| High Commission of India in London | |
|---|---|
.jpg) | |
 | |
| Address | India House,Aldwych,London,United Kingdom |
| Jurisdiction |  United Kingdom |
| High Commissioner | Vikram Doraiswami |
| Website | Official website |
Listed Building – Grade II | |
| Official name | India House |
| Designated | 16 January 1981 |
| Reference no. | 1066491 |
TheHigh Commission of India inLondon, England, is thediplomatic mission ofIndia in theUnited Kingdom.[1] It is located inIndia House onAldwych, betweenBush House, what wasMarconi House (nowCitibank) andAustralia House.[2] It faces both theLondon School of Economics andKing's College London.[3] Since 1981, India House is a Grade IIlisted building.[4]
In 1919, a committee chaired by theMarquess of Crewe determined there existed the need to separate the agency work of theIndia Office from its other political and administrative roles, and recommended the transfer of all such work to "a High Commissioner for India or some similar Indian Governmental Representative in London." It was also felt popular opinion in India would view this as a step towards fullDominion status for India.[5] TheGovernment of India Act 1919 upheld the recommendations of the committee, making provision for "the appointment of a High Commissioner by His Majesty by Order in Council, which might delegate to the official any of the contractual powers of the Secretary of State [for India] in Council, and prescribe the conditions, under which he should act on behalf of the Government of India or any Provincial Government."
On 13 August 1920, King-Emperor George V issued the required Order in Council. Until India became independent in 1947, the post was styled "High Commissioner for India". The first High Commissioner for India wasIndian Civil Service officer SirWilliam Stevenson Meyer; the first of Indian origin was SirDadiba Merwanji Dalal. The High Commissioner enjoyed the same status as his counterparts from the British Dominions.[5] Upon Indian independence the post was given the present designation.
Proposed in 1925 by the Indian High Commissioner SirAtul Chatterjee, the building was designed by SirHerbert Baker and completed in 1930.[3] It was formally inaugurated on 8 July 1930 by the King-EmperorGeorge V.[3]
A bust ofJawaharlal Nehru was unveiled by Prime MinisterJohn Major in 1991.[3]
There are twelve emblems on the outside of the building representing the variousprovinces of India (during theBritish Raj), described as follows:[6]
| Emblem | Province | Image |
|---|---|---|
| Bengal tiger and anEast India Company ship | Bengal |  |
| Two ships andFort George | Bombay | .jpg) |
| Fort St. George | Madras | .jpg) |
| Bow and arrow, two rivers (Ganges andYamuna), and two fishes | United Provinces | .jpg) |
| Sun and five rivers (Beas,Chenab,Jhelum,Ravi, andSutlej) | Punjab | .jpg) |
| Bodhi tree and twoswastikas | Bihar and Orissa | .jpg) |
| Hills,Indian cobra, and orange and grape plantations | Central Provinces and Berar | .jpg) |
| Indian elephant and nine lotuses | Delhi |  |
| Indian rhinoceros | Assam |  |
| Indian peacock | Burma | .jpg) |
| TwoDromedary camels and hills | Baluchistan |  |
| Crescent moon, hills, andJamrud Fort | North West Frontier |  |
| Africa | |
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| Americas | |
| Asia | |
| Europe | |
| Oceania |
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| De facto | |
| International organisations | |
| Former | |
| Attacks | |
| Africa | |
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| Americas | |
| Asia | |
| Europe | |
| Oceania | |
| De facto | |
| British Overseas Territories | |
| Autonomous regions | |
| International organisations |
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51°30′45″N0°07′06″W / 51.5124°N 0.1183°W /51.5124; -0.1183
