Raj Bhavan (Karnataka)

Raj Bhavan is the name of the official residence of the Governor of Karnataka as in other states of India. It is located in the capital city of Karnataka, Bangalore. The present governor of Karnataka is T. N. Chaturvedi.

History

It was built by Sir Mark Cubbon between 1840 and 1842 when he was the Commissioner of Mysore territories of the British. At that time, there were no buildings in the area. After Cubbon left in 1861, the bungalow was put up for sale and purchased by the succeeding commissioner, Lewin Benthem Bowring, using government funds and converted to the official residence of the Commissioner.

A ballroom was constructed in 1874 when the Prince of Wales visited India. It was named 'Serapis Room' after the ship which brought the Prince to Bombay. Many changes were made to the building during its existence in the British Raj.

In 1881, when power was transferred back to the Mysore Royal family, the office of the Commissioner was abolished. The building became the official residence of the Resident and came to be called the Residency till the Independence of India (August 15, 1947) when the Residency was abolished. The Constitution of Independent India created the office of the "Raj Pramukh" (Governor). The Maharaja of Mysore was made the first Raj Pramukh of Mysore. Although the Residency was converted to the official residence of the Raj Pramukh, the Maharaja of Mysore chose not to stay there as he had his own grand palaces at Bangalore and Mysore. Hence, the Residency was converted to a state guesthouse by the Government of India. State guests such as the President of India, the Vice President of India, central government ministers and chief ministers of other states stayed at the Residency. The Chief Minister of Karnataka hosted parties at the Residency. On Independence Day and Republic Day, parties were hosted by the Raj Pramukh, a tradition that has continued till now.

The Residency was also used by the Congress party for its legislature party meetings.

During Franklin D. Roosevelt's visit to India, the first lady of the USA Mrs. Eleanor Roosevelt stayed at the Residency.

External links

• Photographic tour of Raj Bhavan, Karnataka
• Official site
• History of Raj Bhavan as residence of the Commissioner in the British Raj
• Description of major renovations made to Raj Bhavan
• Guests of the Residency