Rashtrapati Bhavan (President House Of India)

-


The splendour of the Rashtrapati Bhavan is multi-dimensional.

It is a vast mansion and its architecture is breathtaking. 

More than these, it has a hallowed existence in the annals of democracy for being the residence of the President of the largest democracy in the world. 

Few official residential premises of the Head of the State in the world will match the Rashtrapati Bhavan in terms of its size, vastness and its magnificence.
The present day Rashtrapati Bhavan was the erstwhile residence of the British Viceroy. Its architect was Edwin Landseer Lutyens. The decision to build a residence in New Delhi for the British Viceroy was taken after it was decided in the Delhi Durbar of 1911 that the capital of India would be shifted from Calcutta to Delhi in the same year. It was constructed to affirm the permanence of British rule in India. This building gave the impression, in the words of a critique, the setting of a perpetual Durbar.
The building and its surroundings were supposed to be 'an empire in stone', 'exercising imperial sway' and containing in it, "the abode of a disinterested elite whose rule was imposed from above". That 'empire in stone' and the perpetual Durbar was transformed to be the permanent institution of democracy on 26th January 1950 when Dr. Rajendra Prasad became the first President of India and occupied this building to preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of India. It was from that day that this building was renamed as Rashtrapati Bhavan - the President's House.
Apart from Edwin Lutyens, the Chief architect and Chief Engineer Hugh Keeling there were many Indian contractors who were involved in the construction of this building. While a Muslim contractor Haroun-al-Rashid did most of the work of the main building the forecourt was built by Sujan Singh and his son Sobha Singh. Surprisingly the names of these Indians did not find a place in the official biography of Lutyens.



Location: Rajpath, New Delhi, Delhi

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Agrasen ki Baoli (Ugrasen ki Baoli)

-
Image
Agrasen ki Baoli (also known as Agar Sain ki Baoli or Ugrasen ki Baoli), designated a protected monument by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) under the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Sites and Remains Act of 1958, is a 60-meter long and 15-meter wide historical step well on Hailey Road near Connaught Place, a short walk from Jantar Mantar in New Delhi, India.Although there are no known historical records to prove who built Agrasen ki Baoli, it is believed that it was originally built by the legendary king Agrasen during the Mahabharat epic era and rebuilt in the 14th century by the Agrawal community which traces its origin to Maharaja Agrasen. It is among a few of its kind in Delhi. Some parts of the well, with 103 steps, are permanently immersed in water. The visible parts of this historical step well consist of three levels. Each level is lined with arched niches on both sides. How to reach??? By Train :- Take any train for New Delhi Railway Station
Read more

HIDIMBA DEVI TEMPLE, HIMANCHAL PRADESH

-
Image
Hidimbi Devi Temple, also known variously as the Hadimba Temple,It is located on a deodar covered hill in Manali, some 3kms from the bus stop and few minutes walk from Old Manali, a hill station in the State of Himāchal Pradesh in north India.  It is an ancient cave temple dedicated to Hidimbi Devi, sister of Hidimba,who was a character in the Indian epic, Mahābhārata. The temple is surrounded by a cedar forest at the foot of the Himālayas. The sanctuary is built over a huge rock jutting out of the ground, which was worshipped as an image of the deity. It is an ancient cave temple built in 1553 by Raja Bahadur Singh. Built over a huge rock, the sanctum is covered by three tiered roof of wooden planks. The fourth metal umbrella completes the outermost covering. The ‘shikhar’ or the wooden tower is 24m tall. The wooden facade and windows of the temple are richly carved. The quadruple wooden door frame is ornamented with carvings of various deities and other desi
Read more

Jhandewalan Temple

-
Image
Jhandewalan Temple History Situated in New Delhi, Jhandawalan Temple is an ancient temple having one of its own history. It is said that Jhandewalan was once located in a mountain region, surrounded by fruits, flowers and trees. According to the belief, it is said that this temple’s existence is many years old. It Says the Jhandewalan temple was built on a sanctorum. It is said that when this place was excavated then sanctorum of the Goddess was descended, and on this place then this temple was established. There was one merchant, Badridas who used to be engaged in prayer and meditation. One day he had a thought to construct a temple on this place, thus he gained all the knowledge about this place and received the evidence of the temple here. Jhandewalan Temple Importance Jhandewalan temple is one of the religious sites for Hindu’s. Here everyone can come and worship irrespective of the cast and status. Out of all temples dedicated to goddess, Jhandewalan is one of the
Read more