Can you imagine a residence with 340-rooms in this country? Well, there is one in New Delhi and that is none other than the Presidential residence, popularly known as “Rashtrapati Bhavan”. This 130-hectare residence has almost everything starting from living areas, party rooms, conference halls, offices, recreation rooms etc. Apart from that, there are gardens inside the campus that are well groomed from time to time. The security surveillance is at its height with innumerable guards to protect it from any disaster that may possibly occur.

There are some interesting facts about Rashtrapati Bhavan:

1. Rashtrapati Bhavan has grabbed the title to be the second largest presidential palace in the world after the Quirinal Palace in Rome. However, in terms of area, it is the largest residence among those allocated for the Heads of State across the world.

2. Rashtrapati Bhavan was formerly used by the Viceroy of India, the former head of the state of the country.

3.The structure is so massive that more than 700 million bricks and 3.5 million cubic feet (85,000 m³) of stones have been used in the construction.

4. It has 355 decorated rooms and a floor area of 200,000 square feet (19,000 m²) with massive floor spaces.

5. Around 29 thousand people worked for more than 15 years to complete this wonderful structure.

6. The British architect Sir Edwin Landseer Lutyens was the one to have designed this Presidential Palace way back in 191 2.

7. On 15 acres inside the premises of this wonderful place, there is a Mughal Garden that has great varieties of flowers that can match the kinds of any other country’s around the world. Stir Edwin Lutyens designed that in line with the beautiful gardens of J & K and the gardens around Taj Mahal. This garden is thrown open for public every year between February and March.

8. The Presidential palace has manpower strength of 750 staff.

9. “Change of Guard” is a ceremonial event that is conducted every Saturday morning. This is a wonderful event to watch and all somebody has to do is produce his ID to gain entry.

10. Official reports have confirmed that around 100 Crore was spent to maintain this Presidential Palace a few years back.

11.  It is built on Raisina Hill which was named after one of the two villages (Raisini and Malcha).

12. The Rashtrapati Bhavan has a dedicated place for children where the artwork and the skills of children’s are displayed from
time to time. This is entirely for children which is really wonderful to watch.

Central Dome 

Being the home of the President of India, the flag on the central dome affords a view over the Jaipur Column, created by the British sculptor Charles Sargent Jagger.

Passage to connect the halls and corridors

The hallways are adorned with gifts given to the President by the visiting heads of States and the floors and ceilings are constructed with high quality marbles.

Golden Archway

The hand painted ceilings everywhere inside depicts clearly how the culture in India stands preserved for many hundred years.

Guards wait at the stairway

Uniformed guards stand alongside the hallway leading to the Ahoka Hall, throughout the day.

Veranda

The verandas are exclusively designed to afford a splendid view from the Palace. The water channels and gardens with full of flowers are a wonderful sight.

The Royal Ballroom – Ashoka Hall

The central mural on the ceiling was presented by the Persian ruler Fateh Ali Shah Qajar to King George IV. The carpet was woven by Kashmiri carpet makers.

The bedroom

The bedrooms for the President’s family and the guests are designed in such a way that the comfort level is never in question.

The President’s study

The President’s study is the most serene place inside the Palace where the president spends his time alone when needed.

Rashtrapati Bhavan Illuminated

Rashtrapati Bhavan looks spectacular with lights on at certain official occasions