Rashtrapati Bhavan, Delhi
The splendour of Rashtrapati Bhavan has many dimensions. It's a huge mansion, with breathtaking architecture. Few of the head of state's official residential premises on the planet will be matched in size, size and magnificence with Rashtrapati Bhavan.
The former residence of the British Viceroy was Rashtrapati Bhavan. Edwin Landseer Lutyens was his architect. After it was decided in the 1911 Delhi Durbar that the capital of India would be relocated from Calcutta to Delhi the same year, the decision was taken to build a residence in New Delhi for the British Viceroy. It was built to confirm British rule's permanence in India.
In the words of a critic, this building provided the impression of a permanent Durbar. On 26 January 1950, when Dr.Prassad was the first President of India and took office in this building for the preservation, protection, and defence of the Indian Constitution, that 'Empire in Stone' and the permanent Durbar became the permanent institution of democracy. It was since then that this building had been renamed the President's House, Rashtrapati Bhavan.
In addition, there were many Indian contractors involved in the construction of this building, as well as Edwin Lutyens the Chief Architect, and Hugh Keeling the Chief Engineer.The amount approved was 400,000 pounds for the building. However, its cost increased to 777.136 pounds (then 12.8 million Rs.) in the long seven years required for building construction. It has been reported that Edwin Lutyens has observed that money invested in building construction is less than the cost of two warships.
It is interesting to note that it took seventeen years to complete the building scheduled for four years and that India became independent on the 18th year of its completion.There are four floors and 340 rooms in this vast building. It is built on 700 million bricks and 3 million cubic feet of stone with a floor area of 200, 000 square feet. The building has been built with little steel.
The RashtrapatiBhavan's most prominent and distinctive aspect is the dome which is superimposed on its structure. The roof of a circular base in the centre of Delhi is visible from a distance and the most strikingly round. While Lutyens apparently recognized the design of the dome as the Rome pantheon, the informed analysts firmly believe that the dome was structured according to the pattern of the great Sanchi Stupa. It is clear that the Doma is dominated by Indian architecture, encircled by Sanchirailings. In fact, all of Rashtrapati Bhavan encompasses Indian architecture patterns like Buddhist railings, chhajjas, chhatris and jaalis.
