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The long-pending renovation process of the five-storey kitchen wing of Shimla’s Viceregal Lodge — also known as Rashtrapati Niwas — now home to the Indian Institute of Advanced Study (IIAS), which began in 2020, has reached its final stage. Constructed in the late 1880s, the British-era lodge is now home to the Indian Institute of Advanced Study (IIAS).
Designed by the British architect, Henry Irwin, in the Elizabethan style, the Viceregal Lodge was constructed on the Observatory Hill during Lord Dufferin’s tenure. The building’s construction began in 1880 and was completed in 1888. The kitchen wing’s restoration work, costing around Rs 10 crore, was to be completed within a timeline of 540 days (1.5 years).
However, it was delayed due to multiple reasons including the COVID-19 pandemic and objections by the Heritage Committee of the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI). A Mumbai-based firm, Construction-Technique, that specialises exclusively in the restoration of historical and heritage structures is executing the project regarding the kitchen wing.
Earlier, Construction-Technique had successfully restored another colonial-era landmark — Gorton Castle. The castle now houses the office of the Principal Accountant General near Cart Road, adjacent to the Himachal Pradesh Vidhan Sabha.
Spread across approximately 1,115 square feet, the kitchen section is divided into five parts — the wine cellar, laundry, kitchen, a steam section and another wing, previously used for miscellaneous purposes including administrative work and luggage storage. The kitchen wing’s basement has the wine cellar with two British-era iron chambers for manufacturing the liquor. On the ground floor is the laundry and the kitchen is on the first floor.
The director IIAS Shimla, Himanshu Chaturvedi, told The Indian Express, “The renovation work got the pace once the institute took up the matter with the private firm strongly for delaying it three months back. Now, the renovation work is in its final stage. The Mumbai-based firm gave the undertaking to handover the kitchen wing to IIAS till November 15 this year.”
The entire IIAS structure is three stories except for the kitchen wing, which has five floors.
According to the IIAS administration, the wing will have two different uses after its renovation. Chaturvedi said, “We have decided to open at least four floors including the wine cellar, laundry, kitchen and the steaming section for the tourists, while the last remaining floor will be used for the administrative work.”
The visitors were not allowed to visit the kitchen wing in the last decade due to its dilapidated condition, the director said.
At IIAS, the average footfall of the tourists is approximately 550 to 1,000 during the peak tourism season between May and August.
The footfall also increases during winters from December to January.
A senior conservation assistant of ASI Shimla Circle, Vishal Haider, said, “The renovation and restoration work of the kitchen section has almost been completed. The kitchen wing required more urgent conservation than the other parts, which is why it was prioritised in the first phase.”
In addition to the Central Public Works Department (CPWD) maintaining the building, the ASI also supervises it owing to the building’s heritage significance.
Harish Ruparel, an official with Construction-Technique, said, “Only teak and deodar wood were used in the flooring and furniture of the entire building. To maintain the structure’s authenticity, we sourced teak from Burma (Myanmar), the same region from where the British architect procured it in the 1880s. In addition, limestone and lime concrete were used to retain the building’s historic character. We sourced the stone from Rewalsar in Mandi district of Himachal.”
The official said that apart from the objections from the ASI’s heritage panel, some of the main reasons for the delay include “difficulty in procurement of the materials — limestone and teak — and masons well-versed with this heritage architect”.
A heritage construction engineer at the site said, “At least 42 workers have been working round the clock to complete the renovation work, which almost remained suspended during rains and winter due to the extreme cold here. Hiring of the local masons well-versed with the heritage structures built in Shimla is another challenge. We can afford the carpenters and woodworkers from other states but local masons have to be hired at high costs.”
The engineer also said that the workers, especially carpenters, were hired from Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Himachal Pradesh to complete flooring with tiles and wood. A large section of labourers from Nepal were employed for the heavy work.
The kitchen section renovation, though sanctioned in 2020, gained momentum only after 2022 when the renovation firm cleared all the objections raised by the ASI and CPWD.
A senior officer with the ASI requesting anonymity said, “There is a plan to renovate the entire IIAS building in its old style. Except for the kitchen section, the rest of the complex alone required almost Rs 50 crore for renovation, which is under consideration.”
In 2023, a major landslide triggered by the cloudbursts had damaged the certain front and rear portion of heritage buildings of IIAs originally spread in 110 acres. CPWD has repaired almost all the damaged parts.
As the official summer residence of the Viceroys and Governor-Generals of India, the Viceregal Lodge has been a witness to several pivotal moments in India’s colonial and pre-Independence history. Important legislations including the Punjab Alienation of Land Act — a major agrarian reform of British India — were deliberated and passed within its walls.
The Viceregal Lodge also hosted three historic Simla Conferences — in June-July 1945, and in March 1946 and 1947 — between British officials and Indian leaders. Tragically, the discussions leading to the partition of India were also finalised here.
After Independence, the Viceregal Lodge was taken over by the Government of India and was renamed Rashtrapati Niwas, serving as the President’s summer retreat. On the initiative of the then President, Dr S Radhakrishnan, it was decided that the building should serve a scholarly purpose. In 1964, it was handed over to the Indian Institute of Advanced Study (IIAS) for academic and research activities.
Given its monumental, architectural and historical significance, experts have long advocated for Rashtrapati Niwas to be included in UNESCO’s World Heritage List. They suggest that a collaborative project — possibly between Indian and international universities — should be undertaken to further explore its heritage, cultural and archaeological importance.
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