Presidential palaces

A cover from Singapore with the Singapore - India joint issue stamps . 

Date of issue - 24-November-2015

Designer - Wong Wui Kong

The joint issue stamps features the presidential palaces of both countries. 

Istana - Singapore 

The Istana is the official residence and office of the President of Singapore. Meaning "palace" in Malay, it is where the President receives and entertains state guests. The Istana is also the working office of the Prime Minister of Singapore.The 106 acres (0.43 km²) estate was once part of the extensive nutmeg plantation of Mount Sophia. In 1867, the British colonial government acquired the land and built a mansion to be the official home of the British governor. 

When Japan invaded in 1942, deliberate shelling destroyed the small ceremonial guns on the steps of Government House and left the building and its grounds in a state of ruin.During the occupation, the house was occupied by Field Marshal Count Hisaichi Terauchi, commander of the Japanese Southern Army, and Major General Kawamura, commander of the Singapore Defence Forces.The building continued to be used by governorsof the newly created Crown Colony of Singapore. When Singapore attained self-rule in 1959, the building was handed over to the Government of Singapore.

The building was extensively renovated between 1996 and 1998 to add more space and modern day conveniences. It has a tropical layout like a Malay house, surrounded by statuesque columns, deep verandahs, louvred windows and panelled doors to promote cross-ventilation. The central three-storey 28-metre-high tower block dominates the building.

Rashtrapati Bhavan - India 

Rashtrapati Bhavan is the official home of the president located at the Western end of Rajpath in New Delhi, India. Rashtrapati Bhavan may refer to only the 340-room main building that has the president's official residence, including reception halls, guest rooms and offices, also called the mansion; it may also refer to the entire 130-hectare (320 acre) Presidential Estate that additionally includes huge presidential gardens (Mughal Gardens), large open spaces, residences of bodyguards and staff, stables, other offices and utilities within its perimeter walls. In terms of area, it is one of the largest residences of a head of state in the world.

This decision to build a residence in New Delhi for the British Viceroy was taken after it was decided during the Delhi Durbar in December 1911 that the capital of India would be relocated from Calcutta to Delhi. When the plan for a new city, New Delhi, was developed after the Delhi Durbar, the new palace for the Viceroy of India was given an enormous size and prominent position.The British architect Edwin Landseer Lutyens, a major member of the city-planning process, was given the primary architectural responsibility. Consisting of four floors and 340 rooms, with a floor area of 200,000 square feet (19,000 m²), it was built using 1 billion bricks and 3,000,000 cu ft (85,000 m³) of stone with little steel. 

On 26 January 1950, when Rajendra Prasad became the first President of India and occupied this building, it was renamed as Rashtrapati Bhavan – the President's House.

India and Singapore share long-standing cultural, commercial and strategic relations, with Singapore being a part of the "Greater India" cultural and commercial region. More than 300,000 people of Indian origin live in Singapore. Singapore had always been an important strategic trading post, giving India trade access to the Far East. Singapore is the 8th largest source of investment in India and the largest amongst ASEAN member nations. India’s main exports to Singapore in 2005 included petroleum, gemstones, jewellery, machinery and its imports from Singapore included electronic goods, organic chemicals and metals. More than half of Singapore’s exports to India are "re-exports" – items that had been imported from India. India has become Singapore's 4th biggest tourist destination.  (Since early 2016 it has come to light that Singapore quietly backtracked on its commitment to CECA and has blocked Indian IT professionals seeking work visas. In response, India has put on hold further liberation of trade agreed under CECA for this flagrant violation by Singapore.)

Thanks Madhan for this envelope and the stamps !