Who was the first Viceroy to occupy the building of current Rashtrapati Bhawan in New Delhi?
The original name of India’s Rashtrapati Bhawan was Viceroy’s House and the decision to build it was taken in 1911, when it was declared in Delhi Darbar that India’s capital was to be relocated from Calcutta to Delhi. At that time, Lord Hardinge was India’s Viceroy. Lord Hardinge wanted it to be built within four years. But it was completed in 1929 after 17 years of construction. The delay in its construction was mainly caused due to various factors related to World War-I. The Architects of Rashtrapati Bhawan were British architect Edwin Lutyens and Herbert Baker. On April 6, 1929, Lord Irwin became the first Viceroy to occupy the Viceroy’s House. C. Rajagopalachari, the first Indian Governor-General, was also the first Indian to reside in Viceroy’s House.
The main building of Rashtrapati Bhawan is in 5 acres and has 340 rooms in four floors. It has two prominent halls known as Darbar Hall and Ashoka Hall. Both these halls are used for state functions. The Mughal Gardens in Rashtrapati Bhawan are spread in 15 acres. The famous 145 feet tall column called Jaipur Column was gifted by Saawai Madhi Singh (Maharaja of Jaipur) to commemorate the creation of New Delhi as India’s new Capital.