Monday 20 June 2011

Parliament House

















The Parliament House of India is the highest federal legislative body of India. It has two houses called the Lok Sabha (The House of People or Lower House) and Rajya Sabha (Council of States or Upper House).Any bill has to be passed by both the houses before it becomes a law. It was designed by Herbert Baker, who along with Lutyens was responsible for much of the British architecture in Delhi. The Parliament House was then called the Council House and was criticized for being Baker's saddest venture.

Location
Parliament House is located in the northwest of Vijay-Chowk, at the end of the Parliament Street beside the Secretariats.

Architectural Statistics
Parliament House or Sansad Bhawan is a circular structure supported by 144 pillars with a broad corridor. These identical pillars each measure around 8.23m high. It has a 27.4m high dome on top inspired by the stupas. The total area covered by the Parliament is approximately 2.02 hectares and has a 170.69m diameter. The House comprises 3 semicircular chambers, namely the Chamber of Princes, the Council of State and Legislative Assembly.

In Parliament House
The Lok Sabha, the Rajya Sabha and the secretariats of both the houses are housed in Sansad Bhawan. The entire area has high security and is enclosed by an ornamental red sand stone wall with iron gates. The Central Hall is located at the centre of the House and is surrounded by three Chambers and three well laid-out courtyards with lush green lawns and fountains. Short passages emerging from three central points on the circumference of the hall connect the Lok Sabha Chamber, the Rajya Sabha Chamber and the earlier Library Hall.

How and When
Entry to Parliament House is free but one needs to have prior permission. Visitors needs to give a letter of introduction to the House to obtain official entry pass whether the parliament is in session or not. Indian Nationals can acquire their letters from the secretariat and foreign nationals can obtain the letters from their respective embassies. The timings for the library are 10 am to 6 pm and an entry pass is required to enter the library.

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