Rajpath, officially named Kartavya Path, and formerly known as Kingsway, is a ceremonial

boulevard A boulevard is a type of broad avenue planted with rows of trees, or in parts of North America, any urban highway. Boulevards were originally circumferential roads following the line of former city walls. In American usage, boulevards may ...

New Delhi New Delhi (, , ''Naī Dillī'') is the capital of India and a part of the National Capital Territory of Delhi (NCT). New Delhi is the seat of all three branches of the government of India, hosting the Rashtrapati Bhavan, Parliament House ...

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

, that runs from

Rashtrapati Bhavan The Rashtrapati Bhavan (, rāsh-truh-puh-ti bha-vun; ; originally Viceroy's House and later Government House) is the official residence of the President of India at the western end of Rajpath, Raisina Hill, New Delhi, India. Rashtrapati Bh ...

Raisina Hill Raisina Hill ( IAST: ''Rāyasīnā Pahāṛī''), often used as a metonym for the seat of the Government of India, is an area of New Delhi, housing India's most important government buildings, including Rashtrapati Bhavan, the official residen ...

through Vijay Chowk and

India Gate The India Gate (formerly known as the All India War Memorial) is a war memorial located near the Rajpath on the eastern edge of the "ceremonial axis" of New Delhi, formerly called duty path. It stands as a memorial to 84,000 soldiers of the Br ...

, National War Memorial to

National Stadium, Delhi The Major Dhyan Chand National Stadium, commonly known by its former name National Stadium, is a field hockey stadium in New Delhi, India. The stadium is named after former Indian field hockey player, Dhyan Chand. It served as the venue for the ...

. The avenue is lined on both sides by huge lawns, canals and rows of trees. Considered to be one of the most important roads in India, it is where the annual Republic Day parade takes place on 26 January.

Janpath Janpath (meaning People's Path, formerly known as Queensway), is one of the main roads in New Delhi. It starts out as Radial Road 1 in Connaught Place, adjacent to Palika Bazaar, and runs north–south perpendicular to, and past Rajpath ...

(meaning "People's Way") crosses the road. Rajpath runs in east-west direction. Roads from Connaught Place, the financial centre of Delhi, run into Rajpath from north. After climbing Raisina Hill, Rajpath is flanked by the North and South Blocks of the Secretariat Building. Finally it ends at the gates of Rashtrapati Bhavan. At Vijay Chowk it crosses

Sansad Marg Sansad Marg ( en, Parliament Street, formerly ''N-Block'') is a street located in New Delhi New Delhi (, , ''Naī Dillī'') is the capital of India and a part of the National Capital Territory of Delhi (NCT). New Delhi is the seat of ...

, and the Parliament House of India can be seen to the right when coming from the India Gate. It is also used for the funeral processions of key political leaders of India.

Name and history

In 1911 the British

Imperial Government The name imperial government (german: Reichsregiment) denotes two organs, created in 1500 and 1521, in the Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation to enable a unified political leadership, with input from the Princes. Both were composed of the em ...

and the Viceregal administration determined that the capital of the

British Indian Empire The British Raj (; from Hindi language, Hindi ''rāj'': kingdom, realm, state, or empire) was the rule of the British The Crown, Crown on the Indian subcontinent; * * it is also called Crown rule in India, * * * * or Direct rule in India, * Q ...

should be moved from

Calcutta Kolkata (, or , ; also known as Calcutta , List of renamed places in India#West Bengal, the official name until 2001) is the Capital city, capital of the Indian States and union territories of India, state of West Bengal, on the eastern ba ...

Delhi Delhi, officially the National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi, is a city and a union territory of India containing New Delhi, the capital of India. Straddling the Yamuna river, primarily its western or right bank, Delhi shares borders w ...

. Accordingly, construction in that year began on the district of New Delhi, which would serve as the purpose-built administrative capital of the Indian Empire. The British Raj duly turned to

Sir Edwin Lutyens Sir Edwin Landseer Lutyens ( ; 29 March 1869 – 1 January 1944) was an English architect known for imaginatively adapting traditional architectural styles to the requirements of his era. He designed many English country houses, war memoria ...

to construct the new city. Lutyens conceived of a modern imperial city centred around a "ceremonial axis", such axis being the large boulevard now called the Rajpath. Lutyens wanted a panoramic view of the city of Delhi from the viceregal palace. Consequently, the view from Raisina Hill runs unhindered across Rajpath and the

, and is obstructed only by the National Stadium. Most of the buildings surrounding the Rajpath were designed by Lutyens and the second architect of the project,

Sir Herbert Baker Sir Herbert Baker (9 June 1862 – 4 February 1946) was an English architect remembered as the dominant force in South African architecture for two decades, and a major designer of some of New Delhi's most notable government structures. He wa ...

. The importance of such buildings in the government of India ensures the road's importance.

Name

When built, the road was named King's Way, or Kingsway, in honour of the

Emperor of India Emperor or Empress of India was a title used by British monarchs from 1 May 1876 (with the Royal Titles Act 1876) to 22 June 1948, that was used to signify their rule over British India, as its imperial head of state. Royal Proclamation of 22 ...

George V George V (George Frederick Ernest Albert; 3 June 1865 – 20 January 1936) was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 6 May 1910 until Death and state funeral of George V, his death in 1936. Born duri ...

, who had visited Delhi during the

Durbar Durbar can refer to: * Conference of Rulers, a council of Malay monarchs * Durbar festival, a yearly festival in several towns of Nigeria * Durbar floor plate, a hot-rolled structural steel that has been designed to give excellent slip resistance ...

of 1911, and where the Emperor formally proclaimed the decision to move the capital. The name was similar to Kingsway in

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

, which had been opened in 1905, and which was also a custom-built arterial road, and which had been named in honour of George V's father,

Edward VII Edward VII (Albert Edward; 9 November 1841 – 6 May 1910) was King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and Emperor of India, from 22 January 1901 until his death in 1910. The second child and eldest son of Queen Victoria an ...

(as King of the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...

). Following the independence of India the road was given its Hindi name, 'Rajpath', in place of its English designation. This represented a mere translation more than a substantial renaming, since 'Rajpath' in Hindi is broadly analogous in meaning to 'King's Way'. In September 2022, Rajpath was redeveloped under

Central Vista Redevelopment Project Central Vista Redevelopment Project refers to the ongoing redevelopment to revamp the Central Vista, India's central administrative area located near Raisina Hill, New Delhi. The area was originally designed by Sir Edwin Lutyens and Sir Herber ...

and renamed Kartavya Path.

Landmarks

*The

, the official residence of the President of India. It was the Viceroy's residence before India got its independence from Britain. *North Block and South Block, also called the Secretariat Building. North Block houses the offices of Finance and Home ministries. South Block hosts External affairs and Defense ministries. Other important offices like some of the Prime Ministers Offices are also in the Secretariat Buildings. *

Vijay Chowk Vijay may refer to: People *Vijay (name) *Vijay (actor) (born 1974), an Indian Tamil actor *Vijay (director), Kannada film director Fiction * ''Vijay'' (1942 film), a 1942 Indian Hindi film * ''Vijay'' (1988 film), a 1988 Indian Hindi film direc ...

is a spacious plaza and the site of

Beating the Retreat Beating Retreat is a military ceremony dating to 17th-century England and was first used to recall nearby patrolling units to their castle. History Originally it was known as watch setting and was initiated at sunset by the firing of a single ...

ceremony, which takes place on 29 January each year, which marks the end of

Republic Day Republic Day is the name of a holiday in several countries to commemorate the day when they became republics. List January 1 January in Slovak Republic The day of creation of Slovak republic. A national holiday since 1993. Officially cal ...

celebrations, in which Military Bands, Pipes and Drums Bands, Buglers and Trumpeters from various Army Regiments besides bands of the Navy and Air Force take part, with the

President of India The president of India ( IAST: ) is the head of state of the Republic of India. The president is the nominal head of the executive, the first citizen of the country, as well as the commander-in-chief of the Indian Armed Forces. Droupadi Murmu ...

as the Chief Guest. *

is India's war memorial arch in honour of those who died in the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

and the

Second Anglo-Afghan War The Second Anglo-Afghan War (Dari: جنگ دوم افغان و انگلیس, ps, د افغان-انګرېز دويمه جګړه) was a military conflict fought between the British Raj and the Emirate of Afghanistan from 1878 to 1880, when the l ...

. It is also India's memorial of the unknown soldier. * National War Memorial, built to honour and remember soldiers of the Indian military who fought in armed conflicts of independent India. Since Independence, more than 25,000 soldiers of the

Indian Armed Forces The Indian Armed Forces are the military forces of the Republic of India. It consists of three professional uniformed services: the Indian Army, Indian Navy, and Indian Air Force.—— Additionally, the Indian Armed Forces are supported by ...

have made the supreme sacrifice to defend the sovereignty and integrity of the country. It stands as testimony to the sacrifices made by the Indian Armed Forces during various conflicts, United Nations Operations, Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Response Operations since Independence.

Redevelopment

The

started construction on 4 February 2021 and is planned to be finished in 2026 in phases. On 8 September 2022, the redeveloped Boulevard was inaugurated by Prime Minister

Narendra Modi Narendra Damodardas Modi (; born 17 September 1950) is an Indian politician serving as the 14th and current Prime Minister of India since 2014. Modi was the Chief Minister of Gujarat from 2001 to 2014 and is the Member of Parliament from ...

. A number of new features like planned landscapes, lawns with walkways, green spaces, refurbished canals, amenity blocks, improved signages and vending kiosks, new pedestrian underpasses, improved parking spaces, new exhibition panels, and upgraded night lighting were added. New sustainability features like solid waste management, storm-water management, recycling unit, rainwater harvesting, water conservation and energy efficient lighting systems were implemented. Foldable seats were added for the annual Republic Day parade.

Gallery

File:Vijay Chowk at Rajpath, with Secretariat Buildings in the background, New Delhi.jpg,

at Rajpath, with Secretariat Building in the background, New Delhi, the venue of the Beat Retreat ceremony File:North and South block at Rajpath.jpg, North and South Block of the Secretariat Building illuminated File:Parliament House, Delhi.jpg,

Sansad Bhavan The Parliament House ( IAST: ) in New Delhi is the seat of the Parliament of India. Its houses the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha which represent lower and upper houses respectively in India's bicameral parliament. At a distance of 750 meters ...

Parliament of India The Parliament of India (International Alphabet of Sanskrit Transliteration, IAST: ) is the supreme legislative body of the Republic of India. It is a bicameralism, bicameral legislature composed of the president of India and two houses: the R ...

as seen from the Rajpath File:North Block from Rajpath.JPG, North Block of the Secretariat Building seen from Rajpath File:South Block side view.jpg, South Block of the Secretariat Building seen from Rajpath File:Rashtrapati Bhavan (seen from Rajpath) 01.jpg,

seen from Rajpath File:Delhi, India, Rajpath.jpg, Panoramic view of Rajpath File:Indian naval contingent marching on Rajpath.jpg, Indian Naval contingent marching on the Rajpath during

Delhi Republic Day parade The Delhi Republic Day parade is the largest and most important of the parades marking the Republic Day (India), Republic Day celebrations in India. The parade takes place every year on 26 January at Rajpath, New Delhi. It is the main attractio ...

File:The Band performing at the ‘Beating Retreat’ ceremony, at Vijay Chowk, in New Delhi on January 29, 2018 (5).jpg, A band performance at India's Beat Retreat ceremony at

in 2018. File:The Lieutenant Governor of Delhi, Shri Anil Baijal, the Minister of State for Civil Aviation, Shri Jayant Sinha and other dignitaries performing Yoga, on the occasion of the 4th International Day of Yoga -2018, at Rajpath.JPG,

International Day of Yoga The International Day of Yoga has been celebrated across the world annually on June 21 since 2015, following its inception in the United Nations General Assembly in 2014. Yoga is a physical, mental and spiritual practice which originated in ...

on 21 June 2018

References

External links

Image of Rashtrapati Bhavan and the Secretariat buildings lit up for the Beating the Retreat at Vijay Chowk
{{Delhi New Delhi Roads in Delhi Boulevards National squares Works of Edwin Lutyens in India