Dignified building worthy of its resident's stature

BANGALORE: For most commuters who zippast the Raj Bhavan here, the high forbidding gates are just a landmark. Butinside lies a majestic building that at once embodies the country's colonialpast as well as its resilience and penchant to move on. On thenumerous occasions that the various residents of Raj Bhavan have allowedvisitors to have a glimpse at this building, it has evoked awe and fascination.The Raj Bhavan has been intricately interwoven with Bangalore'shistory. It was not always known by the present name and it was not alwaysoccupied by the First Citizen of the state. The building is supposedto have been built by Sir Mark Cubbon, who was closely associated with Bangaloreand whose legacy continues to live in various forms, between 1840 and 1842 whenhe was the commissioner of the Mysore territories of the British.It was his privateresidence and he reportedly put it up for sale when he left in 1861. It waspurchased by his successor Lewin Benthem Bowring, who then used government fundsto convert it into the official residence of the commissioner.Slowly, the building was converted, room by room, into its currentunderstated elegance. A ballroom was constructed in 1874 when the Prince ofWales visited India. Many changes were made to the building duringits existence in the British Raj. In 1881, when power was transferred back tothe Mysore Royal family, the office of the commissioner was abolished.It then became the official residence of the Resident and came to becalled the Residency till Independence, when the Residency was abolished.The Constitution thencreated the office of the Raj Pramukh (Governor) and the Residency was convertedinto the office of the Raj Pramukh. The Mysore Maharajah was madethe first Raj Pramukh. But the king chose to stay at his palaces and thebuilding was converted into the state guest house for the President,Vice-President and other dignitaries. It was even used by theCongress party for its legislature meetings. However, with civilians beingposted as Governors, the Raj Bhavan became the official resident of theGovernor. Various occupants have tried to add their own touches tothe building. The original structure was a onelevel structure. Another floor wasadded in 1967. The architecturalintegration is done remarkably well to the point that one assumes that it wasalways there. It is a dignified building worthy of the status of its resident.This beautiful building has colonial architecture ��� statelypillars and symmetrically set pediment windows. Its well-laid lawns are thesetting for many events like the traditional tea and swearingin ceremonies.Owing to its official status, it is also among the mostwell-maintained heritage buildings in the city. It has also seamlesslyintegrated certain modern techniques, like a well-designed rain harvestingsystem.(This is the 24th in our weekly series on Karnataka's richcultural heritage)