore (Rs 1 billion) per year. The
electricity bill of the Rashtrapati Bhavan in 2007-2008 stood at Rs 6.30
crore (Rs 63 million) followed by Rs 6.88 crore (Rs 68.8 million) in
2008-2009 and Rs 6.67 crore (Rs 66.7 million) in 2009-2010. Besides the
Rashtrapati Bhavan at New Delhi, the President has official residences
in two other states - Rashtrapati Nilayam near Secunderabad and The
Retreat at Mashobra, near Shimla.
The Rashtrapati Bhavan is one of India's best architectural marvels. A magnificent four-storeyed mansion, it has a floor area of 200,000 square feet. It was built by using 700
million bricks and three million cubic feet of stone. The cost of
building this architectural wonder escalated to Rs 12.8 million, much
higher than the projected cost. The building along with the Mughal
Garden and the staff quarters together cost a whopping Rs.14 million
at that time.At the present rates, its value would runs into thousands
of crores. The building was scheduled to be completed in four years. However, it took 17 years to complete this magnificent building, thus laying the way for tradition of backlog of projects in India which is being carried out today as well.
Edwin Lutyens was the chief architect of this impressive residence and Hugh Keeling was the chief engineer. The most prominent and distinguishing aspect of Rashtrapati Bhavan is
its dome which is superimposed on its structure. Indian contractor
Haroun-al-Rashid did most of the work of the main building and the
forecourt was built by Sujan Singh and his son Sobha Singh.The
British wanted to build a palatial residence in New Delhi for their
Viceroy. They wanted "an empire in stone" to establish their colonial
footprint in the Indian soil. On the eighteenth year of its completion India became independent.
After independence when C Rajagopalachari assumed the office as the
first Governor General of India, he refused to stay in the Ashoka Suite
used by the British Viceroy terming it as too luxurious. He preferred
to stay in one of the guestrooms. The tradition was followed by
successive presidents. On 26 January 1950, when Dr Rajendra Prasad became the first President of India, the building was renamed, Rashtrapati Bhavan.
The sprawling edifice has 74 lobbies and galleries, one and a half miles of corridors, 18 staircases and 37 fountains. The
building was made with materials from India. Only the Italian marble
was imported for the flooring. Steel is hardly used in the building. The
luxurious apartments that were used by the British Viceroy were
converted into a guest wing where the Heads of State of other countries
stay during their visit to India.
An interesting feature of the architecture of the Rashtrapati Bhavan is the fusion of Indian and European designs. Temple
bells, which are part of Hindu, Buddhist and Jain traditions have been
perfectly blended with the Hellenic style architecture. The idea to
design bells in the pillars of Rashtrapati Bhavan came from a Jain
temple at Moodabidri in Karnataka.
The chhajjas, chhatris and jaalis give building a
historic look. In some of the jaalis(stucco work), Lutyens used European styles to
enhance their beauty and utility. The highlight of the building is Chhajja(extended part of the wall).
These are stone slabs which are fixed below the roof of a building and
are designed for the purposes of preventing the sunrays from falling on
the windows and protecting the walls from the rains. Chhatris adorn the rooftop of the building. Jaalis are also of typical Indian designs, which add beauty to the architecture of the Rashtrapati Bhavan. These are the stone slabs containing lot of perforations, designed with delicate floral and geometric patterns. The chhajjas, chhatris and jaalis give building a historic look. In some of the jaalis, Lutyens used European styles to enhance their beauty and utility.
The Durbar Hall, Ashoka Hall, Marble Hall, North Drawing Room, Nalanda Suite are famous for its aesthetics and grandeur. The
Yellow Drawing Room is used for smaller state functions like
swearing-in of Comptroller and Auditor General, Chief Election
Commissioner and induction of a solitary Minister in the Union Council
of Ministers. The lavish Banquet Hall can accommodate 104 persons. The Ashoka Hall
gives the feel of a large jewel box.It was originally built as the State
Ballroom. It has a wooden floor, a central dance space.
Unlike most halls and chambers in Rashtrapati Bhavan, the
Ashoka Hall has a painted ceiling. The painting is in the Persian
style. The main painting on the roof depicts a royal
hunting expedition while those towards the corners show scenes from
court life. The painting done on leather was commissioned by Lady
Willingdon when her husband was the Viceroy.
The North Drawing Room is used for receiving visiting heads of state. Two
striking paintings are - The Transfer of power on August 14 by S N
Goshal and swearing-in ceremony of First Indian Governor General. The Durbar Hall has a 2-ton chandelier hanging from a height of 33
meters. This room was called the Throne Room during the British
era.There were 2 separate thrones for the Viceroy and Vicereine, which
have now been replaced by a simple chair for the President.
The Rashtrapati Bhavan has a museum as well with autographed photographs of several heads of states. The gifts received by the President during visits abroad or in India and from visiting heads of state at New Delhi are exhibited here.
Leaving a trail of the imperialist past are Statues of King George V
and Queen Mary, oil portraits of former viceroys and governors General,
the silver chair for the Queen, the brass replica of British Crown.
The Mughal Gardens spread across 13 acres is a blend of Mughal
and British styles. The Mughal Gardens are open to the public in
February-March every year.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. The fountains add to the beauty of the
tranquil surroundings,rising up to a height of 12 feet. A nature trail
has been developed in the President's Estate to create awareness about
the environment. The trail is open for visitors on Saturdays.The garden
has a variety of exotic flowers and roses. The Rashtrapati Bhavan also
has nine tennis courts,
a polo ground, a 14-hole golf course and a cricket field.
