President House of India is a beauty to behold which is a amalgamation Indian and Western architectural styles. But did you know this magnificent building was earlier known as Viceroy House.
In 1911, the British Empire announced in the Delhi Durbar that the capital of India would be shifted from Kolkata to Delhi. This place was chosen by the British Empire to establish it as its headquarters.
The building has 340 rooms, a huge Darbar Hall and beautiful gardens. It is said that it was expected to take 4 years to build but it took 17 years. Talking about the cost of building Rashtrapati Bhavan, it is said that more than Rs 1 crore 38 lakh was spent at that time.
The land on which the Rashtrapati Bhavan is built was earlier called Raisina Hill. Before 1911, this area was a part of small villages of local residents. Earlier, about 300 families engaged in farming and animal husbandry were settled here. The decision to make Delhi the capital was taken due to historical and geographical reasons.
It is said that when the decision was taken to build this building on this land, the ownership of the land was with the Maharaja of Jaipur. A pillar was installed at the front of this building, which is called ‘Jaipur Pillar’. According to one information, it was gifted by Maharaja Sawai Madho Singh of Jaipur.
However, a few years ago, some people came forward claiming that they are the original owners of the Lutyens Zone, which includes the land where the magnificent Rashtrapati Bhavan, Parliament, North Block and South Block are located. The Lutyens Zone is an area with bungalows for government officials and their administrative offices.
The British Empire chose Raisina Hill as its headquarters because of its high altitude. Rashtrapati Bhavan, designed to be the official residence of the Viceroy of British India, was constructed between 1912 and 1929. The building was designed by Sir Edwin Lutyens and Sir Herbert Baker.
Now since this was a hilly area, large scale digging and levelling work was done to prepare Raisina Hill for construction. Explosions were also carried out to level the ground. A huge amount of stones and soil had to be moved for construction.
Due to the hilly terrain, it was difficult to move heavy goods from one place to another. Hence, a railway line was laid for this purpose. Marble, sandstone and other goods were brought from Rajasthan and other places through this railway line.