The Viceregal Lodge, also known as Rashtrapati Niwas is located on the Observatory Hills of Shimla

Shimla

Shimla , formerly known as Simla, is the capital city of Himachal Pradesh. In 1864, Shimla was declared the summer capital of the British Raj in India. A popular tourist destination, Shimla is often referred to as the "Queen of Hills," a term coined by the British...

, Himachal Pradesh

Himachal Pradesh

Himachal Pradesh is a state in Northern India. It is spread over , and is bordered by the Indian states of Jammu and Kashmir on the north, Punjab on the west and south-west, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh on the south, Uttarakhand on the south-east and by the Tibet Autonomous Region on the east...

. It was formerly the residence of the British Viceroy of India Lord Dufferin. This is the most beautiful building in Shimla. It houses some of the most articles and photographs going back to the times of the British rule in India.

The Viceregal Lodge was designed by British architect Henry Irwin

Henry Irwin

Henry Irwin, a renowned architect of British India was born on 21 January 1841, in Tarbett, County Kerry, Ireland. He is mainly known for his works in Indo-Saracenic style of architecture. He was a member of the Institution of Engineers. He died on 5 August 1922, at Ooty, India...

 and built in the Jacobethan

Jacobethan

Jacobethan is the style designation coined in 1933 by John Betjeman to describe the mixed national Renaissance revival style that was made popular in England from the late 1820s, which derived most of its inspiration and its repertory from the English Renaissance , with elements of Elizabethan and...

 style during the regime of Lord Dufferin. Its construction started in 1880 and was completed in 1888. Lord Dufferin occupied the lodge on July 23, 1888.

History

The summer capital of British India was of little use to the President of India who visited it only for a few days in the year, if at all. Professor S.Radhakrishnan thought of putting it to academic use. The Rashtrapati Nivas Estate was transferred to the Ministry of Education to be handed over to the Indian Institute of Advanced Study

Indian Institute of Advanced Study

The Indian Institute of Advanced Study is a prestigious research institute based in Shimla, India. It was set up by the Ministry of Education, Government of India in 1964 and it started functioning from October 20, 1965....

. The C.P.W.D., the Himachal Pradesh High Court, and the Himachal Pradesh University were allowed in due course to use some of its buildings but the bulk of the Estate, including its well kept lawns and rich glass-house, has remained in use for the Indian Institute of Advanced Study.

See also

• Government Houses of India
• Government Houses of the British Empire