Rashtrapati Bhavan historical timeline

Rashtrapati Bhavan changed political ownership without changing its position at the head of New Delhi. Its names—Viceroy’s House, Government House and Rashtrapati Bhavan—mark the constitutional changes that the same rooms now represent.

Chronology

1. 1911 The imperial government decides to transfer the capital from Kolkata to Delhi. Raisina Hill becomes the site of a new viceregal residence.
2. 1912 Construction begins on Edwin Lutyens’s design. The five-acre H-shaped building and surrounding estate start to define the western end of the capital plan.
3. 1929 The main building is completed after seventeen years. Its dome, courts, state rooms and long corridors enter government use.
4. 1931 New Delhi formally opens. Viceroy’s House becomes the dominant endpoint of Kingsway and the paired Secretariat composition.
5. 15 August 1947 India becomes independent and Viceroy’s House becomes Government House. The building remains the head-of-state residence under a new constitutional order.
6. 26 January 1950 India becomes a republic and Dr Rajendra Prasad takes office as president. The residence assumes the name Rashtrapati Bhavan.
7. 2012 The estate begins a sustained programme of opening heritage and ceremonial spaces more widely to visitors. Booked circuits now make selected interiors publicly accessible.
8. 2023 The Mughal Gardens are renamed Amrit Udyan. The seasonal garden circuit continues under the new name and its own entry arrangements.
9. 2026 The President’s Secretariat expands interpretation with a multilingual e-audio guide. The current visitor system separates the main building, museum, garden and guard ceremony into distinct circuits.

Continuity and adaptation

The building remains a working residence and state venue, so preservation is inseparable from security and active use. State rooms, forecourts and gardens must support ceremonies while retaining the material and spatial character of the 1929 building.

Public access has expanded through controlled circuits rather than unrestricted opening. This approach lets visitors enter selected rooms without turning the entire presidential estate into a museum.

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• Wikipedia