| Old Parliament House | |
|---|---|
Samvidhan Sadan | |
 Old Parliament House as seen fromRajpath | |
  | |
| Former names |
|
| General information | |
| Status | Retired and under restoration |
| Type | Heritage |
| Architectural style | Classical andIndian |
| Location | Sansad Marg,New Delhi,Delhi, India |
| Coordinates | 28°37′02″N77°12′29″E / 28.6172°N 77.2081°E /28.6172; 77.2081 |
| Groundbreaking | 12 February 1921 |
| Opened | 18 January 1927 |
| Owner | Government of India |
| Design and construction | |
| Architects | |
| Other information | |
| Public transit access |  Central Secretariat |
TheOld Parliament House, officially known as theSamvidhan Sadan (Constitution House), was the seat of theParliament of India between 26 January 1950 and 18 September 2023. It housed theLok Sabha and theRajya Sabha (thelower andupper houses) respectively in India'sbicameral parliament for nearly 73 years. Earlier it had served as the seat of theImperial Legislative Council between 18 January 1927 and 15 August 1947, and theConstituent Assembly of India between 15 August 1947 and 26 January 1950.
The building was designed by British architectsEdwin Lutyens andHerbert 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 theCouncil House. Following theIndian 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 theIndian Constitution.
ANew Parliament House, built adjacent to this building was inaugurated on 28 May 2023, and replaced the old Parliament building.
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During the coronation ofGeorge V as theEmperor of India on 12 December 1911, he announced the transfer of the seat of the colonial government fromCalcutta toDelhi.[1] In 1919, theMontagu–Chelmsford Reforms transformed theImperial Legislative Council into abicameral structure with two houses, those being theCentral Legislative Assembly andCouncil of State. The reforms necessitated the construction of the building to accommodate the houses.[2]
The building was designed by English architectsEdwin Lutyens andHerbert 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.[3] The circular design was also chosen due to its reminiscence to theRoman Colosseum.[4]
The architectural style of the structure is an amalgamation ofclassical architecture, inspired from Greece and Rome, alongside structural elements and decorative motifs fromIndian architecture.[5] 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.[6] However, Baker supported a blend of classical and Indian architecture, in what was termed "orientalised"classicism.[7]
Before the project commenced, Baker, encouraged byLord Hardinge, and often accompanied by Lutyens, visited ancient cities in northern and centralBritish India, fromLahore toBodh 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.[8] Furthermore, Hardinge also pressed Lutyens and Baker to adopt Indian elements such aschhatri (dome-shapedpavilion) andchhajja (overhangingeave or roof).[7] 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."[9]
The foundation stone was laid byPrince Arthur,Duke of Connaught and Strathearn, on 12 February 1921.[4][10] The building consisted of 144sandstone columns on the exterior. At the core was the circular central chamber, and which was surrounded by three semicircular halls, for the sessions of theChamber of Princes, theCouncil of State, and theCentral Legislative Assembly. The structure was surrounded by expansive gardens, and its perimeter enclosed byjali (latticed sandstone railings).[11] About 2,500 stone cutters and masons were employed to shape the stones and marbles required for construction.[4] The structure was built over a period of six years, beginning in 1921 and finishing in 1927.[1]
On 18 January 1927,Bhupendra Nath Mitra, a member of thegovernor-general's executive council, in charge of the department of industries and labour, invitedLord Irwin, thenviceroy and governor-general of India, to inaugurate the building.[1]
The third session of theCentral Legislative Assembly was held in the new building on 19 January 1927, a day after its inauguration.[12][13] Named theCouncil House, the building acted as the seat of theImperial Legislative Council, from its inauguration in 1927 till Indian independence in 1947.[4]
On 8 April 1929,Bhagat Singh, an Indian anti-colonial revolutionary, affiliated with theHindustan Socialist Republican Association (HSRA), bombed the Council House, with the help ofBatukeshwar Dutt.[14] The bombing was conducted as a protest against the Public Safety Bill and the Trade Dispute Bill, which had been rejected by theCentral Legislative Assembly, but enacted by theviceroy due to the latter's special powers.[15] Following the bombing, the men chanted "Inquilab Zindabad!" ("Long Live the Revolution!") and threw leaflets. They were subsequently arrested.[16]
After India gained independence from theBritish Raj on15 August 1947, the building served as the seat of theConstituent Assembly of India, tasked with creating theConstitution of India. When the Constitution came into effect on26 January 1950, the building became the seat of theParliament of India.[17] The building was renamed toParliament House, officially known asSansad Bhavan.[4] In 1956, Baker led the addition of two new floors to the structure, due to a demand for more space.[18]
On 13 December 2001, five terrorists fromLashkar-e-Taiba andJaish-e-Mohammed, two Pakistan-based militant organisations, attempted to invade the Parliament House. They were killed outside the building in a firefight with the security forces. The attack resulted in the deaths of sixDelhi Police personnel, twoParliament Security Services personnel, and a gardener. The attack increased tensions between India and Pakistan, resulting in the2001–2002 India–Pakistan standoff.[19]
Proposal for a new parliament building to replace the existing complex emerged in the 2010s due to ageing of the old building and space constraints.[20] A committee to suggest alternatives to the current building was set up by the thenspeaker of theLok SabhaMeira Kumar in 2012.[21] In 2019, theIndian government launched theCentral Vista Redevelopment Project, which aimed at redeveloping the area around the Central Vista, the major administrative area inNew Delhi.[22][23][24] The project included a plan to construct a new parliament building at plot number 118 of the Parliament Estate in Rafi Marg.[25][26] The construction of the entire project was completed on 20 May 2023.[27] On 28 May 2023,Indian prime ministerNarendra Modi officially opened the new parliament building,[28] On 19 September 2023, the first house proceedings at the new building commenced as a part of a special session of the parliament.[29][30]
After the inauguration of the new Parliament House, the Old Parliament House was proposed to be converted to aMuseum of Democracy.[31][needs update] In a speech held on 19 September 2023, Modi proposed that the building be renamedSamvidhan Sadan ("Constitution House").[32]Speaker of the Lok Sabha,Om Birla, announced later that day that it had been so renamed.[33]
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