New Delhi, May 27 : With the new Parliament building all set for inauguration in Delhi on May 28, let's take a look at how the existing building, which has been a witness to several historical moments over the decades, was built. Designed by British architects Sir Edwin Lutyens and Herbert Baker, the current Parliament building's construction took six years – from 1921 to 1927. It was originally called the Council House and housed the Imperial Legislative Council, the legislature of British India. On November 26, 1949, the Parliament witnessed the adoption of the Constitution, the bedrock of Indian democracy. In 1956, two floors were added to the building in response to a demand for more space. In 1989, the Parliament Museum was inaugurated and in 2002 it was shifted to the Parliament Library Building where it has been since. In 1919, Lutyens and Baker settled on a blueprint for the Council House. They decided on a circular shape as the duo felt it would be reminiscent of the Colosseum, the Roman historical monument. It is popularly believed that the circular shape of the Chausath Yogini temple at Mitawli village in Madhya Pradesh's Morena provided inspiration for the Council House design, but there is no historical evidence to back this up. In an earlier conversation with sources historian Swapna Liddle had said, “Again we have no proof that they went to Mitawli or that they saw this temple, but at the same time it is not inconceivable that it might have served as an inspiration.” The foundation stone for the structure was laid by Prince Arthur, Duke of Connaught and Strathearn, in February 1921. According to the official Central Vista website, around 2,500 stonecutters and masons were employed just to shape the stones and marbles required for the construction of the building. Modern mechanical devices like massive cranes were utilised extensively to speed up the work, aided by a near-endless supply of labour. On January 18, 1927, Sir Bhupendra Nath Mitra, a member of the Governor-General's Executive Council and in-charge of the Department of Industries and Labour, invited Viceroy Lord Irwin to inaugurate the building. The next day, the third session of the Central Legislative Assembly was held there. With the British regime in India coming to its end, the Constituent Assembly took over the building and in 1950 it became the location of the Indian Parliament as the Constitution came into force. The building will be converted into a ‘Museum of Democracy', after the new Parliament House becomes operational.
What is the building like?
The perimeter of the existing Parliament building is circular, with 144 columns on the outside. The Central Chamber is surrounded by three semicircular halls. These were constructed for the sessions of the Chamber of Princes (post-Independence, it was used as the Library Hall), the State Council (which later became the Rajya Sabha or Upper House), and the Central Legislative Assembly (Lok Sabha or the Lower House). The Parliament is surrounded by large gardens and is fenced off by sandstone railings, keeping in with the style of the rest of Lutyens' Delhi.
Central Vista : Lutyens and Baker were commissioned to design the Central Vista complex to streamline the administrative functioning of the then British government. The complex comprised the Rashtrapati Bhavan, the Parliament House, North and South Blocks, and the Record Office, which would later be renamed as the National Archives. It was one of the largest and most significant projects of its kind in the world.
The Parliament House was not originally part of the capital complex plan. It was built in response to the Government of India Act of 1919 which was meant to increase the participation of Indians in the government. A bicameral legislature was created and this meant that the administration had to find space for legislative chambers for two houses, leading to the eventual construction of the old Parliament House, or the Imperial Legislative Council. “The Parliament House was one building which was meant for Indians right from the beginning,” says Liddle. “But by then the debate over style was already over and the same philosophy that guided the creation of the other parts of the capital complex is followed here,” the historian said. Features of Indian architecture and design were prevalent in the Central Vista. Some prominent examples are the red and beige sandstone, which had been consistently used for architectural purposes in Delhi since the 13th century; the dome of the Viceroy's House which was modelled after the Great Stupa in Sanchi, Madhya Pradesh; and the use of ‘jalis' or pierced stone screens, ‘chhajas' or projecting overhangs, ‘chhatris' or pillared cupolas, among others.
