Parliament Of India

The Sansad Bhavan (Parliament House) is the seat of the Parliament of India. It was originally called the House of Parliament and was designed by the British architects, Sir Edwin Lutyens (1869-1944) and Sir Herbert Baker (1862-1946) in 1912-1913 as part of their wider mandate to construct a new administrative capital city for British India.  Construction of the Parliament House took place between 1921 and 1927 when it was opened by the Viceroy, Lord Irwin.  The perimeter of the building is circular, with 144 columns on the outside. At the centre of the building is the circular Central Chamber, and surrounding this Chamber are three semi-circular halls.

The Parliament of India is the country’s supreme legislative body.  It is a bicameral legislature composed of the President of India and the two houses: the Rajya Sabha (Council of States) and the Lok Sabha (House of the People).  The President has full powers to summon and prorogue either house of Parliament or to dissolve Lok Sabha. The President can exercise these powers only on the advice of the Prime Minister and his Union Council of Ministers.