Hyderabad House, Heritage government building in New Delhi, India

Hyderabad House is a pale cream building with tan stone trim on a tan stone base, its central dome topped by a thin spire and four small domed pavilions along the roofline. Wings of rectangular and arched windows lead to end pavilions, and the dark arched entrance sits recessed behind a tan stone portico. It was built in the shape of a butterfly, with symmetrical wings set at a fifty-five degree angle around the domed entrance hall.

Hyderabad House was built for Mir Osman Ali Khan, the last ruling Nizam of Hyderabad, and designed by Sir Edwin Lutyens as one of Delhi's royal palaces erected between 1921 and 1931. Apart from the Viceroy's House it was the largest and grandest of them. The Nizam's sons found it too western in style and seldom used it. Since 1974 it has been under the Ministry of External Affairs.

The house takes its name from Hyderabad, whose last Nizam, Mir Osman Ali Khan, commissioned it as his Delhi residence. Since 1974 it has belonged to the Ministry of External Affairs, which uses it for banquets, joint press conferences and meetings with visiting heads of government. The Nizam's sons found the design too western and rarely stayed there.

The building is used by the Ministry of External Affairs for diplomatic events and state functions, requiring advance arrangements for access. Visitors should expect limited availability and should plan tours in advance.

The Nizam's sons found Lutyens' design too Western for their taste, so the family seldom used the palace. It was the largest and grandest of the royal palaces Lutyens built in Delhi between 1921 and 1931, exceeded only by the Viceroy's House.