"Architectural marvel and seat of Indian presidency."
The construction of Rashtrapati Bhawan covers an area of 200,000 square feet nearly a massive number of 700 million bricks and three million cubic feet of stone has been put to use, leaving no space for even a minute particle of steel. Indian architecture comes with a package of water feature hence, variety of circular stone basins were added.
Giving a traditional touch there is also a chajja replacing classical architecture’s frieze, prevents harsh sunlight from the windows and also shields them during the rainy season. Chuttris on the roofline erases the flatness of the roofline as it is not covered by dome. Several idols of elephants and fountains sculptures of cobras have been installed further illuminating the Indian theme.
Inspired from the Rajasthani style jaalis, enhancing red sandstone has also been installed. The posterior of the palace has 12 unevenly separated huge columns with Delhi order capitals. It also has an unusual coupling of acanthus leaves and bells that are found in Hindu temples, however, the bells were silent which meant there is no end to the end of British rule in India. To glorify his personal resemblance to the house, Lutyens added several bijou personal elements like an area of his in the garden walls and two windows which seemed to resemble the glasses which he wore.
Dome
In the middle stands a perfect example of Indian and British fusion, which is exhibiting copper work and mastered over a drum. This seems different from the rest of the building owing to its height, which is nearly twice of the rest. It is situated right in the middle point at which the diagonals of the four corners meet. An enthralling fact is that the building took 17 years to complete. However, eighteen years later India became independent.
The Mughal gardens are accessible for visiting by the general Public only during the Udyanotsav during the February-March. What draws maximum attention are the 5000 Tulips blossoming in bright o red, orange and yellow colors mixed with red and white as well. Two restorations were made to the Rashtrapati Bhawan out of which one was made by Sunita Kohli in 1985 which took 4 years to complete and the other was done in 2010 which also involved Sunita Kohli along with Charles Correa.
It was decided in the Delhi Durbar of 1911 that the capital of India would be shifted from Calcutta to Delhi. Thus was born the city of Delhi, designed by the great architect Edwin Lutyens, along with Herbert Baker. It took approximately 20 years and 15 million pounds to build New Delhi. Built as the Viceral Lodge, Delhi Rashtrapati Bhawan comprises of four floors and 340 rooms. Now known as the President House of New Delhi, it is spread over an area of approximately 200,000-sq-feet. It took 18 years to construct this building and on the on the 18th year of its completion, India became independent. The Jaipur Column, a gift from the Maharaja of Jaipur, stands at a height of 145 m in the middle of the main court in front of the Rashtrapati Bhavan. Another one of the impressive features of the Delhi Rashtrapati Bhawan comprises of the outstandingly beautiful Mughal Gardens. Then, at the base of the building, is a spacious square, known as the Vijay Chowk. The massive neo-Buddhist copper dome of the President House of New Delhi is splendid and can be seen even from a distance of a kilometer.
Underneath this fabulous dome is the circular Durbar Hall, housing the Viceroy's throne, measuring almost 22.8 m in diameter. Before the National Museum was completed, it served as a museum for a number of years. All the official ceremonies such as the swearing in of the Prime Minister, the Cabinet and the Members of Parliament, etc., take place in this hall only. Also, the Arjuna Awards for Excellence are awarded by the President from here itself. On the ground floor of the Rashtrapati Bhavan are a number of state apartments. Then, there is the State Drawing Room, State Ballroom, State Dining Room and a number of other such rooms inside the building. The Delhi Rashtrapati Bhawan consists of 54 bedrooms, along with additional accommodation for guests.
