RASHTRAPATI BHAWAN (PRESIDENT'S HOUSE) Location : West end of Parliament Street Known As : President's House Designed By : Sir Edwin Lutyens Highlights : Mughal Gardens (Open in Feb-March)

The Abode of The First Citizen of India

President's House, Delhi

Monuments in Delhi Jantar Mantar Arts & Architecture

India Gate Qutab Minar Gardens in Delhi

Parliament House Jama Masjid

'In thought faith; in word wisdom; in deed courage; in life service. So may India be great'

-- Inscriptions on Jaipur Coloumn

As you turn your back on India Gate, far away in the horizon you can see a colossal dome shimmering in the brilliant hue of the sun. That's the copper casing of the dome of the Viceregal lodge, the official residence of the Viceroy during the days of Colonial Raj. It is the centrepiece of New Delhi, a huge, grandiose building - larger than the Palace of Versailles - designed and positioned to assert the dominance of the British empire. As you head towards the west, on the broad Rajpath, you will experience an elevation in the gradient, and so in your spirits. And that's when you think of Sir Herbert Baker, a South African architect, and a quarrel. Sir Lutyens knew he would be overstressed by the Raisina Hill project and had urged the appointment of Baker, who had fostered reams of praise for his Union Buildings in Pretoria. Ah! yes, the hump and the infamous squabble. That little miscalculation simultaneously led to an irreversible dent on the face of the palace together with an epithet to Baker by Letyens, describing the whole incident as 'Bakerloo'.

Experience The Exquisite Architecture Embalming The City

You will be amazed to see that this humoungous building combines Mughal and Western architectural architectural styles, the most prominant Indian feature being the huge copper dome. In the centre of the forecourt, behind the high railing fence which now separates Rashtrapati Bhawan from the Secretariats, you can see the 44 m high Jaipur Coloumn. Although designed by Lutyens, this soaring sandstone coloumn was a gift to the viceroy by the maharaja of Jaipur. Look above and you can see a beautiful glass star rising from the womb of a bronze lotus flower, both of them dwelling on a higher dimension. You can also read the murky inscriptions carved on its rippleless surface that bears the above mentioned lines.

You cannot enter the Rashtrapati Bhawan without permission, but aesthetes wait for spring when the Mughal garden inside the Bhawan is thrown open to public. Lutyens added poetry to the Bhawan by designing the garden inspired by the natural greens of Jammu and Kashmir and the manicured lawns of the Taj Mahal. Lying to the west of the President's house, the Mughal Gardens are a home to myriad flower species and exotic roses that cheer up the ambience in February.

How To Reach

The Rashtrapati Bhawan is situated at the west end of Parliament Street. You won't find buses plying in that section, but you can always hire taxis and autorickshaws from all over the city to reach the Rashtrapati Bhawan. Permits to visit the Bhawan cen be obtained from the reception office on Raisina Road, but you will need a letter of introduction from your embassy. Plan your visits during February, so that you can also behold the colourful medley of exotic flowers at the Mughal Gardens.