From Kingsway to Rajpath to Kartavya Path of Central Vista: a short history of Delhi’s century-old stretch

Subject :History

Section : Pollution

Delhi’s iconic Rajpath – stretching from Rashtrapati Bhavan to India Gate – is all set to be renamed Kartavya Path (Path of Duty), with Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurating the revamped Central Vista Avenue on Thursday (September 8).

Kingsway

Called Kingsway during British rule, it was built as a ceremonial boulevard by Edwin Lutyens and Herbert Baker, the architects of New Delhi, in around 1920.
Running from Rashtrapati Bhavan on Raisina Hill through Vijay Chowk and India Gate, the avenue is lined on both sides by huge lawns, canals and rows of trees.
It was in 1911 when the British government decided to shift their capital from Kolkata (then Calcutta) to Delhi, and consequently, they started building New Delhi to serve as the administrative capital.

Rajpath

Following the independence of India, the road was given its Hindi name of ‘Rajpath’ in place of its English designation. This represented a mere translation than a renaming since ‘Rajpath’ in Hindi broadly means king’s way. For 75 years, it has been known as the showpiece stretch for the Republic Day parade that is held on January 26 every year.
During his address from the Red Fort on August 15 this year, PM Modi stressed the abolition of symbols relating to the “colonial mindset”. The Rajpath will shed another colonial relic on September 8 when The Grand Canopy, which once had the statue of George V, will be fitted with a 28-feet idol of Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose, known for his defiance of the British authority in India.

Kartavya Path

The construction work for the Central Vista Redevelopment Project started in February 2021, with the new Parliament building and redevelopment of central vista avenue as its first phase.
For Republic Day celebrations, foldable seating arrangements would be made to replace the temporary structures that are installed and removed every year, it said. The objective of the proposal is to make the Avenue an icon that “truly befits New India”, the government said, about the Rs 608 crore Central Vista Avenue project.

Central Vista

Currently, the Central Vista of New Delhi houses Rashtrapati Bhawan, Parliament House, North and South Block, India Gate, National Archives among others.
In December, 1911, King George V made an announcement in Delhi Durbar (a grand assembly) to shift the capital of India from Calcutta to Delhi.
- Delhi Durbar was hosted to mark the coronation of King George V.
The task of constructing a new city was given to Edwin Lutyens, known for his strong adherence to European Classicism and Herbert Baker, a prominent architect in South Africa.
- Herbert Baker is also the architect of the Union buildings at Pretoria, South Africa.
Parliament House building was designed by both Lutyens and Baker.
Rashtrapati Bhavan was designed by Edwin Lutyens.
The Secretariat which includes both north and south block was designed by Herbert Baker.

Central Vista Redevelopment Project

The Union Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs proposed a Central Vista redevelopment project in 2019.
The project envisages
- Constructing a triangular Parliament building next to the existing one.
- Constructing Common Central Secretariat.
- Revamping of the 3-km-long Rajpath — from Rashtrapati Bhavan to India Gate.
  - North and South Block to be repurposed as museums