Jaipur Column — Attraction in New Delhi

Jaipur Column



Jaipur Column in front of Rashtrapati Bhavan, viewed from the east

The Jaipur Column is a monumental columnin the middle of the courtyard in front of Rashtrapati Bhavan, the presidential residence in New Delhi, Delhi, India. In 1912 Madho Singh II, the Maharaja of Jaipur, offered to sponsor its construction to commemorate the 1911 Delhi Durbar and the transfer of the capital of India from Calcutta to Delhi.[1]

The column was designed by the British architect Sir Edwin Lutyens. In 1920, Lutyens submitted his design for the column to the Royal Academy of Arts in London, as his diploma work for his election as a fellow of the academy. The structure was completed in 1930.[1]

The column is predominantly made of cream sandstone, with red sandstone used for the base. At the top there is an egg surmounted by a bronze lotus flower and a six-pointed glass star. These are supported by a steel shaft running through the column's entire length.[1] Different sources give the height as 145 feet (44 m)[2] or 148 feet (45 m).[1]

There are bas-reliefs around the base, designed by the British sculptor Charles Sargeant Jagger.[1] Jagger also designed the elephants carved into the walls around the courtyard,[3] as well as the statue of George V, Emperor of India which formerly stood under the canopy next to India Gate.[1]



Evening view with light display

On the base there is an inscription, with wording supplied by Lord Irwin, the Viceroy of India:[4]

In thought faithIn word wisdomIn deed courageIn life serviceSo may India be great

This was a modification of the wording originally proposed by Lutyens:[4]

Endow your thought with faithYour deed with courageYour life with sacrificeSo all men may knowThe...

The Jaipur Column is a monumental column in the middle of the courtyard in front of Rashtrapati Bhavan, the presidential residence in New Delhi, Delhi, India. In 1912 Madho Singh II, the Maharaja of Jaipur, offered to sponsor its construction to commemorate the 1911 Delhi Durbar and the transfer of the capital of India from Kolkata to Delhi.

The column was designed by the architect Sir Edwin Lutyens. In 1920, Lutyens submitted his design for the column to the Royal Academy of Arts in London, as his diploma work for his election as a fellow of the academy. The structure was completed in 1930.

The column is predominantly made of cream sandstone, with red sandstone used for the base. At the top there is an egg surmounted by a bronze lotus flower and a six-pointed glass star. These are supported by a steel shaft running through the column's entire length. Different sources give the height as 145 feet (44 m) or 148 feet (45 m).

There are bas-reliefs around the base, designed by the British sculptor Charles Sargeant Jagger. Jagger also designed the elephants carved into the walls around the courtyard, as well as the statue of George V, Emperor of India which formerly stood under the canopy next to India Gate.

Evening view with light display On the base there is an inscription, with wording supplied by Lord Irwin, the...

The Jaipur Column stands at a height of one hundred and forty-five feet on the Rashtrapati Bhavan Forecourt, at an approximate distance of five hundred and fifty-five feet from the main gate. Designed by Sir Edwin Lutyens and sponsored by Maharaja Madho Singh of Jaipur, the Jaipur Column was built to celebrate the transfer of the capital from Calcutta to Delhi and as a token of allegiance of the princely state of Jaipur to the British Crown. The Jaipur Column is made of sandstone and atop is a five-ton bronze lotus from which emerges a six-pointed Star of India, made of glass. The Star was installed in the year 1930. The lotus is one of the few Indian motifs that have been incorporated by Lutyens in the construction of Rashtrapati Bhavan. The imperial eagle also embellishes the four corners at the plinth of the column. It is interesting to note that inside the column a steel tube runs, tying the lotus and the star to a block in the foundation.

The first stone of the column was laid by King George V and Queen Mary on December 15, 1911. Jaipur Column has bas reliefs facing north and south. On the eastern side is the map of Delhi as then envisioned while the inscription that runs through three sides of the column reads, “In thought faith, In word wisdom, In deed courage, In life service, So may...