The most interesting history among all those buildings that catered to the needs of the Colonial government in Delhi shifted on a temporary basis is the Old Viceregal Lodge. The lodge is a repository of history as the galleries within contain archives of its time and the region surrounding the Northern Ridge in Delhi which served as the British cantonment during the early 20th century.
In 1803, it served as a camp for the victorious British troops. Later, it became the circuit house. In 1903, it was refurbished for Lord Curzon during the second Coronation of the second Durbar for King Edward VII. The hallmark of 1911-The Delhi Durbar, or the coronation of King George V, got the place refurbished for the third time, serving as an ancillary place in case the venue of the coronation needed to be shifted from Kingsway Camp for any reason. Initially, the lodge was part of the cantonment and then it was converted to a residence for the imperial rulers.
In 1912, the Circuit House became the temporary Viceregal Lodge. From then onwards, the building was home to the five serving Viceroys-Lord Harding, Lord Chelmsford, Lord Reading, Lord Lytton, Lord Irwin, till the construction of ‘Rashtrapati Bhavan’.The lodge also became another place of refuge during the revolt of 1857 and the basement, which is now renovated and painted anew, was once a hidden chamber that served as the dungeons and it’s said that Shaheed Bhagat Singh was once confined here.
In 1931, the famous Gandhi-Irwin pact was signed here in this building only. The association of events of this place doesn’t come to an end only at this. The convocation hall was once a majestic ballroom where Louis Mountbatten proposed to Edwina Ashley. A plaque that tells this story stands in the registrar’s office. The galleries and museum hold an exhibition of photographs dating back to the 1930s that record the story of the University of Delhi through time and also narrates stories from the time of the British era. In 1933, it was handed over to the Delhi University. Renovated a few years ago, it is currently serving as the head of the Vice-Chancellor of the Delhi University.
