Parliament House, New Delhi

The Old Parliament House (IAST: Purani Sansad Bhavan) in New Delhi was the seat of the Imperial Legislative Council between 18 January 1927 and 15 August 1947, the Constituent Assembly of India between 15 August 1947 and 26 January 1950, and the Parliament of India between 26 January 1950 and 27 May 2023. For 73 years, it housed the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha, the lower and upper houses respectively in India’s bicameral parliament.

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 British withdrawal from India, it was taken over by the Constituent Assembly of India, and then by the Indian Parliament once India’s Constitution came into force on 26 January 1950 with India becoming a republic.

The New Parliament House, built near this building on a triangular plot from 2020 to 2023 was inaugurated on 28 May 2023. It was built as part of the Indian government’s Central Vista Redevelopment Project.

History
The building was designed by the British architects Sir Edwin Lutyens and Sir Herbert Baker in 1912-1913, and completed in 1927.

The foundation stone was laid by HRH Prince Arthur, Duke of Connaught and Strathearn, in February 1921. It took five years to complete the building. On 18 January 1927, Sir Bhupendra Nath Mitra, Member of the Governor-General’s Executive Council, in charge of the Department of Industries and Labour, invited Lord Irwin, then Viceroy of India to inaugurate the building. The third session of Central Legislative Assembly was held in this house on 19 January 1927.

After independence, the house served as the seat of the Constituent Assembly from 1947–1950. The Constitution of India was created here, under the presidency of Rajendra Prasad.

Two floors were added to the structure in 1956 due to a demand for more space. In subsequent years it got some renovations. Air conditioners, digital screens and a digital voting system were added.

The Parliament Museum, opened in 2006, stands next to the Parliament House, in the building of the Parliamentary Library.