Connaught Place and the Making of New Delhi by Swapna Liddle

Author:Swapna Liddle [Liddle, Swapna]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9789388326018
Published: 2018-11-15T08:00:00+00:00

Viceroy’s House, now Rashtrapati Bhavan

The drum and the roofline below the dome had additional features that were Indian, but unusually executed. Lutyens had more than once expressed his impatience with chhatris—Indian cupolas supported on pillars, on one occasion calling them ‘stupid, useless things.’ When called upon to use them nevertheless, he did so innovatively; thus the chhatris around the dome were built close to the drum, barely breaking its silhouette. Those along the parapet were pushed down into it, so as not to break the roofline too abruptly. On the rooftop were water fountains shaped like saucers, reminiscent of Mughal architecture, which had incorporated water channels and pools in buildings as well as gardens. Below the parapet was a deep chhajja or overhanging cornice, an important feature for the provision of shade in Indian buildings. Its installation during 1926-27 had been beset with technical difficulties.

In contrast to these Indian forms, the long colonnade with its tall columns, which made up the facade of the building, was strictly Western in its form. Each pillar was surmounted by a capital in an unusual style—encased with abstract acanthus leaves, with four bells at the corners. This style of pillar capital was specially designed by Lutyens, and is known as the ‘Delhi Order’—after the Classical Greek Orders—Doric, Ionic and Corinthian. This capital was used in several other structures designed by Lutyens for New Delhi—such as the canopy that would be built later near the War Memorial Arch, and the Record Office.

Though the overall finish of the building was restrained, decorative touches were added through carvings of mainly Indian motifs—such as the jalis, or pierced stone screens, modelled on those found in Mughal architecture, and massive basement piers inspired by cave temples. Figures of elephants, snakes, lions and eagles, a mix of Indian and British imagery, were used throughout the complex. Even the material used for cladding, red and buff sandstone, was in harmony with the materials that had been used in the monumental architecture of Delhi for centuries, that is, red sandstone and white marble.

In front of Viceroy’s House stood a tall pillar—the Jaipur Column. Its name was a tribute to its donor, the Maharaja of Jaipur, Madho Singh. As the design of Government House was being finalized, Madho Singh had expressed a desire to defray the cost of a memorial pillar which Lutyens intended to set up in the forecourt. This, he said, would be ‘a mark of sincere loyalty to the Throne and in remembrance of the gracious courtesy and the many favours I received at the hands of my beloved Sovereign.’ This offer was gratefully accepted, and he was informed that the cost of the column would be within two lakhs of rupees.

The design for the column had been worked out by Lutyens by mid-1915. This was approved of by Hardinge, with a couple of reservations. One regarding the petals of the lotus which seemed too blunt, was quickly modified by Lutyens. The other was regarding the star at the top,

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