The Architects
The Parliament building was designed by Sir Edwin Lutyens and Sir Herbert Baker who were responsible for the overall construction and planning in Delhi.
First foundation stone was laid as early as 12 February 1921.
It took 6 years to complete and the whole project cost around Rs 83 lakh.
Where can you get a meal for Rs 12? Answer: Indian Parliament canteen.
Importance of the Central Hall
The official transfer of power from UK to India took place in the Central Hall of the Parliament on 14-15th August (midnight) in 1947.
Some cool facts about the Parliament Library
The Parliament library is the second largest in India. (FYI: The National Library in Kolkata is the largest)
It was temporarily used as a courtroom by the Supreme Court after Independence till a separate building was assigned to it.
Both the English and Hindi versions of the Constitution of India originally calligraphed by the members of the Constituent Assembly have been preserved in nitrogen-filled chambers within the library.
Architecture
The unique circular structure of our parliament stands out from the other government buildings around the world, and is considered to be amongst the best architectural designs.
The circular aspect out the Indian Parliament represents “continuity”.
Did you know the first floor balcony has a total of 144 pillars?
The whole circumference of the Parliament is 1/3rd of a mile (536.33 m).
The walls and ceilings of the Parliament have been inscribed with noble passages that serve as guiding spirit for the two houses. The translated Sanskrit quotation at the entrance is as follows:
“Open the door to the people
And let us see thee
For the obtaining of the
sovereignty”.
Image courtesy Official Website of the Indian Parliament
A few more miscellaneous trivia…
Indian President Pranab Mukherjee’s office is in Room No. 13. (Not so unlucky after all)
Both Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha halls are horseshoe-shaped.
There are a total of 6 lifts in the Parliament building.
A new state-of-the-art Parliament Library Building ( Sansadiya Gyanpeeth) is being constructed at present. The whole project is estimated to cost around INR 191 crore.
All the beautiful flower arrangements in the various rooms of the Parliament are handled by the Horticultural Wing of the Central Public Works Department.
Mr Resham Lal Jangde (Chhattisgarh) and Mr Rishant Keising (Manipur) and are the only two surviving MPs of First Lok Sabha session, held in 1952.
Visiting the Parliament
Did you know you could visit the parliament and observe the Lok Sabha proceedings?
The Public Gallery of Lok Sabha is accessible to the general public provided they have prior permission and an official pass. For a visitor’s pass to Sansad Bhawan, one has to apply (yellow application form) to the Parliament Secretariat, Visitor’s Reception on Raisina Road by providing a letter of introduction from a Member of Parliament.
So how many of these interesting facts about the Indian Parliament did you know? Write to us if we’ve missed out anything. And don’t forget to like, share and comment.
