delhicacies.com - Rashtrapati Bhawan, New Delhi

RASHTRAPATI BHAWAN

Standing atop Raisina Hill, the official residence of the President of India was formerly the residence of the Viceroy of India. Designed by Sir Edwin Lutyens and set within 330 acres, it is the single greatest artifact of the British Empire and is rated among the largest residential buildings of the world. The complex has a 340 rooms palace, spacious state rooms, great courts, a number of fountains and gardens. The most magnificient room, the Durbar Hall is directly under the main dome and is the venue for all official functions of the President of India. In the centre of the court at the front is the soaring 145 ft high sandstone Jaipur Column, a gift to the British by Maharaja Madhao Singh of Jaipur on the birth of Delhi. The Rashtrapati Bhawan presents a majestic view of the Rajpath, the symmetricial North and South Block Government offices, and India Gate. The elegant Mughal Gardens are at the back of the palace and are open to the public one every year, generally from end February to mid March. A visit to the Rashtrapati Bhawan requires a special permission. (Foreign tourists intending to visit the Rashtrapati Bhawan should obtain the permission well in advance through their respective embassies in Delhi)