President Ram Nath Kovind, on a visit in Hyderabad for his customary southern sojourn, hosted an 'At Home' at the Rashtrapati Nilayam on Friday.
Telangana Governor Tamilisai Soundararajan, Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao, his ministerial colleagues and several other dignitaries attended the event, a Raj Bhavan press release said.
Kovind, who arrived in Hyderabad last Friday for the southern sojourn, would return to Delhi on Saturday.
During his visit, he stayed at the Rashtrapati Nilayam in Secunderabad, one of the Presidential retreats.
The location of 'The Retreat Building' in Shimla and the 'Rashtrapati Nilayam' in Hyderabad are indicative of the integrative role of the office of the President of India in the country, the Raj Bhavan said.
These locations, one in the north and another in the south, symbolise unity of the country and unity of the diverse cultures and people, it added.
Located at Bolarum in the city, Rashtrapati Nilayam building was taken over from the Nizam of Hyderabad , Mir Osman Ali Khan (Asaf Jahi VII), after India attained independence and handed it over to the President's Secretariat.
The building was constructed in 1860 over 2,500 sq metres, but the premises account for a total land area of over 90 acres.
A single-storeyed building, it contains in its premises 11 rooms. It also has a dining hall, cinema hall, darbar hall, morning room, dining room etc.
Originally known as Residency House, it was said to be used as the residence of the Chief Military Officer of the Nizam government in the cantonment area.
The President of India visits the Rashtrapati Nilayam and stays there at least once a year and conducts official business from the Nilayam.
Presidents including Dr Rajendra Prasad, Dr Sarvapalli Radhakrishnan, VV Giri, Neelam Sanjiva Reddy, Giani Zail Singh, R Venkatraman, Dr Shankar Dayal Sharma, KR Narayanan, APJ Abdul Kalam, Pratibha Patil and Pranab Mukherjee have stayed at the Nilayam.
With PTI and IANS inputs