Change of guard ceremony at Rashtrapati Bhavan on Sundays too

NEW DELHI: The ceremonial change of guard at Rashtrapati Bhavan will take place on Sundays too.

The 30-minute ceremony, in which a group of presidential guards are changed, is a military tradition that takes place on Saturdays.

"The public display of the ceremonial change of guard at Rashtrapati Bhavan will now also take place on Sundays with effect from October 8, 2017," a press release issued by the president's office said.

While the ceremony will continue to be held at its scheduled time in the morning on Saturdays, it will take place on Sundays in the evening at 16:30 hrs, it said.

"In case Saturday or Sunday is a Gazetted holiday and Rashtrapati Bhavan is closed for visitors, the change of guard ceremony will not be carried out on those days," the release said.

The president's bodyguard (PBG), raised in 1773, is the senior most regiment of the Indian Army.

It is a regiment carrying out ceremonial duties for the president. The PBG personnel are excellent horsemen, capable tank men and paratroopers.