Prince Arthur laid the foundation stone of the old Parliament House.
PM Narendra Modi new parliament on 28 May building Will create a new history by inaugurating the almost a century old Parliament The building will become history. now it a archive can be made. This Parliament House, built during the British rule, has been a witness to many historical decisions till now.
The first Lok Sabha of independent India was constituted in April 1952 and the first Lok Sabha meeting was held in May 1952. Since then till now this building has been witness to 17 Lok Sabhas. Although its history is before independence. Its foundation stone was laid in 1921 by Duke of Connaught i.e. Prince Arthur. Which was inaugurated after 6 years in 1927.
Who was the Duke of Connaught
The Duke of Connaught, who laid the foundation stone of the old Parliament, was the seventh child and third son of Queen Victoria of the UK. His name was Prince Arthur. He joined the Royal Military Academy at the age of 16. While completing his graduation, he had become a lieutenant in the British Army. During this he was also made the royal duke. Duke is a title used for British rulers, which is derived from the Latin word Dux. It means leader or general.
read this also : Who should inaugurate the Parliament House, the PM or the President?
Built as an administrative building
The Parliament House was not built as a Parliament House but as an administrative building. This thing happened when the British rule shifted its capital from Kolkata to Delhi in 1911. A city was to be built here. Such an administrative building was arranged in this city itself, which would be the center of the whole country.
Its responsibility was given to the architects Edwin Lutyens and Herbert Baker. This task was not easy, because Lutyens and Herbert had to design not only the administrative building but also the whole of Delhi. Along with the architects of the Viceroy’s Bungalow, North Block, South Block and the surrounding major buildings, the design of the Parliament was also passed. However, this work took 10 years.
when the foundation stone was laid
In 1921, the foundation stone of the administrative building was laid. For this, Duke of Connaught i.e. Prince Arthur was chosen. At that time he was on a trip to India. Prior to this, Prince Arthur had been the Governor General of Canada. Connaught Place, a famous area of Delhi, was named after this Duke of Connaught. Its construction was completed on 18 January 1927, six years after the foundation stone. Then it was inaugurated by the then Viceroy Lord Irwin.
Freedom has a special relationship
The third session of the Central Legislative Assembly was held in the old Parliament on 19 January 1927. This building has a special relation with independence because when India got independence on August 15, 1947, the British had handed over power to India in the Central Hall of this Parliament. It was here that the new constitution of India was written.
