Long before Rashtrapati Bhavan became the beating heart of Indian power, Raisina Hill was a sleepy village where nearly 300 families lived off farming and cattle. Everything changed in 1911, when the British announced they were shifting India's capital from Kolkata to Delhi. The empire needed a regal residence for the Viceroy-and Raisina's elevated terrain sealed its fate.

But here's the twist: the land wasn't up for grabs. It belonged to locals-and, reportedly, to the Maharaja of Jaipur, who even donated the iconic Jaipur Column still standing tall outside Rashtrapati Bhavan.

By 1912, over 1,700 acres were acquired from 150 villages, including the then-Malcha village (now Raisina Hill). Some descendants of those displaced villagers, now in Haryana, are demanding compensation-at today's market value. A legal plea filed at Delhi High Court by Sajjan Singh and Kadam Singh calls it an “unjust land grab” under the colonial Land Acquisition Act of 1894.

Construction of the Viceroy's House-now Rashtrapati Bhavan-was a mammoth task. Expected to finish in 4 years, it took 17, costing over ₹1.38 crore. Designed by Lutyens and Baker, it blended Indian and Western architecture, requiring land-leveling blasts and its own railway for materials.

Today, Rashtrapati Bhavan dazzles with 340 rooms and lush Mughal Gardens. But beneath its grandeur lies a buried tale of displacement, royal deals, and British ambition-a forgotten chapter that's now making headlines once again.