Rashtrapati Bhavan, India
• Rashtrapati Bhavan is the home to the President of India. Rashtrapati Bhavan is one of the most iconic monuments in India.
• It is one of the largest Presidential palaces in the world after the Quirinal Palace, Rome, Italy.
• The Rashtrapati Bhavan has a total of 340 rooms spread over four floors, 2.5 kilometers of corridors, and 190 acres of garden area. The floor area of 2,00,000 square feet.
• Rashtrapati Bhavan was designed by Sir Edwin Lutyens. The chief engineer of the project was Sir Teja Singh Malik.
• The decision to build the Viceroy’s House in New Delhi was taken during the Delhi Durbar in December 1911.
• The construction took 17 years to complete. The construction was started in 1912 and completed in 1929. But it was opened in 1931.
• In the construction, more than 29,000 workers were employed and 700 million bricks were used.
• It is built on Raisina Hill which was named after one of the two villages (Raisini and Malcha).
• The construction cost 877,136 pounds (then Rs. 12.8 million) during that period.
• When constructed, it was called the Viceroy’s House. The name changed to Government House on 15th August 1947, when India became independent. On 26th January 1950, Dr. Rajendra Prasad became the first President of India, and from that day that this building was renamed as Rashtrapati Bhavan or the President's House.
• Lord Irwin was the first Viceroy to stay in the Rashtrapati Bhavan.
• C. Rajagopalachari, the first Indian Governor-General also took oath under the Central Dome on June 21, 1948 and became the first Indian to reside at the Government House, as it was then called.
• Rashtrapati Bhavan includes its premier rooms like the Ashok Hall, Durbar Hall, Banquet Hall, its Drawing Rooms and many more.
• Ashoka Hall of Rashtrapati Bhavan is used for holding ceremonial functions like the swearing-in of Ministers.
• There is a Gautam Buddha Statue in the Durbar Hall, which dates back to the Gupta period.
• The banquet hall has seating for up to 104 guests at one time.
• Change of guard takes place every Saturday at 10 am. It is a 30-minute ceremony.
• The Mughal Garden is situated at the back of the Rashtrapati Bhavan. The garden features a great variety of flowers and is opened to the public in February every year.
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