14 centrespread centrespread 15 JULY 30-AUGUST 05, 2017 All The JULY 30-AUGUST 05, 2017 takes you through ET Magazine Presidents’On Tuesday, Ram Nath Kovind moved in as the 14th President Houses to occupy Rashtrapati Bhawan, the official residence of the Indian President. the history and the peoplepresidential behind palacesthe palatial around residence, the world: and a glimpse into other :: Indulekha Aravind Presidential Residences Around The World ELYSEE PALACE, PARIS The official residence of the President of Rashtrapati Bhawan: A Brief History France since 1848, Elysee Palace was opened Cast Of Characters the building to move construction materials and subsoil water in 1722. An example of the French Classical pumped to the surface for all water requirements. style, it has 356 rooms spread over Edwin Lutyens and Herbert Baker 11,179 sq m n 1911, during the Delhi Durbar, it was decided that British The bulk of the land belonged to the then-maharaja of Jaipur, were the architects of the Viceroy’s India’s capital would be shifted from Calcutta to Delhi. With Sawai Madho Singh II, who gifted the 145-ft Jaipur Column to House and it was Lutyens who conceived THE WHITE HOUSE, the new capital, a new imperial residence also had to be the British to commemorate the creation of Delhi as the new the H-shaped building I WASHINGTON DC found. The original choice was Kingsway Camp in the north but capital. Though the initial idea was to finish the construction The home of the US President is spread it was rejected after experts said the region was at the risk of in four years, it finally took more than 17 years to complete, across six levels, with 132 rooms The main building was constructed under the supervision of flooding. Instead, Raisina Hill on the southern side was chosen mainly because of the outbreak of the First World War. Haroun-al-Rashid and the Forecourt by Sujan Singh and and 35 baths. The original was his son, Sobha Singh as the location for the Viceroy’s House. destroyed by a fire in 1814 and the For the construction, rocky hills were blasted and the land present-day building was completed The first Indian to levelled for the new buildings. A railway line was laid around three years later reside there was In Numbers The first resident C Rajagopalachari, KREMLIN, MOSCOW of the Viceroy’s after he was sworn The building occupies 5 acres Currently housing Vladimir Putin, the Russian President, the Krem- House was then in as the Governor- lin has hosted rulers of the region since its completion in 1495. Viceroy and General in 1948 on a 330-acre estate Governor-General The 68-acre complex has five palaces, four Lord Irwin It has 340 rooms spread over 4 floors cathedrals, the Kremlin Wall and Kremlin towers and 227 columns THE PRESIDENTIAL PRAGUE CASTLE, During the tenure of It is built with an estimated 700 million COMPLEX, ANKARA PRAGUE Rajendra Prasad, the first President of India, bricks and 3 million Nicknamed Ak Saray or the The official residence of the name was changed to cubic ft of stone “White Palace”, Turkey’s the president of the Czech Rashtrapati Bhawan Presidential Complex was Republic traces its con- Around 23,000 workers completed as recently as struction back to the ninth were involved in the construction 2014 under current Presi- century. Occupying dent Recep Tayyip Erdogan. almost 7,54,000 sq On his visit to the Viceroy’s House during Lord With 1,100 rooms and an official price ft, Prague Castle is con- Irwin’s tenure, Mahatma Gandhi carried salt for his It took over 17 years to be completed and it is supposed to be part of sidered the largest castle tea, as a protest against the British Salt Tax. tag of $615 million, cost `14 million then Erdogan’s attempts to carve a “new Turkey” complex in the world Home & Garden For the main material, The Forecourt has 20 Tuscan The Guest Wing, formerly used by The famous Ashoka Hall The Durbar Hall, formerly known The square Central Lawn, The gardens of Rashtrapati Bhavan Of these, the most famous is The gardens have 159 varie- The grounds also have Lutyens chose the pink pillars, reflecting the influence of the the viceroys and now by visiting has a specially designed as the Throne Room, is the venue 45 m on each side, is the blend the traditions of the English the 15-acre Mughal Gardens, ties of roses, many named a herbal garden, a and cream sandstone that Renaissance. The top four corners of heads of state, has Burma teak Persian-style carpet meas- for most investiture ceremonies. venue for the “At Home” garden, with flowerbeds, lawns and inspired by Kashmir’s Mughal after famous personalities, spiritual garden and a had previously been used each pillar, made of sandstone, have panels, European chandeliers, uring 32 m by 20 m which Located under the Central Dome of hosted by the President hedges, and the Mughal gardens, Gardens and the gardens of 60 types of bougainvilleas musical garden, set up at by the Mughals and the temple bells inspired by Karnataka’s Kashmiri carpets and furniture was reportedly woven by Rashtrapati Bhawan, it has 42-ft high on Republic Day and which favour canals, terraces and the Taj Mahal and designed by and 50 varieties of trees, the initiative of former Rajputs in their palaces Moodabidri Temple designed by Lutyens himself 500 weavers over two years wall walls, encased in white marble Independence Day flowering shrubs Lutyens in 1917 shrubs and vines president Abdul Kalam Sources: rashtrapatisachivalaya.gov.in, Architectural Digest, The Guardian, The Daily Mail, NPR.