Rashtrapati Nilayam originally known as Residency House is the official retreat of the President of India

President of India

The President of India is the head of state and first citizen of India, as well as the Supreme Commander of the Indian Armed Forces. President of India is also the formal head of all the three branches of Indian Democracy - Legislature, Executive and Judiciary...

. It is located in Bollarum, Secunderabad

Secunderabad

Secunderabad popularly known as the twin city of Hyderabad is located in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh north of Hyderabad. Named after Sikandar Jah, the third Nizam of the Asaf Jahi dynasty, Secunderabad was founded in 1806 AD as a British cantonment...

. It was thrown open for public viewing from 1 January 2010 and 10 January 2010, with entry being free.

History

Originally the Residency House, was constructed in 1860 as the country house of the British Resident at Secunderabad. After the Hyderabad state

Hyderabad State

-After Indian independence :When India gained independence in 1947 and Pakistan came into existence in 1947, the British left the local rulers of the princely states the choice of whether to join one of the new dominions or to remain independent...

's annexation

Operation Polo

Operation Polo code name for The Hyderabad Police Action was a military operation in September 1948 in which the Indian Armed Forces engaged those of the State of Hyderabad and ended the rule of Nizam, annexing the state into the Indian Union....

 in 1948, became President's retreat and used as Southern Sojourn.

The Building

The 16-room estate is spread over an area of 90 acres (364,217.4 m²), compromising of a single storied building besides visitors' quarters that can accommodate 150 people. It has a Dining Hall, Darbar Hall, Morning room, Cinema Hall etc. The President stays at the residence at least once a year and conducts official business. It was also used as a guest house for visiting dignitaries.

Herbal garden

The Herbal Garden, inaugurated in December 2009, of medicinal and aromatic plants is spread over 7,000 sq metres, has about 116 species of medicinal and aromatic plants including sarpagandha, kalabandha, citronella , lemon grass, khus, geranium, coriander, sandalwood , tuber rose, jasmine, kalmegh, tulsi etc. The garden was built by CPWD and the AP State Medicinal Plants Board, while Rashtrapati Bhavan and National Medicinal Plants Board funded the project.

External links

• The official web site of President of India: President's Retreats
• Times of India
• Tribune