School children playing around, people glancing through the doors, families trying to get a nice picture, college students lazing around – it’s not a park but Rashtrapati Nilayam. The lawns of the official southern retreat of the President of India are open for public until 10th January. Inquisitive visitors flocked in to the place to get a feel of how the President of India spends his winter vacation.

The heritage palace was constructed by Nizam Nasir-ud-Doula and the famous prime minister Sir Salarjung-I. The Nizam’s military cantonment is Bolarum where the chief military officer resided. It came under the control of Indian Union in 1950. Unlike the Rashtrapati Bhavan, the Rashtrapati Nilayam stands out for its simplicity.

The visitors enter through the Gate No. 2. where free entry passes are provided. The single storied building which is constructed with madras roof top,has eleven well furnished rooms all locked up. The main building has three wings President’s wing, Family wing and ADC wing which are surrounded by landscaped garden and potted plants. The several doors have a mesh put-onto let the visitors get a glimpse of the rooms. While one adores the 2500 square meters of beauty, the lights and fans are switched on to let the visitors get a better view of the rooms. The hoardings assert that they are following eco-friendly schemes on lines of the Rashtrapati Bhavan in New Delhi. One would find the holy Tulasi plant in a traditional south Indian planter.

The striking feature of the Rashtrapati Nilayam is that the kitchen and dining hall are independent buildings linked with an underground tunnel to carry food. The tunnel has openings above it, which provides natural light. Visitors are amused at the cinema hall which is the place where the President used to interact with the people.
In the concrete jungle of Hyderabad, this campus has around 80% of green area of the total land area. Earlier the land was covered with wild grass and bushes however since 2007, the vacant land is being developed in phased manner. It has as many as 4500 different fruit plants spread across 35 acres of land.

The existing infrastructure of an abandoned water tank is developed into a fountain with reverse crown effect.Signifying our rich heritage of medicinal and aromatic plants, the herbal garden situated within the premises has various plants.

The Nakshatra Vatika is another attraction in the Nilayam. The layout has been developed in various geometrical combinations corresponding to the Sree Chakra of Vedic astrology. Each square or circle is planted with a particular tree or plant variety that represents the respective planet and is placed as per the astronomical direction. In all, 48 saplings representing nine navgrahs, 12 rashi and 27 nakshatra are present in the garden.

The main campus occupies 75.30 acres and 14.27 area is occupied with quarters and almost 8.05 acres is open area.The red soil makes its presence felt by leaving stains of color on footwear. The campus enthralls its guest with colourful flowering plants, water fountain and cascading waterfall.

Given the nicely laid roads, landscaped gardens and open space, one would want to come back again instead of waiting a year for the President’s summer retreat.