Vice-President's Enclave (

IAST The International Alphabet of Sanskrit Transliteration (IAST) is a transliteration scheme that allows the lossless romanisation of Brahmic family, Indic scripts as employed by Sanskrit and related Indic languages. It is based on a scheme that ...

: ''Uprashtrapati Bhawan'') is the

official residence An official is someone who holds an office (function or mandate, regardless of whether it carries an actual working space with it) in an organization or government and participates in the exercise of authority (either their own or that of th ...

and workplace of the

Vice President of India The vice president of India (ISO: ) is the deputy to the head of state of the Republic of India, i.e. the president of India. The office of vice president is the second-highest constitutional office after the president and ranks second in t ...

, located on 108, Church Road, New Delhi - 110 001.

History

From May 1962 until February 2024, the bungalow located on 6, Maulana Azad Road in New Delhi served as

. The area of the residence was . It was a standalone building with limited facilities. It shared a common boundary wall with the

Vigyan Bhavan Vigyan Bhawan ("science home") is a premier conference centre of the Government of India in New Delhi. Built in 1956, over the years it has been the venue of conferences of national and international stature, seminars and award ceremonies atten ...

Annexe on the west and was bounded by Maulana Azad Road in the south, Man Singh Road in the east and the green area abutting

Rajpath Rajpath (), officially named Kartavya Path (), and formerly known as Kingsway, is a ceremonial boulevard in New Delhi, India, that runs from Rashtrapati Bhavan on Raisina Hill through Vijay Chowk and India Gate, National War Memorial to N ...

. As a part of the

Central Vista Redevelopment Project Central Vista Redevelopment Project is 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 Edwin Lutyens and Herbert Baker during ...

, a new residence and secretariat for the Vice President was built at 108, Church Road, New Delhi. Vice President

Jagdeep Dhankhar Jagdeep Dhankhar (; born 18 May 1951) is an Indian politician and lawyer serving as the vice president of India since 2022. He previously served as the List of governors of West Bengal, Governor of West Bengal from 2019 to 2022. He also serve ...

and his family moved into the new Vice-President Enclave on 14 February, 2024 on the occasion of ''

Vasant Panchami Vasant Panchami , also rendered Vasanta Panchami and Saraswati Puja in honour of the Hindu goddess Saraswati, is a festival that marks the preparation for the arrival of spring. The festival is celebrated in Indian religions in different ways ...

''. The new complex is the first of the residential premises under the Central Vista redevelopment plan to be completed. The Enclave spans a 15-acre plot with a built-up area of 215,278 square feet and a total plinth area of approximately 20,000 square meters. It comprises multiple structures, including the Residence, featuring one basement, a ground floor, and an upper floor; a Secretariat building with a ground and an upper floor; a CPWD block with similar specifications; and barracks, also consisting of a ground and an upper floor. Additional facilities include a Guest House, a Sports Facility with a single ground floor, Staff Quarters with a ground and upper floor, and various Ancillary Buildings with ground floors of varying heights.

Early History

The bungalow at 6, Maulana Azad Road was constructed in the 1920s as part of the larger New Delhi redevelopment scheme, which was undertaken following the decision to shift the capital of British India from Calcutta to Delhi. This plan, led by architects such as

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 memorials ...

and

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 was ...

, included a plan for the creation of a series of residential bungalows to house senior British officials. Designed by

Robert Tor Russell Robert Tor Russell (1888–1972) was a British architect. In his position as Chief Architect to the Public Works Department of the Government of India, he is primarily associated with the development of the city of New Delhi in the early 1930s ...

, a prominent architect of the era, the bungalow exemplifies the colonial architectural style of the time, with spacious interiors, high ceilings, and expansive lawns. The road was formerly known as King Edward Road.

Designation as Vice President's Residence

Following the adoption of the Indian Constitution in 1950, the position of Vice President was created as the second-highest constitutional office in the country. When Dr.

Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan (; 5 September 188817 April 1975; natively Radhakrishna) was an Indian academician, philosopher and statesman who served as the President of India from 1962 to 1967. He previously served as the vice president of ...

became the first Vice President of India in 1952, 6, King Edward Road (as it was earlier known as) was selected to serve as the official residence due to its proximity to the central administrative buildings such as Rashtrapati Bhavan, Parliament House, and other official buildings. It was only after the death of India’s first education minister,

Maulana Azad Abul Kalam Ghulam Muhiyuddin (11 November 188822 February 1958), better known as Maulana Azad and sometimes referred as Abul Kalam Azad, was an Indian politician, writer and activist of the Indian independence movement. A senior leader of t ...

, that the road, where his bungalow no. 4 was located, was renamed Maulana Azad Road in his honor.

New Vice President's Enclave

Given that the previous residence of the Vice President was a standalone, mid-sized bungalow with limited facilities, the urgent need for a larger residence and an upgraded secretariat arose. Under the Central Vista Redevelopment Project, a new and significantly larger residence, along with a dedicated secretariat for the Vice President, was constructed at 108, Church Road, New Delhi. It is located adjacent to the North Block. The plot of land on which it stands was previously used for defense hutments. Covering an area of 6 hectares, besides the main residence building, the complex includes extensive facilities comprising various service and support buildings.

Architecture and Design

The Enclave was conceived as part of the

, aimed at modernizing and reorganizing the administrative infrastructure of India's capital. It is designed by Bimal Patel, in collaboration with

Central Public Works Department The Central Public Works Department (CPWD, ) is a department under the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs of India and is in charge of public sector works. It serves as the builder, developer and manager of Central government properties. Wit ...

(CPWD). As the complex is situated on Church Road, adjacent to the North Block, in close proximity to key government institutions. The design prioritizes security, sustainability, and functionality, while also respecting the historical and symbolic significance of

New Delhi New Delhi (; ) is the Capital city, capital of India and a part of the Delhi, National Capital Territory of Delhi (NCT). New Delhi is the seat of all three branches of the Government of India, hosting the Rashtrapati Bhavan, New Parliament ...

. The main residence is a low-rise structure which infuses Indian rajasthani architectural elements like

Jali A ''jali'' or ''jaali'' (''jālī'', meaning "net") is the term for a perforated stone or latticed screen, usually with an ornamental pattern constructed through the use of calligraphy, geometry or natural patterns. This form of architectu ...

Jharokha The Jharokha is a stone window projecting from the wall face of a building, in an upper story, overlooking a street, market, court or any other open space. A common feature in classical Indian architecture, most prominently seen in Rajput ar ...

and

verandah A veranda (also spelled verandah in Australian and New Zealand English) is a roofed, open-air hallway or porch, attached to the outside of a building. A veranda is often partly enclosed by a railing and frequently extends across the front an ...

with

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 memorials ...

-inspired structure characterized by clean geometric forms and expansive green areas. Sandstone is the main element used in the facade. The two main type used are

Dholpur Dholpur is a city in the Dholpur district in Rajasthan state of India. It is situated on the left bank of the Chambal river. The city is the administrative headquarters of Dholpur district. Dholpur was established by King Dhaval Dev of the ...

sandstone Sandstone is a Clastic rock#Sedimentary clastic rocks, clastic sedimentary rock composed mainly of grain size, sand-sized (0.0625 to 2 mm) silicate mineral, silicate grains, Cementation (geology), cemented together by another mineral. Sand ...

, and Red

Agra Agra ( ) is a city on the banks of the Yamuna river in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, about south-east of the national capital Delhi and 330 km west of the state capital Lucknow. With a population of roughly 1.6 million, Agra is the ...

. Known for its durability and warm beige-pink hue,

has been used to maintain visual continuity with the broader Central Vista aesthetic. Wi Hile, The Agra standstone has also been selectively used to provide contrast and accentuate architectural details such as

columns A column or pillar in architecture and structural engineering is a structural element that transmits, through compression, the weight of the structure above to other structural elements below. In other words, a column is a compression member ...

cornices In architecture, a cornice (from the Italian ''cornice'' meaning "ledge") is generally any horizontal decorative moulding that crowns a building or furniture element—for example, the cornice over a door or window, around the top edge of a ...

, and entryways. The enclave includes a dedicated secretariat for the Vice President’s official functions, staff quarters, guest facilities, and service buildings, all integrated within a secure compound. Landscaped gardens, water features, and shaded pathways enhance the usability and visual appeal of the premises, promoting a sense of openness and tranquility despite its high-security requirements. The layout is designed to optimize movement, maintain dignified protocol zones, and accommodate both ceremonial and day-to-day administrative functions. Barrier-free access and smart building systems have been integrated so that the complex meets contemporary standards of accessibility and efficiency.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Vice-President Enclave Official residences in India Government buildings in Delhi Vice-President Enclave Vice presidential residences