Ornamental Horticulture

Rashtrapati Bhavan Garden, New Delhi

The Rashtrapati Bhavan or the Official Residence of the President of India, located in New Delhi, is one of the largest buildings of its kind in the world. The architecture of the palace is a mixture of Indian and western style. It was formerly known as 'Viceroy's House' and was occupied by the Governor General of India, until independence. It was renamed as ‘Rashtrapati Bhavan’ in 1950. Designed by the British architect Sir Edwin Lutyens, this classical building uses colours and details peculiar to Indian architecture. It was completed in 1929 and was officially inaugurated in 1931. It has 340 decorated rooms and a floor area of two lakh square feet.


Courtesy:http://www.indiatravelbuddy.com/2011/02/mughal-garden-delhi


The garden inside this palace was laid on the pattern of Mughal gardens with conventional arrangement of squares, terraces, water channels, etc., The main garden area is roughly 134 square metres and is bounded from all sides by a paved red stone path. Two canals each of 5.40 m width run from north to south and two similar canals intersect these to form a 60 square metre island in the centre. This island is the venue for the most of the receptions held at Rashtrapati Bhavan. There is a sunken or circular garden which is a beautiful spot especially during the winter when innumerable seasonal flowers bloom. The garden is famous for quantity and quality of seasonal flowers. There are good collections of bougainvilleas, bulbous plants as well as flowering trees which ensure adequate colour throughout the year. There is a large collection of roses also. Other important features are greenhouses with collections of orchids, cacti, succulents and ferns. The pergolas are laden with fine creepers. There are a large number of trees, especially cypress (Cupressus) which are clipped in the topiary style. The garden remains open for about a month for the general visitors during the winter months when the seasonal flowers are in full bloom. This garden is popularly referred to as Mughal Gardens.