New Delhi & colonial Rule

Colonialism & new cities

West: Modern cities emerged after Industrialization
eg. Leeds and Manchester in 19th and 20th C.
Indian cities didnt expand rapidly.
Late 18th C. Calcutta, Madras and Bombay emerged
as three presidencies under colonial rule.
India was divided into Three presidencies for
administration purpose.
How did they come up east India companies
factories or trading post at Surat, Calcutta and
Madras.
Post 1857 India came under direct rule of Queen.
1931 Capital shifted from Calcutta to New Delhi
The planning and design of Lutyens Delhi
Image source: http://www.archinomy.com/case-studies/1158/changing-image-of-lutyens-delhi
 The capital shifted from Calcutta to Delhi in

Image 2
Image 1
Reasons for the shifting of the capital:
Controversial partitioning of Bengal In 1905 - right to vote
between Bengali Hindus n Muslims.
Delhis geographical position at the centre of northern
India (roughly equidistant from Bombay and Calcutta)
Delhis historic importance (Important seat of the Mughal
empire) (For Hindus maharbharata-era city of Indraprasta)
Perceived political need to rearticulate british power.

Image 1 Source: http://www.boloji.com/index.cfm?

md=Content&sd=Articles&ArticleID=713
 1911 Foundation stone for New Delhi
at Delhi Darbar
On December 15, 1911, King George V and Queen
Mary laid the foundation stone for New Delhi, at
a Darbar under a purposely built Shah Jahani
dome. The message was clear: the British were
the legitimate successors of the Mughals and
their new capital was intended to express the
power of the Raj,just as Shah Jahans capital had
expressed the authority of the Mughals.

Image Source: http://www.iicdelhi.nic.in/publications/uploads_diary_files/491816November112011_IIC

%20Occasional%20Publication%2032&33.pdf
 The initial
design of
New Delhi

Lutyens had initially

designed Delhi with all
the streets
crossing at right
angles, much like in
New York.
However, Lord
Hardinge told him of
the dust storms that
sweep the landscape in
these parts, insisting
Image Source: on roundabouts,
http://www.wmf.org/sites/default/files/wmf_article/pg_38- hedges and trees to
Image source: http://www.archinomy.com/case-studies/1158/changing-image-of-
Image source: http://www.archinomy.com/case-studies/1158/changing-image-of-
Intentions of the Layout:

Lutyens Delhi was planned

on the most spacious garden
city lines with the great
avenues decorated with
classical buildings with lush
landscape.

The layout of Lutyens Delhi

was governed by three major
visual corridors, linking the
government complex with :
Jama Masjid
Indraprastha
Safdarjungs Tomb

Image Source (Image ): http://www.archinomy.com/case-studies/1158/changing-image-of-lutyens-delhi

 Features
1. The plan reflects Lutyens transcendent fervour for geometric
symmetry, which is expressed through amazing sequences of
triangles
and hexagons, through sightlines and axes.
2. Lutyens plan is also
remarkable
for the generous green
spaces,
lawns, watercourses,
flower and
fruit-bearing trees, and
their
integration with
the parks developed
around
monuments.

3. The attempt was to include

all
natural and historical
wonders in
Image Source: http://www.srmuniv.ac.in/downloads/townplaning.pdf
Street Layout
Besides the major
Pathway, there were
extremely wide
avenues which ranged
from 18m 180m in
width.
The original design of
the road network was
capable of
accommodating 6000
vehicles, however these
avenues, had the
potential of
increasing their
carriageway-the
reason why the road
layout has survived till
today.
source:
Image In general the road
http://www.archinomy.com/case-studies/1158/changing-image-of-
Lutyens Delhi - Zoning
GOVERNME
NT COMPLX

BUNGLOW
ZONE
COMMERCI
AL
DISTRICT
 GOVERNMENT
COMPLEX

Image source: http://www.archinomy.com/case-studies/1158/changing-image-of-

Image source: http://www.archinomy.com/case-studies/1158/changing-image-of-
Image source: http://www.archinomy.com/case-studies/1158/changing-image-of-
 The Government Complex/ Administrative area
Lutyens laid out the central administrative area of
the city.
At the heart of the city was the impressive
Rashtrapati Bhawan, located on the top of Raisina
Hill. The Rajpath connects India Gate to Rashtrapati
Bhawan, while Janpath, which crosses it at a right
angle, connects South end with Connaught Place.
The Secretariat Building, which houses various
ministries of the Government of India including Prime
Minister's Office are beside the Rashtrapati Bhawan
and were designed by Herbert Baker.
Also designed by Baker was the Parliament House,
located on the Sansad Marg, running parallel with the
Rajpath.

Image Source: http://www.archinomy.com/case-studies/1158/changing-image-of-lutyens-delhi

 The Rashtrapati Bhawan
Lutyen's grandiose Government House (Rashtrapati
Bhawan) - located on Raisina Hill, and one of New Delhi's
major thoroughfares, Rajpath, connects it to the Purana
Qila

Lord Hardinge chose the Raisina Hill for

locating the viceroys palace because:

It was a well drained.
Constituted of slopes
and plains between the
ridge and the river.
Image 1
Its eastern and
southern margins were
studded with
monuments of vanished
empires.A broad
crescent from
Shahjahanabad and
Kotla Firoz Shah, south
Image 2
to Tughlaqabad and the Image 2
Source (Image 1 and Image 2): http://www.indiansecretsrevealed.com/rashtrapati-bhavan-trip/
Image Source: http://www.indiansecretsrevealed.com/rashtrapati-bhavan-trip/
Rashtrapati St. Peters Basillica
Bhawan
he Secretariat
The Secretariat Building was
designed by architectHerbert
BakerinIndo-Saracenic
architecture.
Much of the building is in
classical architectural style, yet
it
incorporatedMughalandRajasth
ani architecturestyle and motifs
Image 1
in its architecture.
These are visible in the use
ofJali. The style of
Another feature of the building
architecture used inis
a dome-like Secretariat
structure known Building as
theChatri. is unique to Raisina
Hill. In front of the
main gates on
buildings are the
Image 2
Image 3 four "dominion
Image Source (Image 1 and Image 2): http://www.indiansecretsrevealed.com/secratariat-building-
trip/ columns", given by
Image Source (Image 3):
The Parliament House

The Parliament Hous was

designed byEdwin
LutyensandHerbert Baker.

It was built with indigenous

materials and by Indian labour
and the architecture of the
building bears a close imprint
of the Indian tradition.

The layout of fountains both

inside and outside the
building, the use of Indian
symbols, the "Chhajjas and
the varied forms of "Jali" in
marble are reminders of the
story of the craftsmanship
displayed in ancient
monuments and memorials.
Common
features
THICK
BAND

http://www.hindustantimes.com/The-Budget-s-journey-
JALIS through-Parliament/Article1-1056413.aspx

BUDDHIST
DOME
THICK
BAND
JALIS

http://monuments-in-india.blogspot.in/2009/12/rashtrapati-
bhavan.html

BUDDHIST
DOME
THICK
BAND
JALI
S
http://www.indiansecretsrevealed.com/secratariat-
THE PRINCELY STATES Starting from India Gate, at
the
lowest and eastern end of
Rajpath,
nearby land was allocated to

numerous princely states,

each of
which built small palaces,
such as
theBikaner House (now
the
Rajasthan tourism office)
andJaipur
House(now the National
Gallery of
Modern Art).
It might be said that this
placement
Jaipur mirrored the British
House
Image sentiments
Source: http://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/newdelhi/of-princes-palaces-and-plush-
 Drawbacks
In this whole process
almost no attention was
paid to the problems of
Old Delhi. Due to the
creation of New Delhi,
Old Delhi experienced a
28% surge in population
from 1916-1926 resulting
in the spilling over of the
population from inside
the walled city to the
Paharganj area, whose
restructuring was later
abandoned by Lutyens
due to resource
constraints.
Also, no provision of
housing was
premeditated for the
large no. of skilled and Image Source:
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Map_of_Lutyens'_proj
unskilled workers which ected_Imperial_Delhi,_from_the_Encyclopedia_Britannica,_11