Rashtrapati Bhavan
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| The Rashtrapati Bhavan | |
|---|---|
 Main Gate of the Presidents house | |
| Town | Raisina Hill New Delhi 110004 |
| Country | Republic of India |
| Started | January 13, 1911 |
| Architect | Sir Edwin Landseer Lutyens |
At present, it is the only largest residence of any Chief of the State in the world.[1][2] The construction of the building was planned for 4 years, but World War I intervened and construction required 19 years to complete. Its first occupant, Lord Irwin, began occupation on Jan. 23, 1931. [3] It is the current residence of President of India.
Contents[hide] |
[edit] History
[edit] Origin
During the Delhi Durbar year of 1911, it was decided that the capital of India would be relocated from Calcutta to Delhi. This was announced on December 12 by King George V. As the plan for New Delhi was developed, the Governor-General's residence was given an enormous scale and prominent position. The British architect Edwin Landseer Lutyens, a major member of the city-planning process, was given the primary architectural responsibility. The palace developed very similarly to the original sketches which Lutyens sent Herbert Baker from Simla on June 14, 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 the Viceroy's House and the Secretariats, began on friendly terms. Baker had been assigned to work on the two secretariat buildings which were in front of Viceroy's House. The original plan was to have Viceroy's House on the top of Raisina Hill, with the secretariats lower down. It was later decided to build 400 yards back, and put both buildings on top of the plateau. While Lutyens wanted the Viceroy's house to be higher, he was forced to move it back from the intended position, which resulted in a dispute with Baker. After completion of the palace, Lutyens argued with Baker, because the view of the front of the palace was obscured by the high angle of the road.
Lutyens travelled between India and England almost every year for twenty years, to work on the building of the Viceroy's 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 (241,000 m3). because of the budget restrictions of Lord Hardinge. While he had demanded that costs be reduced, he nevertheless wanted the house to retain a certain amount of ceremonial grandeur.
[edit] Architecture Designs
[edit] Site
The Rashtrapati Bhavan is a large and vast mansion with four floors and has 340 rooms. It is built on a floor area of 200,000 square feet.[edit] Design
There were grilles made from red sandstone, called jalis or jaalis. These jalis were inspired by Indian design. The front of the palace, on the east side, has twelve unevenly spaced columns with the Delhi order capitals. These capitals have a fusion of acanthus leaves with the four pendant Indian bells. The Indian temple bells are a part of the culture of Indian religions, such as Hindu and Buddhist, the idea being 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 palace does not have windows, except for 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. [3]
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 officially during 1931. It is interesting to note that the building was completed in seventeen years and only eighteen years later India became independent. After Indian independence during 1947, the now ceremonial governor-general continued to live there, being succeeded by the president during 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.[5] There is also the presence of Mughal and European colonial architectural elements. Overall the structure is distinctly different from other contemporary British Colonial symbols. It has 355 decorated rooms and a floor area of 200,000 square feet (19,000 m²). The structure includes 700 million bricks[6] and 3.5 million cubic feet (85,000 m³) of stone, with only minimal usage of steel. It was built during 1919 with 340 rooms.
[edit] Plan
The plan of the palace is designed around a massive square although there are many courtyards and open inner areas within. There are separate wings for the Viceroy, and another wing for guests. The Viceroy's wing is a separate four-storey house in itself, with its own court areas within. The wing was so large that the first president of India decided not to stay there, staying in the guest wing, a tradition which was adopted by subsequent presidents. At the centre of the main part of the palace, underneath the main dome, is the Durbar Hall, which was known as the Throne Room during British rule when it had thrones for the Viceroy and his wife. The interior of this room and almost all the rooms of the palace are bare, relying on the 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. On each of the four corners of the hall is a room, including two state drawing rooms, a state supper room and the state library. 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 through the palace, such as near the Viceroy's stairs, which has eight marble lion statues spilling water into six basins. The lions symbolise Britain, as the lion was often used for this purpose. There is also an open area in one room to the sky, which lets in much of the natural light.[edit] Dome
The height of the dome was increased by Lord Hardinge in the plan of the building during 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. A porch is around the dome with evenly spaced columns which support the dome, with an open area between the columns. Because this goes the whole way round, it makes the dome appear from any angle that it is floating as seen in the heat haze of Delhi. The reinforced concrete shell of the outer dome began to be formed during the beginning of 1929. The last stone of the dome was laid on April 6, 1929.
[edit] Location
Main article: Prakash Vir Shastri Avenue
The main entrance to Rashtrapati Bhavan is known as Gate 35, and is located on Prakash Vir Shastri Avenue, renamed from North Avenue during November 2002, as a memorial to the politician of the namesake who served here during his tenure as a Member of Parliament for the state of Uttar Pradesh.[7][edit] Mughal Gardens
The Mughal Gardens situated at the back of the Rashtrapati Bhavan, incorporates both Mughal and English landscaping styles. It displays numerous types of flowers and is open to public in February every year.[edit] Trivia
- No steel was used to construct The Palace of India.
[edit] In popular culture
- The song Des Rangila from Fanaa was shot at Rashtrapati Bhavan including its rehearsal scenes.
[edit] Restoration
First restoration project at the Rashtrapati bhawan was performed during 1985 and ended during 1989, during which the Ashoka Hall was stripped of its latter additions and restored to their original state by the worked done by architectural restorer, Sunita Kohli. The second restoration project began during 2010 involved Charles Correa and Sunita Kohli.[8][3][9][edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ "Error: no
|title=specified when using {{Cite web}}". http://www.indiadelhihotels.com/delhi/rashtrapati-bhawan-president-house.php. Retrieved 6 March 2011. - ^ "Error: no
|title=specified when using {{Cite web}}". http://presidentofindia.nic.in/rb.html. Retrieved 6 March 2011. - ^ a b c "Lutyens' Legacy". Forbes. 07.02.07. http://www.forbes.com/2007/06/20/072a.html.
- ^ Hussey, Christopher (1953). The Life of Sir Edwin Lutyens. Antique Collectors' Club. ISBN 0 907462 59 6.
- ^ http://www.iloveindia.com/indian-monuments/rashtrapati-bhavan.html
- ^ Wilhide, Elizabeth (2000). Sir Edwin Lutyens - Designing in the English Tradition. p. 50.
- ^ "ANMC 21 is airborne with grandiose plans". Tribune News Service. November 22, 2003. http://www.tribuneindia.com/2002/20021123/ncr1.htm.
- ^ "Setting the House in order". The Times of India. Jul 17, 2010. http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Setting-the-House-in-order/articleshow/6179648.cms.
- ^ "Kalam's 'thinking hut' demolished". The Times of India. Jul 16, 2010. http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Kalams-thinking-hut-demolished/articleshow/6174242.cms.
[edit] Further reading
- Davies, P. (1985). Splendours of the Raj: British Architecture in India, 1660 to 1947, John Murray Ltd, London.
- Gradidge, R. (1981). Edwin Lutyens, Architect Laureate, George Allen & Unwin, London.
- Irving, R. (1981). Indian Summer: Lutyens, Baker, and Imperial Delhi, Yale University Press, New Haven.
- Nath, A. (2002). Dome over India: Rashtrapati Bhevan, India Book House Pvt Ltd, New Delhi.
[edit] External links
- President of India: Rashtrapati Bhavan
- http://www.cs.jhu.edu/~bagchi/delhi/writing/lutyens.html
- She does Chandigarh proud, Research on Rashtrapati Bhavan architecture
- Rastrapati Bhawan Delhi India
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President Peoples Republic Of India
ReplyDeleteProf.Dr.Dibendu Nag.(N.D).PhD.DCO.MD.PSc