HYDERABAD: Rashtrapati Nilayam, the official retreat of the President of India in Hyderabad, is now open for the general public with new attractions. The Rashtrapati Nilayam, in Bolarum in Secunderabad, used to be open for visit by the people for several days in early January annually after the President’s retreat who uses it as her Southern Sojourn.
It has now been thrown open to the public since March 22. For easy access, public tours can be booked online and offline, with slots typically available from 10:00 AM to 05:00 PM on all days of the week except Monday and public holidays.
The Nilayam will be open throughout the year and will be closed during the month of December when the President visits. So far around 10,000 people have visited Rastrapathi Nilayam, revealed the officials during an interaction with the media on Thursday.
A visit to Rashtrapati Nilayam includes a scholar-guided tour of the 163-year-old main heritage building of Nilayam knowledge gallery with historical tales and original gifts and, Historic Flag Post site, kitchen tunnel decorated with GI tagged Cheriyal art depicting the rich Telangana culture and heritage along with several theme parks such as Nakshatra, Maze Garden, Herbal Garden and Rock Garden.
“For the convenience of the tourists, a cafeteria has been established in collaboration with the Telangana Tourism Department. Besides free parking, RO water dispensers across the campus, and first aid setup have been arranged. For the senior citizens’ E-Cart vehicle facility is also introduced,” said K Rajani Priya, Manager Rashtrapati Nilayam, Secunderabad.
“With huge open green spaces, Nilayam can be a perfect destination for picnics, educational, and excursions, as it has something for everyone from kids, elderly, researchers, and others. We are also working towards the restoration and revival of the step-wells on the premises which are expected to be completed by December this year,” said Kumar Samersh, Public Relations Officer, at Rashtrapati Bhavan.
Registration charges will be Rs 50 per person for Indian Nationals and Rs 250 per person for foreign visitors. The visit for Government school children till 12th standard is exempted from the payment of fee and 20 per cent instant discount will be provided when booked for a group of 30.
Scholar-guided tour
A visit to Rashtrapati Nilayam includes a scholar-guided tour of the 163-year-old main heritage building of the Nilayam knowledge gallery with historical tales and original gifts.