Connaught Place is many things to many people. Shoppers see it as a maze of cafés, bookstores and flagship stores. Office-goers think of it as the heart of New Delhi’s business district. Visitors recognise it instantly from travel brochures and Bollywood frames. Yet the real story of Connaught Place begins long before its neon signs, crowded corridors and high-street storefronts. Its identity is rooted in an architectural vision that tried to give a young capital city a sense of order, grandeur and modern urban character.
The British imagined New Delhi not just as an administrative centre, but as a showcase city. Connaught Place was one of its centrepieces. Its architecture still stands out in a city where Mughal domes, glass towers and concrete complexes compete for attention. The white colonnades, the circular plan and the disciplined façade were designed to project elegance without excess, form without fuss. That balance is what has kept CP instantly recognisable for nearly a century.
A Circle Inspired By England
The architectural inspiration for Connaught Place came from the Royal Crescent in Bath, a Georgian-era residential structure known for its sweeping semi-circular shape and symmetry. The Georgian style emphasised proportion and uniformity. It avoided heavy ornamentation and relied instead on clean lines and rhythmic repetition of columns and arches.
Robert Tor Russell, the chief architect who shaped CP, adapted that style to Delhi’s climate and urban needs. Instead of one crescent, he planned two concentric circles forming almost a complete ring. Between these he placed blocks connected by long colonnades. The idea was to create a commercial hub that offered shade, shelter and visibility—practical features for shopkeepers and visitors even today.
The result was a structure that looked European in spirit, but responsive to Indian conditions. The wide corridors protected pedestrians from Delhi’s heat. The circular plan improved ventilation. The symmetry brought order to a city still being carved out of open terrain.
The Vision Behind the Layout
The 1920s marked the peak of New Delhi’s construction. The Viceroy’s House, Parliament, North Block and South Block were rising on Raisina Hill. But every capital city needs a commercial heart. Connaught Place—named after the Duke of Connaught—was designed to be exactly that.
The Inner Circle housed premium shops meant for the city’s elite and British officers. The Outer Circle was intended for larger establishments, banks and offices. Seven radial roads connected the circles to the rest of the city, turning CP into a natural urban node. Even today, the Rajiv Chowk metro station sits at this junction, carrying forward the original logic of connectivity.
Interestingly, the British wanted a railway station under Central Park. That idea was rejected, but the intention reveals the ambition to anchor commerce, mobility and administration in one central space.
The Architecture That Refuses To Fade
Walk through Connaught Place today and the architecture still does most of the storytelling. The two-storey limit enforced during construction gives the entire complex a low, harmonious skyline. The colonnades use the same rhythm of columns, creating a visual continuity rare in other parts of Delhi.
The blocks originally planned to be 172 metres tall were reduced to the modest height we now see—a decision that protected CP’s human scale. That human scale is why the area remains pleasant to walk through despite its age and crowds. Even the curvature of the corridors, leading the eye from one shopfront to the next, maintains a natural flow.
The interiors of the blocks, however, have been adapted, renovated and rebuilt over decades. Behind the white exteriors lie properties that have changed owners, functions and shapes many times. Yet the façade, protected by heritage rules, ensures the visual identity stays fixed.
Heritage Character Meets Modern Use
What makes Connaught Place unusual is how its architecture continues to shape its economic relevance. When a building is this recognisable, tenants pay a premium for visibility. Retailers value the long corridors for footfall. Restaurateurs benefit from the outdoor-facing façades. Offices appreciate the central location.
Even after multiple rounds of refurbishment—most recently in the early 2010s—the city has tried to preserve the original character. LED lighting may have replaced old lamps, but the columns, arches and uniform paintwork keep the place rooted in its past.
The flag in Central Park, the metro interchange below, and the global brands above all function within a design imagined almost a century ago. That coexistence of old and new is what gives CP its narrative depth.
A Legacy Cast In Stone And Circles
Connaught Place was born from a colonial blueprint, but it has outgrown those origins. Delhiites no longer see it as an English architectural curiosity. It has become a cultural anchor, a meeting point, a retail powerhouse and a familiar landmark. The architecture made it possible. The circular plan created an identity. The colonnades gave it character. And the consistency of its design ensured it remained recognisable through eras of political, social and economic change.
In a city constantly reinventing itself, Connaught Place shows what thoughtful architecture can achieve: relevance across decades. That makes it not just a marketplace, but an enduring chapter in Delhi’s urban story.
