Animal figurines, pendulum clock, modern tech: Stunning features of India's new Parliament

NEW DELHI: A short film about India's new Parliament was screened at the grand inauguration ceremony of the building on Sunday in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, MPs and chief ministers of various states.

The 9 minute 26-second-long film delves into the history of India's Parliament and offers insightful details about the sprawling new building which was inaugurated by PM Modi earlier today.

It also explains the philosophy behind the majestic statues of animals placed at the various gateways of the building.

Here are some key facts about India's new Parliament ...
Tribute to nature
The video said that the six entrances of Parliament feature figurines of auspicious animals as well as mythical creatures who have been placed as "doorkeepers".

The gateway installations feature Garud (eagle), Gaj (elephant), Ashva (horse), Maggar (crocodile), Hans (swan)and Shardul (mythological creature).

It said that each animal is symbolic of nature and its various forms. For instance, Maggar and Hans pay respect to water while Shardula and Garuda are symbolic of the sky.

The building opens into a central courtyard with a banyan tree.

Peacock-themed Lok Sabha, Lotus-themed Rajya Sabha
The video said that the Lok Sabha has been inspired by India's national bird peacock and is twice the size of the old chamber.

The designs drawn from the national bird’s feathers are carved on the walls and ceiling, complemented by teal carpets.

Meanwhile, the Rajya Sabha is inspired by the national flower lotus and is almost 1.5 times the size of the old upper house chamber

It said that both the chambers are dedicated to the citizens of the country, which is why there is a massive visitors' gallery inside.

The public entrances lead to three galleries - the Sangeet Gallery which exhibits dance, song, and musical traditions of India; the Sthapthya Gallery depicts the architectural heritage of the country and the Shilp Gallery showcases distinct handicraft traditions of different states.

According to officials, eminent musicians and their family members including Ustad Amjad Ali Khan, Pandit Hariprasad Chaurasia, Ustad Bismillah Khan, Pandit Ravi Shankar have donated their musical instruments for the Sangeet Gallery.




Ample seating space
The new building can comfortably seat 888 members in the Lok Sabha chamber and 300 in the Rajya Sabha chamber.

In case of a joint sitting of both the Houses, a total of 1,280 members can be accommodated in the Lok Sabha chamber.

In both the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha, two members will be able to sit on one bench and each member will have a touch screen on the desk.

During his inauguration speech in Lok Sabha, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that there was a need for a new Parliament building since the number of members is expected to rise in the future.

He was referring to the delimitation exercise which will take place in 2026, following which the parliamentarians may increase.



Modern technology
Both the chambers will be equipped with modern technology and the new Parliament will be completely paperless.

The Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha chambers boast of a digitised voting system, well-engineered acoustics, and state-of-the-art audio-visual systems to ensure effective legislative proceedings.

The building will also have automatic camera control and a fully-equipped command centre, the video said.

Pendulum clock
The Central foyer inside Parliament will feature a stunning triangular-shaped roof.

The Foucault's Pendulum hangs from a large skylight from the triangular roof of the Constitution Hall and signifies the idea of India with that of the universe.

The building has three ceremonial foyers where huge brass images of Mahatma Gandhi, Chanakya, Gargi, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, B R Ambedkar, and the Chariot Wheel from the Sun Temple at Konark are on display.

The building will also have a Constitution hall which will showcase India's democratic heritage, a lounge for members of Parliament, a library, multiple committee rooms, dining areas and ample parking space.

A digital copy of the Indian Constitution will also be kept inside the hall.

The new building also has six new committee rooms and 92 rooms for use as offices for the Council of Ministers.

Constructed in record time
The video said that the Parliament building was constructed in a record time of under 2.5 years by as many as 60,000 workers.

It was constructed by Tata Projects Ltd.

The new, triangular-shaped parliament complex is just across from the heritage building built by British architects Edwin Lutyens and Herbert Baker in 1927, two decades before India's independence.

The four-storey building has a massive built-up area of 65,000 square metres.

Imprint of various states
The video said that the building and its adornments were constructed from materials sourced from various parts of the country.

The teakwood used in the building was sourced from Nagpur in Maharashtra, while the red and white sandstone was procured from Sarmathura in Rajasthan. The teakwood has also been used in the Ashok Chakra adorning both the Houses.

The sandstone for the Red Fort and Humayun's Tomb in the national capital was also known to have been sourced from Sarmathura.

The Kesharia green stone has been procured from Udaipur, the red granite from Lakha near Ajmer and the white marble has been sourced from Ambaji in Rajasthan.

The steel structure for the false ceilings in the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha chambers have been sourced from the union territory of Daman and Diu, while the furniture in the new building was crafted in Mumbai.

The stone 'jaali' (lattice) works dotting the building were sourced from Rajnagar in Rajasthan and Noida in Uttar Pradesh.

The materials for the Ashoka Emblem were sourced from Aurangabad in Maharashtra and Jaipur in Rajasthan, while the Ashok Chakra donning the massive walls of the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha chambers and the exteriors of the parliament building were procured from Indore in Madhya Pradesh.

Manufactured sand or M-sand from Charkhi Dadri in Haryana has been used for creating a concrete mix for the construction activities of the building.

The fly ash bricks used in the construction were sourced from Haryana and Uttar Pradesh, while brass works and pre-cast trenches were from Ahmedabad in Gujarat.

Energy efficient
The new Parliament boasts of an inbuilt process that makes it highly efficient in energy, water and other inputs utilisation and has green building certification of GRIHA (Green Rating for Integrated Habitat Assessment) 5 Star.

There is a provision of a decentralised sewage treatment plant that will recycle water and use it for flushing and irrigation needs.

Native vegetation is used to minimise irrigation needs with irrigation done efficiently with systems like drip irrigation. The entire building has been designed to be energy efficient and has a Green Building Certification of GRIHA 5 Star.

The building is also designed to maintain good indoor air quality. It is provided with a three stage filtration process along with UV lamp to ensure clean and fresh indoor air.

An ultrasonic humidifier is also employed to maintain relative humidity within threshold limits especially in winter season. Further, air quality monitoring devices will be used to ensure good air quality within the premises.

The building was constructed by employing processes that were designed to produce minimal waste and minimise any potential adverse environmental effects.

To avoid any water pollution, the construction site utilised two sewage treatment plants (STPs) for treating wastewater.


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