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 The Parliament House estate comprises of the Parliament House, reception office building, Sansadiya Gyanpeeth (Parliament Library Building), Parliament House Annexe and huge lawns around it. The Parliament House Estate as a whole, particularly the two houses are subject to tight security throughout the year.
About the structure
Parliament House is one of the most outstanding constructions in New Delhi. The building was designed by famous architects— Sir Edwin Lutyens and Sir Herbert Baker. The foundation stone of the Parliament House was laid on February 12, 1921 by the Duke of Connaught. The construction of the building took nearly six years and the opening ceremony was performed on January 18, 1927 by the then Governor General of India, Lord Irwin. The cost of constructing the Parliament House was Rs 83 lakhs.
Size of the structure
The Parliament House is a massive circular construction which measures 560 feet in diameter and it covers an area of six acres approximately. The open verandah on the first floor is supported by 144 sandstone columns—each measuring 27 feet high. The building has 12 gates among which gate number 1 on the Sansad Marg being the main gate.
The design
The design of this magnificent structure is a reflection of the Indian tradition. The construction of fountains in the building, use of chhajjas and jalis in marble are a display of use of Indian architecture. Indian architectural design has been brought together with the latest technology in acoustics, simultaneous Interpretation and Automatic Voting making the Parliament House one of the finest constructions in Delhi.
Layout of the House
The focus of the building is the Central Hall. Then come the three important chambers for Lok Sabha (House of the People), Rajya Sabha (Council of States) and the Library Hall and between them are the massive garden courts. In addition to this there is also a four storied circular structure providing accommodation for ministers, chairmen, parliamentary committees, etc. In all there are six lifts operating in the building, one on either side of the entrances to the major three chambers. The central hall is air cooled and all the chambers are air-conditioned.
Interestingly, the outer wall of the corridor on the ground floor of the building is decorated with a series of panels depicting the rich history of India. These panels also depict interesting tales of India’s cultural relations with her neighbours.
Statues in the Parliament House
The Parliament House Estate has statues and busts of several people who have made immense contribution to India’s progress. These include Chandragupta Maurya, Pandit Motilal Nehru, Dr B.R. Ambedkar, Mahatma Gandhi, Smt. Indira Gandhi, Maulana Abul Kalam Azad, Sardar Patel and Jayaprakash Narayan along with many others.
Hence Parliament House is one of the finest structures in India.
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