The building was designed by British architects Edwin Lutyens and Herbert Baker and was constructed between 1921 and 1927. It was opened in January 1927 as the seat of the Imperial Legislative Council and was known as the Council House.[3] Following the British withdrawal from India, it was taken over by the Constituent Assembly of India, and then by the Indian Parliament once India's Constitution came into force on 26 January 1950 with India becoming a republic.[4]
The circular House of Parliament at New Delhi in 1926, home of the Central Legislative Assembly
The building was designed by the British architects Sir Edwin Lutyens and Sir Herbert Baker in 1912–1913.[5] The structure was built over a period of six years, starting in 1921 and culminating in 1927. Following the Montagu-Chelmsford Reforms in 1919, there was an expansion of the Legislative Assembly which necessitated the construction of the building.[6] The iconic circular design was proposed by Lutyens, who believed that this would be the most efficient design given the triangular shape of the plot of land on which the building is located.[7]
Two floors were added to the structure in 1956 due to a demand for more space.[11]
The Parliament Museum, which was opened in 2006, stands next to the Parliament House, in the building of the Parliamentary Library.[12]
Description
The architectural style of the structure can be described as an amalgamation of a classical style of architecture inspired from Greece and Rome and structural elements and decorative motifs from Indian architecture.[13] The perimeter of the building is circular, with 144 columns on the outside. At the centre of the building is the circular Central Chamber, and surrounding this Chamber are three semicircular halls that were constructed for the sessions of the Chamber of Princes (now used as the Library Hall), the State Council (later used for the Rajya Sabha), and the Central Legislative Assembly (later used for the Lok Sabha). The former parliament is surrounded by large gardens and the perimeter is fenced off by sandstone railings (jali).[14] The current building is planned to be converted into a Museum of Democracy after the new Parliament House becomes operational.[15]
Proposals for a new parliament building to replace Parliament House emerged in the early 2010s as a result of questions being asked about the stability of the original structure.[16] In 2012, a committee was assembled by the then Speaker, Mira Kumar, to suggest and assess several alternatives to the usage of the building.[17]
Commencement
In 2019, the Indian government launched the Central Vista Redevelopment Project, a multi-billion dollar project to redevelop the Central Vista, India's central administrative area near Raisina Hill, New Delhi. The construction of a new parliament building, as well as redeveloping the Rajpath will create a new office and residence for the Indian prime minister, as well as combining all ministerial buildings in a single central secretariat.[18]
The groundbreaking ceremony for the new building was held in October 2020 and the foundation stone was laid on 10 December 2020.[19][20]
Museum of Democracy
US President Barack Obama addresses the Parliament of India at the Central Hall in 2010
After the inauguration of the New Parliament House, the Old Parliament House will be converted to a Museum of Democracy.[21] In a speech held on 19 September 2023, Prime Minister Narendra Modi proposed that the building be renamed Samvidhan Sadan ("Constitution House").[22]Speaker of the Lok Sabha, Om Birla, announced later that day that it had been so renamed.[23]
On 13 December 2001, five terrorists from Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) - two Pakistan-raised terrorist organisations - entered the grounds of Parliament and attempted to invade the building. They were all killed outside the building. The attack led to the deaths of six Delhi Police personnel, two Parliament Security Services personnel, and a gardener – nine others in total – and led to increased tensions between India and Pakistan, resulting in the 2001–02 India–Pakistan standoff.[24]
Indian Prime Minister Morarji Desai listens to U.S President Jimmy Carter as he addresses the Indian Parliament in 1978.
Indian Parliament House building depicted on the obverse of the 10 Rupees silver coin of 1972, commemorating the 25th Anniversary of Independence (1947—1972).
.png)
,_featuring_male_and_female_figures_standing_(the_man_carrying_Indian_National_Flag)_before_the_Parliament_of_India_building.jpg)
