Rashtrapati Bhawan is the official residence of the President of India, and is located at almost the Center of Delhi. It is widely regarded as the largest residence of any head of state in the world. This magnificent structure has 340 decorated rooms with a total floor area of 200000 Sq. Ft. and 700 million bricks and 3.5 million cubic feet of stones were used in its construction. The most amazing aspect is that in spite of its size, steel is almost absent from the construction.
It was designed by Sir Edwin Lutyens as a residence for the Governor General of India for the British Government, and was called the “Viceroy’s House”, up until 1950 when India declared itself a republic and the first President of India took over the residence.
The Rashtrapati Bhawan has two wings, one for the President, and the other for the guests. However, as a tradition, Presidents stay in the guest wing, and the guests are entertained in the original ‘President’s wing’. It started when the last governor – general of India
In this building, the most prominent feature is the Dome of the building, which is so enormous that it is almost twice the height of the rest of the building. The designer, Sir Edwin Lutyens, had said that he based it on the Pantheon of Rome, but, architectural experts believe it to resemble the Great Stupa at Sanchi more.
At the centre of the building, just underneath the dome, is the Durbar Hall, the biggest hall of the building, and the place where most of the ceremonies take place.
The estate gardens, called Mughal Gardens, display numerous types of flowers, and are widely accepted as one of the best gardens in the country. These are open to public in the month of February every year, when the flowers are blooming at their best.
