New Delhi: The ceremonial Changing of Guard
conducted in full military regalia at the Raisina Hill here
will take place at eight in the morning from March 20.
The 40-minute ceremony, which earlier took place at 10 in
the morning, has been changed due to the start of summer
season, a Rashtrapati Bhavan statement said.
From March 20 onwards, the timings shall be 0800 hours to
0840 hours on Saturdays (excluding holidays). The ceremonial
Changing of Guard is open to the public free of charge and is
held in the area between the North and South blocks on Raisina
Hill, the statement added.
The forecourt of the grand Rashtrapati Bhavan resounds
to the hoof beats of horses and the tune of soul-lifting music
during the ceremony.
Every Saturday, the Infantry Army Guards and the
President's Bodyguard, in spectacular red uniform and riding
horses, change guard with clock-work precision, demonstrating
time honoured military ethos and discipline of both animal and
man.
The tradition of Ceremonial Changing of Guard dates back
to the raising of the President's Bodyguards in 1773, earlier
called the 'The Guards of Moguls'.
PTI
First Published: Thursday, March 18, 2010, 00:38