Rashtrapati Bhavan New Delhi History and Interesting Facts

Rashtrapati Bhavan Quick Facts

Rashtrapati Bhavan Overview

The capital of a country is an indicator of the political and economic status of that country. New Delhi, the capital of India, represents the history, culture, and political activities of India. Rashtrapati Bhavan, located on the Rajpath Marg of the capital of the country, New Delhi, is the residence of the President of India, the highest person in India.

Rashtrapati Bhavan History

In the year 1911, the then Delhi Durbar put forward the idea of shifting the capital of British India from Kolkata to Delhi and on 22 December 1911, George V announced the transfer of the capital of British India from Kolkata. After this a resolution was passed for the Viceroy of India to build a magnificent and huge sized building for the new capital to live in.

The task of building the Viceroy's House was entrusted to the famous architect Edwin Landseer Lutyens, after which he drew its map and started working with the architect Herbert Baker. In the year 1912, Edwin Landseer Lutyens and Herbert Baker started the construction of the building, after a few years in 1929 it was completed and handed over to the British Government.

When India became independent on 15 August 1947, the British Government handed over this Viceroy's House to India, after which Chakravarti Rajagopalachari took over as the first Governor General of India and started living in this Viceroy's House but he did not stay in it for long.The Constitution of India was fully implemented on 26 January 1950, after which Mr. Rajendra Prasad was elected as the first President of independent India and he was sent to live in this Viceroy's House, after which the building was named. The Viceroy's House was changed to Rashtrapati Bhavan and since then it has been the residence of the President of India.

Rashtrapati Bhavan Interesting Facts

1. This grand and attractive building was constructed between the year 1912 AD to 1929 AD under the leadership of the famous architect Edwin Landseer Lutyens.
2. Before 1947, it was earlier known as the Viceroy's House, which was the largest residence in India.
3. This Rashtrapati Bhavan is the second largest Rashtrapati Bhavan in the world which is covered over an area of ​​about 130 hectares, this building was built on top of the ancient Raisina hill.
4. This building is one of the largest presidential buildings in the world, it is about 4 storeys high and includes 340 rooms.
5. About 1 billion bricks and 3.5 million cubic feet (85,000 cubic meters) of stone were used in the construction of this building.
6. About 750 employees are employed in this great and grand building, which includes security staff, cooks, sweepers etc.
7. Behind Rashtrapati Bhavan there is 1 garden called Mughal Garden, which is opened every year in February during the festival called Udyanotsav.
8. This famous building includes a drawing room, a dining room, a banquet hall, a tennis court, a polo ground and a cricket ground and a museum which add to the attraction of the place.
9. According to a news reporter, in the year 2007, the Government of India had spent about 100 crores in its maintenance, which was a huge amount.
10. The Banquet Hall of Rashtrapati Bhavan is very special as it can accommodate about 104 guests at the same time. There are always portraits of former presidents and a group of musicians present.
11. In its Uphaar Museum, there is a 640 kg silver chair of King George V, on which he sat in the Delhi Durbar in 1911.
12. Behind the Durbar Hall of Rashtrapati Bhavan is situated the statue of Gautam Buddha which was built during the Gupta period between 4th-5th century.
13. There are 2 galleries available for children in Rashtrapati Bhavan. The first gallery showcases children's work and the second gallery displays a variety of objects of interest to children.
14. A formal 'Change of Guard' ceremony is held in this building every Saturday at 10 am, which is of 30 minutes in which ordinary citizens are also allowed.
15. The most interesting thing about this building is that since independence no Indian President has stayed in its Viceroy's chamber till date and the President of India resides in the guest-room of this building.