Old Parliament House, New Delhi

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. Following the Indian Independence in 1947, it was taken over by the Constituent Assembly of India, and then became the seat of the Indian Parliament on 26 January 1950 with India becoming a republic following the adoption of the Indian Constitution.

A New Parliament House, built adjacent to this building was inaugurated on 28 May 2023, and replaced the old Parliament building.

Early history

Background

During the coronation of George V as the Emperor of India on 12 December 1911, he announced the transfer of the seat of the colonial government from Calcutta to Delhi. In 1919, the Montagu–Chelmsford Reforms transformed the Imperial Legislative Council into a bicameral structure with two houses, those being the Central Legislative Assembly and Council of State. The reforms necessitated the construction of the building to accommodate the houses.

Planning and design

The building was designed by English architects Edwin Lutyens and Herbert Baker. Lutyens proposed a circular design for the new building, which he believed would be the most efficient given the triangular shape of the plot of land on which the building is located. The circular design was also chosen due to its reminiscence to the Roman Colosseum.

The architectural style of the structure is an amalgamation of classical architecture, inspired from Greece and Rome, alongside structural elements and decorative motifs from Indian architecture. Lutyens believed that there was no "real Indian architecture or any great tradition." In his view, even picturesque structures of the subcontinent were supposedly pervaded by a "childish ignorance" of basic architectural principles. However, Baker supported a blend of classical and Indian architecture, in what was termed "orientalised" classicism.

Before the project commenced, Baker, encouraged by Lord Hardinge, and often accompanied by Lutyens, visited ancient cities in northern and central British India, from Lahore to Bodh Gaya, in an effort, as Baker put it, "to learn all that I could of India." Baker sought to take the region's climate and cultural heritage into consideration, when designing the blueprint of the building. Following his tour, several "distinctly Indian" architectural practices appealed to him. Furthermore, Hardinge also pressed Lutyens and Baker to adopt Indian elements such as chhatri (dome-shaped pavilion) and chhajja (overhanging eave or roof). However, Baker was also concerned with the political implications that the design would elicit. As he wrote, the architecture "must not be Indian, nor English, nor Roman, but it must be imperial."

Construction

The foundation stone was laid by Prince Arthur, Duke of Connaught and Strathearn, on 12 February 1921. The building consisted of 144 sandstone columns on the exterior. At the core was the circular central chamber, and which was surrounded by three semicircular halls, for the sessions of the Chamber of Princes, the Council of State, and the Central Legislative Assembly. The structure was surrounded by expansive gardens, and its perimeter enclosed by jali (latticed sandstone railings). About 2,500 stone cutters and masons were employed to shape the stones and marbles required for construction. The structure was built over a period of six years, beginning in 1921 and finishing in 1927.

Inauguration

On 18 January 1927, Bhupendra Nath Mitra, a member of the governor-general's executive council, in charge of the department of industries and labour, invited Lord Irwin, then viceroy and governor-general of India, to inaugurate the building.