RASHTRAPATI

BHAVAN
and the Central Vista
 © Sondeep Shankar

Delhi is not one city, but many. In the 3,000 years of its existence, the many deliberations, decided on two architects to design
name ‘Delhi’ (or Dhillika, Dilli, Dehli,) has been applied to these many New Delhi. Edwin Landseer Lutyens, till then known mainly as an
cities, all more or less adjoining each other in their physical boundary, architect of English country homes, was one.The other was Herbert
some overlapping others. Invaders and newcomers to the throne, anxious Baker, the architect of the Union buildings at Pretoria.
to leave imprints of their sovereign status, built citadels and settlements Lutyens’ vision was to plan a city on lines similar to other great
here like Jahanpanah, Siri, Firozabad, Shahjahanabad … and, capitals of the world: Paris, Rome, and Washington DC. Broad, long
eventually, New Delhi. In December 1911, the city hosted the Delhi avenues flanked by sprawling lawns, with impressive monuments
Durbar (a grand assembly), to mark the coronation of King George V. punctuating the avenue, and the symbolic seat of power at the end—
At the end of the Durbar on 12 December, 1911, King George made an this was what Lutyens aimed for, and he found the perfect geographical
announcement that the capital of India was to be shifted from Calcutta location in the low Raisina Hill, west of Dinpanah (Purana Qila).
to Delhi.There were many reasons behind this decision. Calcutta had Lutyens noticed that a straight line could connect Raisina Hill to
become difficult to rule from, with the partition of Bengal and the Purana Qila (thus, symbolically, connecting the old with the new).
growing antipathy towards foreign rule amongst Bengal’s educated and This hill, therefore, became the focus of Lutyens’ and Baker’s plans for
conscious elite.What was more, Delhi had been, for centuries, a major the new city. New Delhi was developed on a geometric design—mainly
centre of power. Ever since Shahjahan had shifted the Mughal capital the use of hexagons and triangles—and had, as its core, the central
from Agra to Delhi, Delhi had remained, uninterrupted, the seat of the vista. As per the plans, atop Raisina Hill would stand the Government
Mughals. It was time to recognize the importance of Delhi all over House (today, Rashtrapati Bhavan). Below it would be the main offices
again. Like the numerous dynasties that had ruled Delhi over the years, of the government, the Secretariat (this relative location had to be
the British realized the need to build their own city here, New Delhi. changed later, as you will see). From Government House, a long wide
Before he returned to England, King George laid the foundation stone of avenue—King’s Way (Rajpath) would sweep down the hill and away
the new city at the grounds where the Durbar had been held (present into the distance, in the direction of Purana Qila. Midway would be a
day Coronation Park).The area was later vetoed as a site for the city, grand memorial arch, à la Paris’s Arc du Triomphe (today, this arch is
because the ground proved too susceptible to waterlogging. In the India Gate). On either side, connected by straight roads at precise angles
meantime, though, Lord Crewe of the India Office in London, after to King’s Way, would be other government and public buildings, all
 impressive proofs of British imperial authority. prominent examples) into the fabric of New Delhi.
What emerged from years of work is today acknowledged as one of The plans for New Delhi were finalized in March 1913. It took nearly
the most impressive imperial cities to have ever been built. Lutyens twenty years to build it all, a city to accommodate 60,000 people
and Baker, both firm believers in the ‘perfection’ of classical western (nearly 17,000,000 live in Delhi today), a city painstakingly built
architecture, had been inclined to create resoundingly European from scratch. Lawns were planted, trees carefully selected (in many
buildings in Delhi. But the Viceroy, Lord Hardinge, wanted Indian cases imported, such as jacaranda) for their adaptability to Delhi’s
architectural elements included (it was also a matter of politics – the harsh climate and their visual appeal. A dusty stretch south
Indian national movement was growing stronger, and it was important of Shahjahanabad was converted into a city of gardens,
to appease the populace). Hardinge’s advisor on the city’s design, grand buildings, and bungalows. New Delhi was thus born.
Henry Lanchester, also played an important part in suggesting ways On 13 February, 1931, the Viceroy of India, Lord Irwin, inaugurated
to connect the new city with the old – for instance, by integrating old New Delhi: a city that has endured, despite the many changes it
structures (Jantar Mantar and Agrasen ki Baoli in Connaught Place are has undergone in the decades since.
1. Rashtrapati Bhavan Lutyens’ associate and friend Herbert Baker) would also be placed
Rashtrapati Bhavan (literally, ‘President’s House’, the official on the hill. While it appears that Lutyens agreed to this proposal,
residence of the Indian President) was designed as the residence it soon became clear that the Government House located 400
of the Viceroy. It was envisaged as the crowning glory of the yards beyond the Secretariat, would be hidden from view as
central vista of Imperial Delhi: the monument towards which one approached the complex. Lutyens suggested modifying the
would naturally be drawn the eyes of any visitor to King’s Way or slope up to the Government House, but this was not acceptable
its surrounding area. Edwin Lutyens took on the task of designing because it would divide the square between the two block of the
this building, then known as Government House or the Viceroy’s Secretariat. Lutyens lost the battle, and one can see that if one
House and 29,000 workers were employed on the project. approaches Raisina Hill along Rajpath, from a distance Rashtrapati
Construction began in 1914 and continued till 1927; but the end Bhavan can be seen on the horizon, but it disappears behind
product, the largest residential complex ever built for a head of Raisina Hill as one arrives at the base of the hill (today known as
the state anywhere in the world, is impressive enough to justify Vijay Chowk). The building re-appears again, its dome unveiled a
the time, effort, and money spent on it. little at a time, as you ascend Raisina Hill.
Initial discussions for the plans of the central vista had The architecture of Rashtrapati Bhavan is an interesting example
envisioned the Government House (designed by Lutyens) alone of Imperial architecture designed during a period of growing anti-
atop Raisina Hill, looking down on the city below. It was however colonial feeling. It is an awe-inspiring structure, a stolid symbol of
decided at some point that the Secretariat buildings (designed by British imperialism (interestingly, its façade is the same length—
630 ft—as that of Buckingham Palace). It is, however, also a sign
of the times: early twentieth century India was simmering with
anti-British sentiment, and a need to show some respect for Indian
a Durbar Hall tradition meant that this grand new building had to be more than
b North Court just a European edifice sitting grandly in an Indian setting.
c South Court
d State Dinning
e Ball Room

a Main
Entrance

c
 Lutyens, a fervent believer in the superiority of western staggeringly disproportionate, some would say, though that effect
architecture over Indian, had been intending to give the building a is balanced by the sheer length of the façade. The influence of the
classic European appearance; the Viceroy, Lord Hardinge, however Pantheon is better appreciated when you’re inside Rashtrapati
insisted that Indian elements be incorporated in the design. Bhavan’s Durbar Hall, which lies below the dome. Here, looking
Lutyens therefore spent time travelling across India, trying to find up, you can see the large oculus (the circular opening in the centre
elements in indigenous architecture that would fit with classical of the dome). You can also see that the ceiling of the circular
western designs. You can see the result all across Rashtrapati Durbar Hall is lined with hemispheres that mirror the distinctive
Bhavan. Sometimes it’s an odd fit, as in the kitschy metallic cobras square-patterned carving of the Pantheon’s ceiling.
around a fountain in the south court. Often, it’s something very The Durbar Hall was, and is still, used for major state functions.
markedly Indian, such as carved stone elephants, or small domed Another important hall in the Rashtrapati Bhavan is the Ashoka
pavilions (chhatris). Mostly, however, you may walk under chhajjas Hall, formerly the ballroom, its walls and ceiling painted with
(dripstones) or over a marble floor inlaid with coloured stone, or scenes from Persian poetry. These two halls, the State Dining
you may see elegant floral-carved stone jalis (screens)—without Room (for formal banquets), a large number
realizing that these are all Indian architectural elements. of guest suites, and the private apartments
The most obvious Indian element (or, rather, Delhi element) of the Viceroy and his family were planned
is the building material—red and buff sandstone—a nod to down to the last detail by Lutyens. He designed
preceding dynasties, which also used it in their major monuments. everything from chandeliers to furniture for
Interestingly, Lutyens used no steel in this construction. these areas. In some cases, Lutyens personally
The other very visible Indian element at Rashtrapati Bhavan chose other elements that would fit into
is its large dome. This was inspired by both the stupa (a structure the design: for example, Kashmiri
containing Buddhist relics within) at Sanchi and the Pantheon in carpets in Mughal designs, or
Rome. The bronze dome is twice the height of the building, chandeliers imported from Europe.
 of trivia: the carved circles in the stone screens of the tennis courts
here were designed personally by Lutyens – the circles resembling
his spectacles!
After India’s independence in 1947, the last Governor-General,
C. Rajagopalachari, stayed on at the Rashtrapati Bhavan until 1950,
when the republic’s first President, Rajendra Prasad, shifted into
the building. Rashtrapati Bhavan contains 340 rooms, of which
only a few rooms are occupied by the President and his/her
family. The others are used as offices, display galleries, storerooms,
and so on.
Casual tourists can look in and take photographs through the
wrought-iron gates (also, incidentally, designed by Lutyens) of
the Rashtrapati Bhavan. In order to tour the building, you need to
book a tour a few days in advance. Even then, you will be escorted
by an official guide and can visit only a handful of rooms, which
include the Durbar Hall, the Ashoka Hall, and some of the rooms
that have been converted into galleries housing Rashtrapati Bhavan
memorabilia.
In front of Rashtrapati Bhavan, you can see a 145 ft high
column of buff sandstone, topped with a bronze lotus and a glass
star. Inspired largely by Trajan’s Column in Rome, this is known
as the Jaipur Column. Though designed by Lutyens, it was erected
under the aegis of the Maharaja of Jaipur, to whom much of the
land on which New Delhi was built originally belonged. The plan
of New Delhi, with its major axes marked out, is carved onto the
plinth of the Jaipur Column.
Visitors with prior appointments are allowed into Rashtrapati Bhavan on Mondays,
Wednesdays, Fridays, and Saturdays, from 9.45 am–noon, and
from 2.30 pm–4 pm.
The President’s Bodyguards hold a ceremonial change
Lutyens designed another major component of the Rashtrapati of guard every Saturday, starting 10.35 am in
Bhavan Estate: the Mughal Gardens that sprawl over 13 acres winter and 8.30 am in summer,
behind the building. Lady Hardinge, the Vicereine, had a say beginning at Rashtrapati Bhavan and
in the design of these gardens, as can be seen by their obvious proceeding till the Secretariat.This can
resemblance to terraced Mughal gardens like Shalimar and Nishat be viewed and photographed from outside
in Kashmir. As in the traditional Mughal garden, there are water the gates of Rashtrapati Bhavan.
channels and pools, chhatris, parterres, and carved fountains— All tours are free of charge.
although the design of ornate fountains here, carved as numerous The general public is allowed into the Mughal
interlocking circles, is not traditional. The Mughal Gardens are Gardens only from mid–February to mid–
a grand horticultural achievement too, with more than 250 March, every year, when spring turns the
varieties of roses, and probably the world’s largest collection of gardens into one of Delhi’s finest displays of
marigold species, besides an array of bougainvillea, dahlias, and flowers. For this duration, the Gardens are
other flowers. In recent years, a small bonsai garden and a herb open–free of charge–between 10 am–4 pm
garden have been added to the Mughal Gardens. An amusing bit every day except Mondays.
2. North Block and South Block The North and South Blocks sit on a plinth about 30 ft above
While Lutyens was designing the Government House, Herbert the ground and are connected by an underground passage (still
Baker was working on the design of the Secretariat buildings. in use). Between them, the four-storied Secretariat buildings have
These buildings, two identical blocks facing each other across about 4,000 rooms, several inner fountain courts, and miles of
King’s Way, were to house (and still do) important ministries corridors. Both blocks have original paintings decorating some
of the government. It was essential, therefore, that they form a walls and ceilings. The North Block, for example, boasts of
composite whole with Government House, the entire (so to say) allegorical depictions of justice, war, and peace; the South Block
‘supreme power’ looming imposingly on Raisina Hill. has paintings of Indian cities and emblems of older kingdoms.
Differences arose between Baker and Lutyens regarding the Outside each block are two sandstone columns—a total of
placement of the Secretariat and Government House on Raisina four columns in the Secretariat. These, known as the Columns
Hill, and caused never-ending acrimony between them. Despite of Dominion, were ceremonial gifts to India from the colonies
that, however, Baker and Lutyens managed to create a harmonious of Britain which had dominion status: Australia, Canada, New
set of buildings. Like Rashtrapati Bhavan, the two buildings Zealand, and South Africa. Each column is topped by a bronze
(North Block and South Block) of the Secretariat are made of ship in sail (to symbolize Britain’s maritime traditions). The ship
buff and red sandstone, with the red sandstone forming a broad rests on a replica of the Ashoka Capital: a lotus blossoming above
‘base’ for the outer walls. As Lutyens did in Rashtrapati Bhavan, a wheel, flanked by a horse on one side and a bull on the other.
in the Secretariat too Baker used a combination of European and Today, the South Block is home to the Prime Minister’s
indigenous architectural elements. The semi-circular arches, the Office, and the ministries of Defence and External Affairs.
Corinthian columns, and the baroque dome are unmistakably The ministries of Finance and Home Affairs occupy the North
western; the carved elephants and lotuses, red sandstone jalis, Block. Because of the high security here, no casual visitors are
chhajjas, and the chhatris on the terraces are just as obviously Indian. allowed into either building. You may, however, walk along
In a nod to Mughal architecture, Baker designed the main Rajpath and see (and photograph) the outside of the buildings.
entrances of both blocks to resemble a traditional Mughal gateway. On 29th January every year, the open space at the base of
If you’ve seen the tomb of Humayun (near Nizamuddin, in Delhi), Raisina Hill, known as Vijay Chowk, becomes the venue for the
you’ll note the same details here: a small arched doorway, set into Beating of the Retreat, marking the culmination of the Republic
a much larger (also arched) gateway. As in Humayun’s Tomb, here Day celebrations. The Secretariat buildings are illuminated for
too circular medallions decorate the inner corners of the archway, the occasion, creating one of the most picturesque views of
and a small, ornate balcony projects above the inner door. Imperial Delhi as it is today.
3. India Gate
In keeping with the concept of an impressive central vista, Lutyens
and Baker envisaged a massive memorial arch to form one of the
structures of the main axis, that is the King’s Way. The ‘All India
War Memorial’ would be to King’s Way what the Arc du Triomphe
is to the Champs Élysées.
The monument was built as a memorial to Indian soldiers
killed in battle during the First World War. The inscription at the
top of the arch reads: ‘To the dead of the Indian armies who fell
honoured in France and Flanders, Mesopotamia and Persia, East
Africa, Gallipoli, and elsewhere in the near and the far-east, and
in sacred memory also of those whose names are recorded and
who fell in India or the north-west frontier and during the Third
Afghan War.’ The names of 90,000 men who died during these
conflicts are inscribed on the uprights of the arch. (Over the
decades since its construction, this has come to be a memorial for
Indian soldiers in other wars as well, including the Indo-Pakistan
war of 1971 and the Kargil war of 1999. This is in addition to the
names of soldiers awarded the Param Vir Chakra, India’s highest
military decoration).
Lutyens had begun designing the memorial arch before the
First World War began. The war, however, delayed the project.
The Duke of Connaught finally laid the foundation stone of the
memorial during his visit to Delhi in 1921. Work began the same installed under the arch, where oil was ceremonially burnt on the
year and continued till 1931. anniversary of the memorial’s inauguration. While oil is rarely lit
The relatively plain façade and clean lines of in the bowl above the arch, the bowl below the arch was replaced, in
India Gate lie in sharp contrast to the more 1970, with an ‘eternal flame’, burning constantly in memory of
ornate appearance of the Secretariat India’s dead soldiers. This is in the form of a plain square shrine
buildings or Rashtrapati Bhavan. Like of black marble, atop a stepped platform of red stone. From the
these buildings, though, India Gate is centre of the black shrine rises an upturned bayonet supporting a
also composed mainly of buff sandstone. helmet, a symbol of the unknown soldier. On each of the corners
At the top of the arch are inscribed the of the red stone platform is a constantly-alight flame. The shrine
letters INDIA, with MCMXIV on the left is known as the Amar Jawan Jyoti (literally, ‘Flame of the Immortal
and MCMXIX on the right—the Roman Warrior’). The words ‘Amar Jawan’ is also inscribed in gold on all
numerals indicating the beginning and four sides of the shrine.
the end, 1914 and 1919, of the First Just beyond India Gate is a domed, tall-columned canopy,
World War. Between the narrower sides standsing in the middle of a large pool of water and built to
of the columns are two large sandstone commemorate King George V. Lutyens drew his inspiration for
pine cones, symbolizing eternal life. this from an ornate pavilion at Mahabalipuram. It originally
Topping the arch is a housed a white marble statue of George V, shifted to Coronation
shallow dome with a bowl to Park in 1968. Since then, there have been suggestions to install
be filled with burning oil on other statues—including Mahatma Gandhi’s—under the canopy.
anniversaries to commemorate These have been dismissed as being contrary to the nature of the
martyrs. A similar structure was canopy and the central vista.
Avenue Plantation in New Delhi arjuna, pipal, and tamarind) were the most commonly planted.
The land chosen by the In addition, one imported species (the African sausage tree) was
architects of the imperial city, chosen for plantation.
Lutyens and Baker as suitable Besides selecting the species to be planted, Lutyens and Mustoe
for New Delhi was a stretch planned the spacing of the trees along the avenues, how and
south of the walled city of where different species could be planted along a single stretch,
Shahjahanabad. On its western and how trees could be grouped or spread out to best showcase
boundary, it was hemmed in the structures of New Delhi, especially the central vista. The tree
by the Delhi Ridge; to the east plantations in and around the central vista were planned with
was the Yamuna. In the middle exceptional care.To carry forward the symmetry that characterized
stretched an area littered with the buildings of the central vista, Lutyens and Mustoe ensured
old ruins and used largely for that only one major species (the jamun) was planted along the
agriculture. avenues of this area.
This, according to Lutyens’ Similarly, matching tree species surround and lead up to
vision of a ‘Garden City’, was important government buildings like the Government House
Neem Tree
to be the site of impressive (Rashtrapati Bhavan), the Secretariat, and the Law Courts. In
government buildings (Government House, the Secretariat, the addition, the grandest trees were used along avenues leading to
Indian War Memorial arch, and the palaces of Princes’ Park among the major buildings, while lesser avenues – for instance, some in
them). The city would also incorporate earlier historic monuments, the ‘bungalow zone’ where officials had their residences – were
such as the Purana Qila. The entire stretch of the old and new spaces lined with less imposing tree species. To maximize the effect of
was to be connected by a geometric network of avenues, with the ‘Garden City’, and to create continuity between one area and
King’s Way (present-day Rajpath) and Queen’ s Way (present-day the next, the same tree species were often planted along roads that
Janpath) being the main axes. converged or intersected.
But in a city supposed to impart the feel of a garden, avenues Avenue plantation began between 1919-20, with the last
could not be left bare or simply flanked by pavements. It was essential trees being planted approximately five years later. By the time the
that trees be planted along each avenue: trees that would provide Secretariat and Government House were inaugurated, many of
a soothing greenery to counteract Delhi’s dry and dusty environs, the trees had grown much as Lutyens and Mustoe had envisaged
trees that would be shady and cooling, and which would – very in their plans. Even today, nearly ninety years later, the avenue
importantly – ‘frame’ the most impressive landmarks of the new city. plantation of New Delhi is among the finest in the world.
This, obviously, required a great deal of careful design and
planning. The people largely responsible for planning New Delhi’s
avenue plantations included Lutyens, William Robert Mustoe (the
Director of Horticulture), and, to some extent, Captain George
Swinton (the Chairman of the Town Planning Commission).
Assisted by other town planners, foresters, and horticulturists,
they began defining the types of trees to be planted. Trees, unless
they were on traffic islands, could not be large and spreading, since
they would impede all-important ‘views’ of the buildings around.
Delhi is notoriously dry, so drought-resistant trees were needed.
And, very importantly from the point of view of aesthetics, trees
had to be preferably evergreen.
Much research and discussion followed, culminating in a list
of thirteen species of trees for avenue plantation. Of these, eight
species (including common Indian trees like the jamun, neem, Avenue lined with neem and jamun trees around Rajpath
New Delhi as a Garden City After much surveying of the Delhi area, Lutyens and Baker
Following the decision, in 1911, to shift the capital from Calcutta picked on the low rise of Raisina Hill and the area surrounding
to Delhi, a Town Planning Committee was set up, with Edwin it as the location for New Delhi. With a width of about 4.5
Lutyens (later to be joined Herbert Baker) at its helm. Baker was miles (tapering to 2.5 miles near Shahjahanabad), the area was
best-known for having designed the Union Government buildings mainly cropland. In this seemingly unpromising stretch, Lutyens
at Pretoria. Lutyens was known mainly for his work in designing proposed a grand axial road, running water with fountains, rond
English country houses, and, more significantly, as it proved in the ponts (traffic islands), parks, avenues, and buildings – grand
case of New Delhi, for having planned Hampstead Garden Suburb monuments symbolizing the power of the British Empire- as well
in London’s Hampstead Heath. as residential bungalows. The proportion of open spaces to land
Lutyens’ design of Hampstead Garden Suburb was a developed would be 1:10 – a spaciousness that was the hallmark
combination of geometric residential areas, twin churches of a Garden City.
flanking an imposing central building, avenues planted with trees, Some of the design elements initially proposed by Lutyens and
and gardens that complemented both buildings and avenues. It Baker were later dropped, but the basis remained the same. It was
formed a composite zone that was dominated by a few important a plan made up of radial roads in which the central buildings were
structures and, at the same time, had a feel of being surrounded grouped together, surrounded by geometrically precise stretches
by nature – a place where the ‘city’ merged with the ‘countryside’. of greenery: tree-lined avenues; manicured lawns; and gardens that
In other words, a ‘Garden City’. would suitably showcase the magnificence of the built structures.
The concept of the Garden City was allied, in the case of New The main axial road was King’s Way (present-day Rajpath); the
Delhi to certain other movements in the western world. The grouped ‘main buildings’ were the Government House (Rashtrapati
main features Lutyens incorporated were sweeping boulevards; Bhavan), and the Secretariat buildings. Further down, to adequately
impressive monuments; avenues lined with trees; a well laid balance the grandeur of Raisina Hill, were the monumental arch
out plan pattern for residential, commercial, and administrative of India Gate, the canopy beyond, and the Princes’ Park palaces.
buildings; and an axial centre that would tie all of this together. Radiating from this awe-inspiring centre were tree-lined avenues
Paris, particularly as designed by Baron Hausmann, also had broad leading to other government buildings, bungalows, pre-existing
avenues and important public spaces. In fact, Paris, with the Champs monuments (like Purana Qila), and Connaught Place. New Delhi,
Élysées forming the main axial vista, with the Tuileries, the gardens a fine example of a Garden City, was thus born.
at Versailles, and the Arc du Triomphe forming some of the main
components of this design, found many echoes in Lutyens’ plan
Tree-lined avenues in Lutyens’ Delhi
for New Delhi. The plan was also strikingly
similar to the plan of Washington DC, by
the French engineer Pierre L’Enfant.
The far-reaching influence of these
designs was given a further boost by the
launch of the Garden City Movement in
Britain towards the end of the nineteenth
century. By 1912, this movement had
gathered substantial strength. It was not
surprising, then, that the ‘Garden City’
concept was the main inspiration for
Lutyens and Baker too.They were supported
in this by the Viceroy, Lord Hardinge, who
had been posted in Washington during his
career and now called for the plans of both
Washington and Paris.
The Bungalows of Delhi
With the capital shifting from Calcutta to Delhi, Lutyens and Baker
were faced with the task of not just designing the central vista, but
also providing housing for the British officials who would stay in
the new city. That housing, furthermore, would have to reflect the
style of the larger, grander buildings that dominated the Imperial
capital. The solution Lutyens chose was the bungalow.
The word ‘bungalow’ was derived from the Hindustani
‘bangla’, indicating the geographic origin—Bengal—of the
reed huts on which bungalows were first modelled. The colonial
bungalow was a large, sprawling house that would best counter
the hot, humid conditions of plains India. Broad verandahs, high
ceilings, and tall windows allowed cross-ventilation, while the A bungalow in New Delhi
gardens and groves surrounding the bungalow provided privacy
for the sahib and his family. Lutyens, drawing on his experience as an architect of English
Delhi was already home to Europeans, several of whom had country houses, modified the bungalow. He added to it classical
built mansions in Shahjahanabad and its suburbs. These, however, European (especially Palladian) touches, though some indigenous
tended to follow either a classic European pattern, or, in many elements—like chhajjas and occasionally, internal courtyards—were
cases, the haveli pattern. Havelis (traditional courtyard houses) had included. The resultant building style was characterized by high
been a part of Shahjahanabad since the establishment of the city in ceilings, clerestory windows positioned high in the walls, and shady
the mid-seventeenth century. The concept of the haveli was simple: loggias. Keeping in mind Delhi’s chilly winters, Lutyens also added
the bulk of its open space was within the mansion. This implied fireplaces in some of the main rooms, along with accompanying
that while the outer wall of a haveli kept out the rest of the world, chimneys jutting out above the flat roof.
the inside of the haveli contained multiple courtyards, gardens, and Lutyens’ model for the bungalow—the ‘Lutyens bungalow’—
dalans (arched verandahs). was followed by other architects working on New Delhi, such as
Unlike the haveli, the bungalow was surrounded by gardens, W. H. Nicholls, and R. T. Russell of the Public Works Department
and was a single-storeyed structure built on a low plinth. It was (PWD). Occasionally, changes were made—verandahs and loggias
usually whitewashed and was ringed on the outside by verandahs. were reduced or done away with, for instance—but the bungalows
The bungalow spread over a series of rooms and spaces with often of the new city were, on the whole, uniform. Each was surrounded
little or no connection to the grounds outside. While the haveli’s by a large green compound, with a boundary wall, and servants’
gardens and open spaces lay inside the shell of the building, the quarters placed at a discreet distance within the compound itself.
exact opposite was true of the bungalow. The bungalows of New Delhi were constructed by the PWD.
Since the area they were to occupy was so huge, each bungalow
A typical colonial bungalow, Civil Lines
sprawled in its plot of land, in some cases covering several acres.
The allotment of bungalows to British officials, too, was strictly
according to rank: the higher an official’s standing in the hierarchy,
the larger the number of bedrooms in the bungalow allotted!
Large sections of New Delhi—especially around Janpath—
have since been cleared of the Lutyens-era bungalows that once
graced them. Thankfully, some pockets (the area south of Rajpath
is an example) still have their share of bungalows, in more or less
the same condition as Lutyens had envisaged: quiet, cool islands
of aloofness sitting in spacious grounds. Many, unsurprisingly, are
occupied by the who’s who of Indian government.
The Princely Houses or Palaces as far back as 1902, for the appropriately-named Papillon House in
When Lutyens and Baker began work on designing New Delhi, Leicestershire. In the case of Hyderabad House, Lutyens ‘halved’ the
British India was still a mix of British-ruled territories and over butterfly, leaving it with two wings, one facing each of the two roads
600 principalities that owed, to some extent, allegiance to the that flank the palace. The cream-painted, buff sandstone palace
British. In February 1921, a ‘Chamber of Princes’ was inaugurated, was constructed in 1926 at an estimated cost of Rs 15 million.
the aim of its 120 members—the rulers of these principalities— The Nizam of Hyderabad could well afford it: he was believed
to advise the Viceroy on matters that affected the princely states. to be the world’s richest man. The palace is an attractive blend
A direct consequence of this event was the need to provide space of European and Indian architecture: the semi-circular arches,
for the princes in the new city: space to house princes coming to unornamented columns, shallow urns and obelisks adorning the
attend the Chamber’s meetings, but also space to symbolize their façade are distinctly western. On the other hand, the dome—of
participation in the government. The result was Princes’ Park, an the same shape as that on Rashtrapati Bhavan—was inspired by
area surrounding present-day India Gate, on which some of the the stupa at Sanchi and the carved sandstone jalis of the façade are
most powerful princes were allotted land to build palaces. In all, almost exact replicas of the jalis at the Red Fort.
three dozen lots (of about eight acres each) were leased out to the The palace’s thirty-six rooms were designed to inspire awe:
princes. The most powerful states—Hyderabad, Baroda, Bikaner, it has broad, sweeping staircases, marble fireplaces, and floors
Patiala, and Jaipur—were given lots forming a ring around the decorated with rich patterns. Even the original furnishings of the
canopy on King’s Way. Lesser princes (including those of Jaisalmer, palace were imported from England.
Travancore, Dholpur, and Faridkot) were given lots further out Somewhat at odds with all this magnificence is the zenana (the
along the roads radiating from the central hexagon. women’s quarters) that the Nizam instructed Lutyens to build as
The designs of the palaces would, however, have to pass muster part of the palace. Compared to the spaciousness of the rest of
with the government, to ensure that the appearance remained in Hyderabad House, the zenana consists of a dozen or so little rooms,
accordance with the rest of Lutyens’ Delhi. each about the size of an ‘ordinary horsebox’(as Lord Hardinge
After India’s independence, with the accession of the princely noted on a visit), surrounding a circular court.
states to the Union of India, these palaces became the property of After the death of Osman Ali Khan, his sons—who did not like
the Indian government. Most still remain part of the government, the building, deeming it too western for their liking – gifted it
functioning as offices for government departments, or (as in to the Indian government in 1947. Since then, Hyderabad House
the case of Jaipur House, which is today the National Gallery of has been a Government of India property, used for important
Modern Art) as a centre for culture. government events such as press conferences, banquets, and
meetings with visiting foreign dignitaries.
4. Hyderabad House It is off-limits for casual visitors, but you can see the building from outside the gates.
Of all the palaces that comprise Princes’ Park, by far the most
splendid is the one Lutyens designed for Osman Ali Khan, the
seventh Nizam of Hyderabad. The palace, like the neighbouring
princely palaces, sits on a wedge-shaped plot of land. To
use this shape to its best advantage, Lutyens
designed the Palace of
the Nizam of Hyderabad
(as Hyderabad House
was initially known)
in a butterfly shape.
Interestingly, the butterfly
shape was a pattern Lutyens
had been using for a long
time—he had perfected it
 other houses Lutyens built for the princes in this area: the two
wings of the building are joined together with a dome above. The
palace is painted cream, with sections of buff sandstone left bare
to highlight balconies, parapets, and carved ventilator screens. An
interesting feature is the distinctly Indian touch provided by a
square, domed pavilion on the roof. With a chhajja and four smaller
pavilions clustered around it. Patiala House is now an important
district court of Delhi.

5. Baroda House 7. National Stadium

Close to Hyderabad House stands Baroda House, built for The National Stadium was designed by R. T. Russell of the PWD.
Sayajirao III,the Gaekwad ruler of Baroda.Baroda House was designed Lutyens had been opposed to the idea of building the National
by Lutyens himself; the construction began in 1921 and continued Stadium on this plot of land, beside Purana Qila Road, because the
for the next fifteen years. Sayajirao had been tutored by a Britisher stadium would hinder the view of Purana Qila from the central
(F.A.H. Elliot, the Gaekwad’s Political Officer and a powerful vista.
influence at court). He was, therefore, open to letting Lutyens build
a palace with very few markedly Indian architectural elements.
While the dome of Baroda House echoes the Sanchi Stupa, the
rest of the palace is obviously Anglo-Saxon. It has large French
windows with semi-circular arches; a portico; and unornamented
Doric columns. Even the carved screens of the walls surrounding
the terraces are more European in style than the ornate jali screens
Indian stone-carvers were used to making. The building is of
buff sandstone, and from above resembles a butterfly cut in two
down the centre: one of its ‘spread wings’ faces Kasturba Gandhi
Marg, the other Copernicus Marg. Baroda House today houses the
headquarters of the Northern Railway – a prominent ‘signboard’
being the little vintage steam engine positioned outside the
building, just before Copernicus Marg. Lutyens, however, was overruled, and the building—initially
Being a government building, casual visitors are not allowed. known as the Irwin Amphitheatre, after Lord Irwin (Viceroy of
India from 1926–31)—was constructed by the PWD. Completed
6. Patiala House in 1933 it was used as a multipurpose stadium, and continues to
Like Baroda House, Patiala House, built for the Maharaja of Patiala, be so today. Just before Delhi hosted the 1951 Asian Games, it was
was designed by Lutyens as a ‘butterfly house’. Its construction renamed the National Stadium. In 2002, it was re-named the Dhyan
began in 1938. The palace, Chand National Stadium, in honour of Major Dhyan Chand Singh
which lies between Tilak (1905–1979), one of the world’s finest hockey players. A bronze
Marg and Purana Qila statue of his, installed in 2008, stands in a circular garden at the
Road, is similar to the entrance to the National Stadium. The National Stadium building
has a main entrance consisting of five large arches. The rest of the
building is a combination of western and Indian architectural
styles. Prominent among the Indian elements are the chhajjas and the
chhatris that stand above the arches. The chhatris, which look fairly out
of place, are believed to have been suggested by Lady Willingdon,
the Vicereine when the stadium was being constructed.
 In addition, the museum holds special
exhibitions that showcase modern art,
both Indian and international.
Besides the art displays, the NGMA
has a library of reference material. A
museum shop near the entrance sells
souvenirs such as posters, greeting cards,
and catalogues.
Timings: 10 am–7 pm, closed on Monday and
gazetted holidays.
Entry: Indian Citizens–Rs 10, Indian students–
Re 1, Foreign Nationals–Rs 150. Photography
with prior permission only from the
administrative office.
8. Jaipur House – National Gallery
of Modern Art 9. Bikaner House
Situated between Sher Shah Road and Dr Zakir Hussain Marg is In 1939, Lutyens designed this palace—between Shahjahan Road
one of the few princely palaces easily accessible to the general and Pandara Road—for Ganga Singh, the Maharaja of Bikaner.
public. This is Jaipur House, designed by Arthur Bloomfield in Ganga Singh was an enlightened and progressive ruler, who
1936 for the Maharaja of Jaipur. Bloomfield remained true to carried out land and prison reforms, constructed the Ganga
Lutyens’ vision of New Delhi: like the Lutyens-designed palaces Canal, and did a lot for the welfare of his subjects. He was, in
in Princes’ Park, Jaipur House too is a ‘butterfly house’, with addition, a believer in self-rule for India. It is possible, therefore,
a dome atop the centre. Built mainly of buff sandstone, the that he did not see the need for a grand show of opulence in the
building has architectural elements that run the gamut from Imperial capital at Delhi. As it was, the palace Lutyens designed
Art Deco to traditional Indian. The dome resembles the one on for him is the most understated and least striking of the buildings
Rashtrapati Bhavan; a chhajja of red sandstone runs continuously of Princes’ Park.
below the roof; there are multiple strips of red sandstone inlaid The palace has large verandahs along the front, a backyard,
to form a patterned dado and Rajput columns form arched and extensive gardens—all of which were typical features of the
openings along the façade. bungalows Lutyens designed in New Delhi.
Jaipur House is today the National Gallery of Modern Art Bikaner House is now the office of Rajasthan Tourism. Luxury
(NGMA), inaugurated by the Vice-President, Dr S. Radhakrishnan, and deluxe tourist buses between Delhi and different destinations
in 1954. The museum’s first curator was the German historian in Rajasthan use it as a base for departures and arrivals. Buses
and Indologist, Hermann Goetz, who procured many of the bound for Jaipur, for example, leave Bikaner House every half hour.
works that form the museum’s collection today.
The NGMA has a large display of art at present—primarily
paintings, though there are also sculptures and some installation
art—covering approximately 150 years of art in India. These
range from the ‘scenic views of India’ painted by Thomas and
William Daniell in the eighteenth century, to the ‘Company
art’ (the ‘Company’ being the East India Company) that vividly
recorded the lives of the ‘natives’, as seen from European eyes.
More contemporary are the heavyweights of Indian art: Amrita
Sher-Gil, Jamini Roy, Nandalal Bose, D. P. Roychowdhury, and
members of the Tagore family, including Rabindranath himself.
10. Parliament House 560 ft in diameter. (The niches built into this platform bear
The original plans for the central vista of New Delhi had not plaques with inscriptions honouring the more prominent people
included a separate building for a parliament, since the body of involved in the building of New Delhi).
representatives that acted as a council was then small enough to Parliament House consists of a central hall topped by a dome
have its meetings in modest halls. However, with the Morley-Minto and three semi-circular chambers that are surrounded by garden
reforms of 1919, Indian representation in the Viceroy’s council courts. The three semi-circular chambers housed the Chamber
suddenly rose. With it arose the need to construct a building large of Princes, the Council of State, and the Legislative Assembly.
enough to accommodate the hundreds of members who would In present-day India, the Rajya Sabha (the Upper House) holds
meet under one roof. What resulted was the Council House, today its sessions in one chamber, while the Lok Sabha (the House of
known as Sansad Bhavan or Parliament House. the People) uses the other chamber. The third chamber has been
Parliament House stands north-west of Vijay Chowk (at the foot converted into the Parliament Library. The central hall is now used
of Raisina Hill) and was designed by Herbert Baker. The Duke of as a venue for major international functions and for joint sessions
Connaught, on his visit to Delhi in 1921, laid the foundation stone involving both houses of Parliament.
for the building; it took six years to build and was inaugurated by Interestingly, for about a decade after Independence, the Supreme
the then Viceroy, Lord Irwin, in January 1927. Court was housed in the Chamber of Princes. This chamber, unlike
The original plan for the Council House had been in the form the much simpler Council of State chamber, has carved screens to
of an equilateral triangle. Lutyens, however, was of the opinion allow women members in purdah to attend sessions.
that this shape would clash with the hexagon-based design of New As in the case of the Secretariat, at Parliament House too Baker
Delhi. What he suggested, instead, was that the Council House be used a combination of western and Indian architectural forms.
made in a style resembling Rome’s Coliseum. The design finally The dome, the semi-circular arched windows, and the towering
implemented was a circular building, ringed on the outside by columns of the verandahs surrounding the three chambers on two
a colonnaded verandah. The edifice, mainly of buff sandstone, floors, are European. On the other hand, the geometric patterns
sits on a red sandstone platform and sprawls over six acres. It is that comprise the jalis of the boundary wall and the parapets echo
Indo-Islamic architecture. The capitals of the pillars supporting Revd. T.R. Dixon, the chaplain at Delhi, put forward a request
the portico roof are also very Indian. for a more permanent (and larger) church. Lutyens proposed
In 1989, an additional building was added next to Parliament a site just north of the Jaipur Column. Architects were invited
House, to act as an extension of the Parliament Library. This is the to present designs and the one proposed by Henry Alexander
New Parliament Library building, or the Sansadiya Gyanpeeth. In Nesbitt Medd (who also designed the Sacred Heart Cathedral)
contrast to the colonial style of the older building, the Sansadiya was approved in 1925. A budget of Rs 50,000 was set aside for
Gyanpeeth (designed by Raj Rewal) is contemporary in style, the church building, which was completed in 1930. The Church
with low domes, glass, steel, and stone used to create the scattered of Redemption was consecrated and opened its doors on Sunday,
buildings that comprise the library. 18 January, 1931. In April 1947, the church was elevated to the
The Sansadiya Gyanpeeth is also home to the Parliamentary rank of a cathedral, the seat of the new Diocese of Delhi, part of
Museum and Archives (PMA). The brainchild of Somnath the Church of North India (CNI).
Chatterjee, Speaker of the Lok Sabha between 2004 and 2009, the The cathedral, modelled on Venice’s Palladio Church and
PMA was opened to the public in September 2006. It consists of London’s Hampstead Church, is made completely of buff
the Parliamentary Museum, the Parliamentary Photographs and sandstone. It has a striking external appearance, with a large
Films Section, and the Parliamentary Archives. dome resting atop an octagonal drum, with sloping roofs
The museum, in particular, is a storehouse of memorabilia spreading out to form a typical cruciform church. Inside, too,
that showcases India’s history, right from the Vedic period till the church is largely buff sandstone, with ornate Corinthian
the present day. Interactive multimedia exhibits, dioramas, and columns forming the bulk of the decoration. The high altar is
artefacts—for instance, robes worn by high-ranking British Raj of polished dark wood; just before the altar, facing the pews,
officials, or furniture from the Chamber of Princes—are among is a stone plaque dedicated to Henry Alexander Nesbitt Medd.
the highlights of the museum. An especially interesting exhibit is Among the other interesting historic objects in the church are
a scale model of Parliament House. a fine old organ and a silver cross donated by Lord Irwin. The
Of the other two sections of the Sansadiya Gyanpeeth, the stained glass window in the tiny chapel on the right of the high
Parliamentary Photographs and Films Section houses original visual altar is a recent addition.
and audio-visual records of the Parliament, its history, activities, and The church is open to all visitors. Sunday services
members.The third section of the Sansadiya Gyanpeeth, the Archives, are held successively in English, Hindi, and Tamil,
acts as an archival system for documents linked with framing and with the English service beginning
development of the Indian Constitution. The Archives also stores at 8 am in summer and
records of the development and functioning of parliamentary 8.30 am in winter.
institutions, and, the private papers of eminent parliamentarians.
Casual visitors are not allowed into Parliament House. A letter of introduction from
a Member of Parliament can be used to get an entry pass for the library.The library
is open on all weekdays from 10 pm–6 pm.
The Parliamentary Museum in the Sansadiya Gyanpeeth is open for vistors from
11 am–5 pm, Sunday & Monday closed.
Entry: Rs 10 for adults, free for students.

11. The Cathedral Church of Redemption

In the early 1900s, a number of British officers and bureaucrats
who were living in the area that now comprises the heart of
New Delhi had no designated place of worship for Anglican
services. The circular building known as Alexandra Place (now
the Gole Dak-khana), used as a venue for Sunday services, could
accommodate only sixty people at a time.
Other Places of Interest instruments, coins, etc. The museum also holds special temporary
a. IGNCA exhibitions, often with priceless exhibits being brought in from
The Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts was set up in 1987 international museums.
as an autonomous body under the Ministry of Culture. It has since Timings: 10 am–5 pm, film shows on art heritage of India 2.30 pm (weekdays),
devoted itself to the preservation and propagation of the arts. The 11.30 am, 2.30 pm & 4.30 pm (weekends)
IGNCA’s main goal is to act as a centre for research, restoration, Entry: Indian Citizens–Rs 10, free for students, Foreign Nationals–Rs 300
and dissemination of art and culture. Included here are the library A small fee is payable for cameras. Photography is allowed except in galleries where
(Kala Nidhi), designed by the American architect Ralph Lerner in it is specifically prohibited.
1985; a centre for lifestyle studies (Janapada Sampada); a centre for
the study and publication of Indian-language texts (Kala Kosa); and c. Rakab Ganj Sahib Gurudwara
the Cultural Informatics Lab, which restores and preserves archive Located at the intersection of Pandit Pant Marg and Church Road,
material, the administrative wing, Sutradhar, and an exhibition hall facing the Parliament House Library, is the large, triple-domed
(Kaladarsana). The IGNCA is an interesting place to visit for the Rakab Ganj Sahib Gurudwara. The original gurudwara on this site
wide range of exhibitions, seminars, conferences, performances was built by Sardar Baghel Singh (ad 1730–1802), a prominent
and screenings that it hosts. Sikh general who carried out several raids on Delhi during the
Timings: Library open from 10.00 am–6.00 pm. Entry: Free eighteenth century. He is believed to have attempted an invasion
of Delhi in ad 1783, with an army of 30,000 Sikh warriors and
b. National Museum upon his arrival, laid claim to the site where the ninth Sikh guru,
In 1947–48, an exhibition of Indian art and Guru Teg Bahadur, had been cremated. The site had been the
antiquities, drawn from various museums home of one of Teg Bahadur’s disciples, Lakhi Shah Vanjara, who
across India, was held at the Burlington is said to have burnt down his house—with the guru’s dead body
House galleries in London. The success of inside—in place of giving the body a regular cremation.
the exhibition prompted the question: why not Sardar Baghel Singh’s attempt to claim the site of the guru’s
replicate the idea in India? When the exhibits were cremation for the Sikhs met with opposition from the Muslims
brought back to India, they were again displayed, of Delhi, since the site was already home to a mosque. After
at Rashtrapati Bhavan, the exhibition again much deliberation, however, the Mughal emperor Shah Alam II
proving successful. Finally, the government (r. ad 1759–1806) granted the land to the Sikhs. Sardar Baghel
decided to formally launch a National Museum was allowed to construct the gurudwara and lay a garden around
for India. The official inauguration of the it. In addition, the Sikhs were given about 63 acres of land, three
museum was held on 15 August, 1949, under wells, all to be exempted from taxation.
the aegis of the then Governor-General of India, C. Rajagopalachari. Rakab Ganj Sahib has undergone many
The site chosen for the building was at the junction of Janpath changes and renovations over the years,
and Maulana Azad Road. The National Museum contains over so the building you now see is a
2,00,000 exhibits, ranging across a period of 5,000 years. The completely modern one. It is clad in
bulk of these are of Indian origin, though there are also exhibits white marble and is surrounded by a
from other parts of the world. garden. All visitors, irrespective of
The buff sandstone building is arranged in the form of a series religious belief, are welcome.
of galleries, spreading out on three sides of a central, circular well- Timings: 7 am–10 pm.
like space. Three floors of galleries hold an extensive collection of Entry: Free
exhibits: for instance, the ground floor has a range of ancient
Indian sculpture, manuscripts, jewellery, and medieval art. Tribal
art, Ajanta paintings, and Central Asian artefacts are (among other
sections) on the first floor. The second floor is home to displays
of pre-Columbian and western art, along with weaponry, musical
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Lines
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SHAHJAHANABAD Red Fort

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Route 1
Qutb MEHRAULI TUGHLAQABAD
Mehrauli Village Minar

Route 2
Mehrauli
Archaeological Park

SPONSOR Created by

I N TAC H
This publication has been made possible Delhi Chapter
by World Monuments Fund’s Sustainable
Tourism Initiative, sponsored by
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