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This coach has been a part of the collection of coaches for over 100 years. The Victoria coach is used by the Presidents and at times by their family members.
Finally we got lucky! Rashtrapati Bhavan Museum Complex (RBMC) walk by INTACH was calling! It was a pleasant day, thankfully, as from the next day the cold wave was to descend.
The vastness and the silence that surrounds the areas around the museum is calming. Pristine white buildings surrounded by greenery. The feel took me back to my hometown.
You may also like to read: albert hall museum, siddhagiri museum
There are two museums, one old and the other new. We went to the latter which was dedicated to the nation in 2016 by Shri Narendra Modi, the Prime Minister of India in the presence of Shri Pranab Mukherjee, then the President of India.
The new museum was built under the supervision of museologist Saroj Ghose and is currently the only underground museum in the country.
The Old & The New
The exterior is still the same as changes on the outside cannot be made in any of the building within the Rashtrapati Bhavan campus. The new museum thus spreads on the ground and basement levels. The older one is at the ground level only and much smaller.
This post will take you through a visual tour of the museum with a bit of notes & trivia here and there. I had a challenging time trying to select the photos that would go in this post. What is being showcased is not even the tip of the iceberg. So you can imagine what is there in store when you do visit it in person.
The Old Rashtrapati Bhavan Museum
The New Rashtrapati Bhavan Museum
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The Old & The New Gallery
Both the galleries have some wonderful things to offer. Having said that the new one sees use of technology, more area which means more display and spread across floors unlike the old one which is only one level.
The Old Museum Gallery
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The New Museum Gallery
Edwin Landseer Lutyens and Herbert Baker were the architects behind the presidential house, earlier known as the Viceroy's House. The chief engineers were Hugh Keeling and Sir Teja Singh Malik and contractors were Sujan Singh along with his son Sardar Bahadur Sir Sobha Singh and Haroun-al-Rashid.
Trivia: Apparently the design by Baker was approved but in the end things worked in favor of well connected Luytens who led the making of this monumental estate.
Trivia: Viceroy and Governor-General Lord Irwin was the first occupant of the house. C Rajagopalachari was the first Indian to be the resident of the house when we was made the Governor General in 1948. The Viceroy House was renamed to Rashtrapati Bhavan by Rajendra Prasad, the first President of India.
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Paintings
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Kitchen & Dining
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Most beloved President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam
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Mementos
This section is full of exotic gifts that Presidents received from different parts of the world, including ones from their country states/people. Every item is exquisite and you may find yourself going wow on every breath. I am sharing a few of them.
'Kumbula i Africa' means 'Remember Africa'. This beautiful memento is a hand made Tribal Chess Set with Tribal people of Southern Africa (here the Zulu and Ndebele tribes). The wood used to make this is Kiaat and Koto
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Clove Boat, boat model made entirely using the spice, clove. This was gifted to (ex) President Dr. Rajendra Prasad by H. E. Dr. Sukarno, (ex) President of Indonesia
I loved this memento. A beautiful Mixed Media (Metal, Wood, Acrylic Paint) work by Arthur P Y Ting (Singapore) This is a three-dimensional representations of Peranakan architectural feature. the doors and windows open & close!
From the pages of history
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This coach has been part of the collection of coaches for over 100 years now. It is extremely heavy and used for taming and training of young horses, Once trained they are inducted to the Rashtrapati Bhavan to pull the coaches.
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The Virtual 3D Walk with Gandhi
There is a room wherein Mahatma Gandhi is seen walking out of the Viceroy's House (now the Rashtrapati Bhavan) after meeting Lord Irwin. Technology allows us to be a part of the walk. We can click a photo too of this virtual reality walk. Sounds cool! Here's the pic of our group taken by me ????
The Clock Tower
The Clock Tower dates back to 1925 and was built by Sir Edwin Lutyens. It was earlier known as the Band House as it was built for band practices of the British Army. The clock system installed in the tower was manufactured by the famous J.B. Joyce & Company of England. The restoration of this clock was undertaken by IIT, Delhi in 2015 and the restoration of the building was taken care by INTACH, Delhi. The restoration work ensured that most if not all of the originals including the plaster were preserved.
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One can book their visit slot through either source.
For booking your Circuit tour(s) directly: https://rashtrapatisachivalaya.gov.in/rbtour/
For being part of the INTACH RBMC walk: https://www.facebook.com/Intach-Heritage-Walks-199442496810218/
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HAPPY TRAVELLING!
Monika Ohson | TravelerInMe
This was first published in TravelerInMe
