The Rashtrapati Nilayam, one of the three official residences of the President of India is in Hyderabad. The other two residences are the Rashtrapati Bhavan in New Delhi and the Rashtrapati House in Shimla. Spread over 92 acres of land the Rashtrapati Nilayam was open to public for the first time in its history after Indian independence, from January 1-10 this year.
The Rashtrapati Nilayam was constructed in 1860 by Nizam Nazir ud Doula in 1850. It was the residence of the Chief Military officer of the Nizam army in the Cantonment area. When the British entered into an agreement with the Nizam and were granted the area in Secunderabad to establish their cantonment, this sprawling property became the residence of the Resident of Hyderabad and was named the Residency.
In 1948, when Hyderabad merged with India, the Secunderabad Cantonment was handed over to the Indian Army and the Residency came to be called the Rashtrapati Nilayam, the southern home of the President of India.
“There are 16 suites inside the main building which are meant for the President, the spouse, the other family members and the various officials who accompany the President on the southern sojourn. It also has two dining halls, a cinema hall, a durbar hall, a morning room and a study room,” says a State Government Official.
Interesting areas
The main kitchen is in a separate building and there is an underground tunnel that connects the kitchen with the pantry, which is just behind the dining hall. The well maintained gardens around the building have a variety of flowers and large trees.
One of the policemen stationed at the Nilayam said that, “over the years the various Presidents of our country have visited the city and have resided in this palatial building. Usually, the property remains closed till the impending visit and would be cleared off unwanted shrubs, snakes and monkeys. Once the visit is over the property falls into neglect again”.
President Pratibha Patil has expressed a desire to change this situation and make the property more environment friendly. The State government is taking steps to improve and maintain the property.
They have introduced a solar lighting system, drip irrigation and percolation ponds to ensure efficient use of natural resources.
The President, who is a regular resident of the Nilayam, inaugurated the Herbal garden, which is home to 116 varieties of herbs and medicinal plants.
Pramila Rao, one of the visitors found the various species of plants very interesting. She said that she learnt the names of many new herbs after walking around the garden. She and her friends hope “to visit the garden regularly to see the plants grow”.
The Jai Hind Ramp, adjacent to the herbal garden is an interesting watering system, from the Nizam's era. Sandhya Nair, found this the best part of the garden, she says, “this ramp shows how important a good irrigation system is for agriculture and gardening. Our ancestors felt its need and we have a lot to learn from this.”There was a dug up well at the foot of the ramp, from where using animal power, water would be pulled with the help of a pully. It would be lifted to the top of the ramp. The water would flow down through channels to the nearby crops.
Due to the introduction of other modern irrigation facilities, this ramp was left neglected for many years. It has now been landscaped with a cascading water fall and plants.
