A Monument Representing The People of India

Parliament House, Delhi

It is here that bills are passed. It is here that India is shaped and reshaped and foreign relations are talked about. It is here that pains are addressed and measures are taken to achieve a mutual goal. It is here that trespassers are really prosecuted! Welcome to the Parliament House or Sansad Bhawan, as it is commonly known. Although it is large and imposing in its demeanour, the Sansad building stands almost hidden and virtually unnoticed at the end of Sansad Marg (Parliament Street), just north of Rajpath. Despite the humoungous plans for the capital by Sir Edwin Lutyens, the Parliament House was actually an afterthought. The Montague-Chelmsford Reforms of 1919 paved way for a large legislative assembly and, no doubt, a building was needed where legislations would be passed with the thump of the gavel or the noise of 'ayes' and 'nays'. Thus came into being the Parliament House.

Everything To See

Designed by Herbert Baker, the circular colonaded structure was originally known as the Circular House, when it was opened in 1927. In the immense structure, what catches the eye first are the pillars that seem to stand like sentinels. Wander around the voluminous corridor and count the number of sentinels; there are 247 of them supported on the 173 m disc that serves as a substratum. Portraying the typicals 'jalis' (screens) of the Mughal era, the boundary walls affords blocks of carved sandstone with exquisite motifs on them. Although it's an impressive building, its relative physical insignificance in the grand scheme of New Delhi shows how the focus of power has shifted from the viceroy's residence, which was given pride of place during the time of the British raj when New Delhi was conceived. Get a permit from the reception office on Raisina Road, and you can visit the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha, and the library ofcourse.

How To Reach

The Sansad Bhawan is situated at the end of Parliament Street, just north of Rajpath. You won't find buses plying in that section, but you can always hire taxis and autorickshaws from all over the city to reach the Parliament House. Permits to visit the Parliament, so you can sit and view sessions in the public gallery, are available from the reception office on Raisina Road, but you will need a letter of introduction from your embassy.