Timings: 1100 hours to 1700 hours
Closed On: Sunday
Remarks:
Prior permission and appointment through proper channel is required for the visit.
Description:
The President’ House of India, also known as the Rashtrapati Bhawan, is the largest residential building for any head of the state in the world! Built as the royal residence of the then Viceroy of India, the architecture was designed by the pair of Lutyens and Baker. Built extensively on around 300 acres of land, known as the President’s estate, it took full 17 years to complete.
The beautifully designed 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 4 storied building has as many as 340 rooms and many halls. Two of them, Durbar Hall and Ashoka Hall, are the most prominent.
It is said that the line drawn on the floor perfectly divides the mansion into two equal parts. It houses a 5th century Buddha statue from the Gupta period. This ancient Buddha statue is in a perfect straight line to the Gupta-period Bull placed outside and onto the India Gate at the end of Rajpath. The elevation of Raisina Hills is so much that the top of the India Gate lies at the same level as the feet of the Buddha’s statue placed in the Durbar Hall. The interior of this room and almost all the rooms of the palace are bare, relying on stonework and shapes to show austerity rather than intricate decoration.
The beautiful dome, the most prominent feature of the building, and some great gardens inside the property are some of the main features of the Rashtrapati Bhawan.
Recently, a visit to the Rashtrapati Bhawan is allowed with prior permission and appointment, only for some area.
