From the archive record
Rashtrapati Bhavan (Hindi for President House) is the official home of the President of India. It may refer to only the mansion (the 340-room main building) that has the President's official residence and offices; it may also refer to the entire 130 hectare (320 acre) President Estate that includes huge gardens (Mughal Gardens), residences of bodyguards and staff, other offices, stables and open spaces. The Rashtrapati Bhavan is a large and vast mansion with four floors and has 340 rooms. It is built on a floor area of 200,000 square feet (19,000 m2). It faces east. A straight east-west road, Rajpath (called King's Way or Kingsway by the British), starts from the huge square, Vijay Chowk, in front of Rashtrapati Bhavan and ends at India Gate on the western end of the road. North Avenue and