The Embassy of Belgium in New Delhi is the

diplomatic mission A diplomatic mission or foreign mission is a group of people from a state or organization present in another state to represent the sending state or organization officially in the receiving or host state. In practice, the phrase usually den ...

of the Kingdom of Belgium to

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 ...

. The

embassy A diplomatic mission or foreign mission is a group of people from a state or organization present in another state to represent the sending state or organization officially in the receiving or host state. In practice, the phrase usually den ...

is located in

Shantipath Shantipath, also written as Shanti Path, is the main road in the diplomatic enclave of Chanakyapuri, New Delhi, India. In Hindi language, its name means "Peace Road". Shantipath is surrounded by green landscape on its either side. A number of fo ...

, Chanakyapuri. The Embassy of Belgium in New Delhi covers the services for India, Sri Lanka,

Bangladesh Bangladesh (}, ), officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh, is a country in South Asia. It is the eighth-most populous country in the world, with a population exceeding 165 million people in an area of . Bangladesh is among the mos ...

the Maldives Maldives (, ; dv, ދިވެހިރާއްޖެ, translit=Dhivehi Raajje, ), officially the Republic of Maldives ( dv, ދިވެހިރާއްޖޭގެ ޖުމްހޫރިއްޔާ, translit=Dhivehi Raajjeyge Jumhooriyyaa, label=none, ), is an archipelag ...

Bhutan Bhutan (; dz, འབྲུག་ཡུལ་, Druk Yul ), officially the Kingdom of Bhutan,), is a landlocked country in South Asia. It is situated in the Eastern Himalayas, between China in the north and India in the south. A mountainou ...

and

Nepal Nepal (; ne, :ne:नेपाल, नेपाल ), formerly the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal ( ne, सङ्घीय लोकतान्त्रिक गणतन्त्र नेपाल ), is a landlocked country in S ...

. Belgium also operates a consulate in

Mumbai Mumbai (, ; also known as Bombay — List of renamed Indian cities and states#Maharashtra, the official name until 1995) is the capital city of the Indian States and union territories of India, state of Maharashtra and the ''de facto'' fin ...

and

Chennai Chennai (, ), formerly known as Madras ( the official name until 1996), is the capital city of Tamil Nadu, the southernmost Indian state. The largest city of the state in area and population, Chennai is located on the Coromandel Coast of th ...

. The Belgian ambassador to India is Francois Delhaye. Belgium had opened its embassy in India in 1947, just a few months after India's independence. Its first ambassador to India was Eugène, 11th Prince of Ligne. The construction of the current embassy complex (seen in picture) was designed and managed by

Satish Gujral Satish Gujral (25 December 1925 – 26 March 2020) was an Indian painter, sculptor, muralist and writer of the post-independent era. He was awarded the Padma Vibhushan, the second-highest civilian award of the Republic of India, in 1999. His el ...

, and completed in 1984. The design resembles a fortress of rocky outcrops. The building complex includes the administrative buildings of the embassy, chancellor's residence, ambassador's residence, and staff housing. The embassy was one of Satish Gujral's most challenging assignments, winning him national and international awards. In 2000, the building was recognised as one of the 1000 best buildings of the 20th century The embassy is located in New Delhi's diplomatic district in Chanakyapuri. The front facade consists of two large cupolas with a central fold above the entrance. The entrance opens into a courtyard with stone masonry and greenery within. The building is constructed with red bricks. The ubiquitous red brick construction of the building has been compared to early architectural forms prevalent in

Mohenjo-daro Mohenjo-daro (; sd, موئن جو دڙو'', ''meaning 'Mound of the Dead Men';buddhist architecture Buddhist religious architecture developed in the Indian subcontinent. Three types of structures are associated with the religious architecture of early Buddhism: monasteries ( viharas), places to venerate relics ( stupas), and shrines or prayer ...

Sanchi Sanchi is a Buddhist complex, famous for its Great Stupa, on a hilltop at Sanchi Town in Raisen District of the State of Madhya Pradesh, India. It is located, about 23 kilometres from Raisen town, district headquarter and north-east of Bh ...

and Nalanda. Along with two other embassies, the post-modern architecture of the Belgian embassy in New Delhi has been critiqued by Roger Connah for its confusing appeal to pre-colonial glory of Delhi on one hand and the fading (British) empire on the other. Some parts of the building near the entrance are open to visitors, while the parts hosting the residence and the administrative blocks are not accessible to the public.

Ambassadors

The current ambassador is H.E. Didier Vanderhasselt. The ambassador until 2018 was Jan Luykx and until 2022 Francois Delhaye.

References

External links

Embassy of Belgium in New DelhiConsulate General of Belgium in Mumbaiwikimapia
Diplomatic missions in India

Belgium Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to th ...

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 Ho ...

Belgium–India relations {{Belgium-stub

Ambassadors

See also

References

External links