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Central Vista, New Delhi
Central Vista, New Delhi
NORTH BLOCK
SOUTH BLOCK
RASHTRAPATI BHAWAN
The site of Raisina Hill was chosen for a capital complex as Lutyens planned the
The plan was centred on two intersecting axes- Kings Way and Queens Way;
The Viceroys house (Rashtrapathi Bhawan) was placed atop Kings Way on
Directly opposite to Viceroy House is the War Memorial known as India Gate,
which is located along the perpendicular parade route that cuts across Kings
Way and Queens Way. Within the capital complex is the circular Parliament
building (previously council house).
Aerial View
looking delhi, an area to the north west of the site was finalized
On December 15, 1911, King George V and Queen Mary laid the foundation
stone for New Delhi, at a Darbar under a purposely built Shah Jahani dome.
The message was clear : the British were legitimate successors of the
Mughals and their new capital was intended to express the power of the Raj,
just as Shah Jahans capital had expressed the authority of the Mughals.
Jama Masjid
Indraprastha
Sajdarjung Tomb
network consisted of
diagonals and
radials, at 30
degree/60 degree
angles to the main
axis, forming
triangles and
hexagons.
Lutyens laid out the central administration area of the city. At the heart
Lord Hardinge chose the Raisina Hill site for locating the viceroys palace
because:
The style of
architecture used in
Secretariat building is
unique to Raisina Hill.
In front of the main
gates on buildings are
the four dominion
columns, given by
Canada, Australia,
New Zealand and
South Africa.
The largest of all palaces in New Delhi-a building that suited the status of the Nizam
Lutyens designed Hyderabad house in the shape of a butterfly a plan that he had
flower containers, grand stairways, marble fireplaces, fountains, had a predominantly European character with some Mughal motifs.
The grand Baroda House is known for its terraces, grand corridors,
Patiala House was foremerly the palacial residence of the Maharaja of Patiala,
part of th central vista, this building built in the 1930s, has a central dome
with a butterfly layout, similar to other buildings of the Lutyens zone.
Today it houses the district Courts complex for New Delhi District. A double
storeyed building, the cental portion is emphasized with a domed
pavilion on the terrace and projection porch over the upper storey,
there is a projecting chajja running the entire length of the building.
It has seen interesting occupants ever since the Maharaja vacated it.
opposite Hyderabad House. Like other princes resedences, the building was also
designed in the shape of a butterfly with a cental dome. But very few
people know that it was British architect Charles Blomfield, who designed the
building. It was designed in a mix of Neo-Classical and Art Deco style. The
butterfly shaped building has two symmetrical wings radiating from
the cental court.
Two similar wings radiate towards the back facing gardens. The faade