The old Parliament Building was designed by British architects Sir Edwin Lutyens and Herbert Baker and was completed in 1927.
- The 164-pillared building first housed the Imperial Legislative Council (From January 18, 1927 to August 15, 1947). After Independence, it served as the Constituent Assembly of India, and once the Constitution was adopted and India became a republic, as the Parliament of India, housing the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha.
- It is popularly believed that the circular shape of the Chausath Yogini temple at Mitawli village in Madhya Pradesh’s Morena provided inspiration for the Council House design.
Chausath Yogini Temple
- According to the Madhya Pradesh Government website, the Chausath Yogini Temple is in a Seismic Zone 3 area. Since its construction in the 1300s, the temple has withstood many an earthquake with almost no visible damage.
- One theory suggests that this could be the reason why Lutyens may have sought reference or inspiration from a building of such an unusual shape.
- The grand Chausath Yogini temple stands atop a hillock in Mitaoli, about 40 kilometres from Gwalior, in the Morena district of Madhya Pradesh.
- According to the Morena district’s website, it was built around 1323 by King Devapala of the Kachchhapaghata dynasty.
- Dedicated to the 64 (chaunsath in Hindi) yoginis, its architecture is different from the temples dedicated to one deity.
- The 64 yoginis are believed to be powerful warriors and sorceresses.
- The Mitaoli temple is circular, with 64 chambers dedicated to the 64 yoginis, and a central shrine dedicated to Shiva.
- While most Hindu temples have a shikhara, or projecting dome, the Mitaoli temple, like other Chausath Yogini temples, is hypaethral, which means it has no roof.
- The Parliament-like pillars are on the inside of the stone temple complex.
