Background During the coronation of
George V as the
Emperor of India on 12 December 1911, he announced the transfer of the seat of the colonial government from
Calcutta to
Delhi. In 1919, the
Montagu–Chelmsford Reforms transformed the
Imperial Legislative Council into a
bicameral structure with two houses, those being the
Central Legislative Assembly and
Council of State. The reforms necessitated the construction of the building to accommodate the houses.
Planning and design The building was designed by English architects
Edwin Lutyens and
Herbert Baker. Lutyens proposed a circular design for the new building, which he believed would be the most efficient given the triangular shape of the plot of land on which the building is located. The circular design was also chosen due to its reminiscence to the
Roman Colosseum. The architectural style of the structure is an amalgamation of
classical architecture, inspired from Greece and Rome, alongside structural elements and decorative motifs from
Indian architecture. Lutyens believed that there was no "real Indian architecture or any great tradition." In his view, even picturesque structures of the subcontinent were supposedly pervaded by a "childish ignorance" of basic architectural principles. However, Baker supported a blend of classical and Indian architecture, in what was termed "
orientalised"
classicism. Before the project commenced, Baker, encouraged by
Lord Hardinge, and often accompanied by Lutyens, visited ancient cities in northern and central
British India, from
Lahore to
Bodh Gaya, in an effort, as Baker put it, "to learn all that I could of India." Baker sought to take the region's climate and cultural heritage into consideration, when designing the blueprint of the building. Following his tour, several "distinctly Indian" architectural practices appealed to him. Furthermore, Hardinge also pressed Lutyens and Baker to adopt Indian elements such as
chhatri (dome-shaped
pavilion) and
chhajja (overhanging
eave or roof). However, Baker was also concerned with the political implications that the design would elicit. As he wrote, the architecture "must not be Indian, nor English, nor Roman, but it must be imperial."
Construction The foundation stone was laid by
Prince Arthur,
Duke of Connaught and Strathearn, on 12 February 1921. The building consisted of 144
sandstone columns on the exterior. At the core was the circular central chamber, and which was surrounded by three semicircular halls, for the sessions of the
Chamber of Princes, the
Council of State, and the
Central Legislative Assembly. The structure was surrounded by expansive gardens, and its perimeter enclosed by
jali (
latticed sandstone railings). About 2,500 stone cutters and masons were employed to shape the stones and marbles required for construction. The structure was built over a period of six years, beginning in 1921 and finishing in 1927.
Inauguration On 18 January 1927,
Bhupendra Nath Mitra, a member of the
governor-general's executive council, in charge of the department of industries and labour, invited
Lord Irwin, then
viceroy and governor-general of India, to inaugurate the building. == As the Council House ==