Himachal Pradesh Raj Bhawan, the Governor’s House was on Saturday thrown open for the people on the analogy of the President’s House in New Delhi, said an official statement.
The Governor House, earlier known as ‘Barnes Court’, is a building, which was first occupied by the British Commander-in-Chief of the Indian Army, Sir Edward Barnes in the year 1832, after whom it was named. It remained the residence of various British Commanders-in-Chief.
In the year 1972, the ‘Shimla Agreement’ also known as the ‘Shimla Accord’ surrounding bilateral relations between India and Pakistan was signed in this historical building.
On the first day of its opening, Governor Shiv Pratap Shukla welcomed around 60 children from the local schools, who visited Raj Bhavan. They were given a tour of the heritage building and were explained the importance of the events that took place in Raj Bhawan. The Children also interacted with the Governor and the Lady Governor Janaki Shukla. A short documentary based on the history of Raj Bhavan was also shown on the occasion, said the statement.
Later, Mr. Shukla said that Raj Bhavan was a historical and heritage building, and he took the initiative to throw Raj Bhawan open to the general public so that the common man could come and learn more about this heritage building besides enjoying its magnificence.
“I have taken this decision based on the analogy of opening of Rashtrapati Niwas to the general public by President of India Droupadi Murmu”, he said, adding that he was confident that everyone would agree with this decision of mine.
“I am aware of the historical importance of this place. Earlier, the protocol of the Governor’s House prevented tourists and locals from entering Raj Bhavan. The opening of the building will not only give access to the general public but will be now an added attraction for the visitors in the list of Shimla’s heritage monuments. Besides the historical ‘Shimla Agreement’ table, valuable artifacts of the pre-independence era have also been preserved here,” he said.
