Ever wondered why India Gate is surrounded by Hyderabad House, Patiala House, Jaipur House, and others?
Because power is never left to chance. It is arranged. It is placed where it can be seen, but not always where it is felt.
When the British moved India’s capital from Calcutta to Delhi in 1911, they weren’t just shifting government offices. They were designing influence. They knew that to rule a country as vast and complex as India, they couldn’t rely on force alone. They needed compliance. And for that, they needed the princes.
The Maharajas and Nawabs of India’s princely states still commanded wealth, respect, and private armies. The British had already turned them into allies, extracting loyalty through treaties and strategic marriages, but they needed to keep them in check. They had to be close enough to be useful, yet never close enough to make decisions.
So, they built houses for them - not inside the power center, but just outside it. Hyderabad House for the Nizam of Hyderabad, once the richest man in the world. Patiala House for the ruler of Patiala, Bikaner House for the Maharaja of Bikaner, Baroda House for the Gaekwad of Baroda. Each name carried history, wealth, and pride, but none of these buildings were built for rule. They were built for waiting.
These weren’t palaces. They were reception halls, meeting places, venues where the princes could be summoned for photo opportunities and ceremonial events. They were brought into the grand theatre of governance, dressed in their finery, posing for cameras, but never allowed beyond the roles assigned to them.
And then, as history does, everything changed. The empire left. The princely states merged into the Indian Republic. The power that was once structured around access to the British Raj was no longer relevant. But the buildings remained.
Hyderabad House, once a place where a king waited for permission to be heard, now hosts international diplomats and world leaders. Patiala House, built for a Maharaja who once ruled his own kingdom, is now a courthouse where justice is served to the common citizen. Jaipur House, which once held discussions of royal politics, is now the National Gallery of Modern Art, showcasing the creativity of a free nation.
The names remain, but the meanings have shifted.
The British designed these buildings to contain power. India turned them into institutions that distribute it.
Cities are not accidents. They are designed with intention. Every road, every building, every placement is a message. And the people who understand this, the ones who shape systems instead of just existing within them, are the ones who determine the future.