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Vidhana Soudha () in
Bangalore Bangalore (), officially Bengaluru (), is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of Karnataka. It has a population of more than and a metropolitan population of around , making it the third most populous city and fifth most ...
,
India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
, is the seat of the state legislature of Karnataka. It is constructed in a style described as '' Neo-Dravidian'', and incorporates elements of various Dravidian styles. Construction was started in 1952 and completed in 1956.


History

The two houses of legislature of the
princely state of Mysore The Kingdom of Mysore was a realm in southern India, traditionally believed to have been founded in 1399 in the vicinity of the modern city of Mysore. From 1799 until 1950, it was a princely state, until 1947 in a subsidiary alliance with Bri ...
, the legislative assembly and the legislative council, were established in 1881 and 1907 respectively. Sessions of the two houses took place in Mysore (with joint sessions taking place in the
Bangalore Town Hall Sir K. P. Puttanna Chetty Town Hall, locally commonly referred to as Bangalore Town Hall, is a neoclassical municipal building in Bangalore, India, named after the philanthropist and former president of Bangalore City Municipality, Sir K.P ...
) until India's independence from British rule on 15 August 1947, when Mysore acceded to India. The state's capital was shifted to Bangalore; the two houses moved into
Attara Kacheri Attara Kacheri in Bangalore, India is the seat of the principal bench of the Karnataka High Court, the highest judicial authority in the state of Karnataka. It is a neoclassical red-painted stone and brick building in Cubbon Park, located on ...
, a British-built building in
Cubbon Park Cubbon Park, officially known as ''Sri Chamarajendra Park'', is a landmark 'lung' area of Bengaluru city, located () within the heart of the city in the Central Administrative Area. Originally created in 1870 under Major General Richard Sanke ...
that housed the High Court of Mysore. A need was felt for more spacious quarters for the legislature than Attara Kacheri, and in April 1951. The foundation stone of the building was laid by
Jawaharlal Nehru Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru (; ; ; 14 November 1889 – 27 May 1964) was an Indian anti-colonial nationalist, secular humanist, social democrat— * * * * and author who was a central figure in India during the middle of the 2 ...
, the first
Prime Minister of India The prime minister of India (IAST: ) is the head of government of the Republic of India. Executive authority is vested in the prime minister and their chosen Council of Ministers, despite the president of India being the nominal head of the ...
, on 13 July 1951. The structure was planned to be a two-storeyed building housing the assembly and the council.
Kengal Hanumanthaiah Kengal Hanumanthaiah (14 February 1908 – 1 December 1980), also spelt as Kengal Hanumanthaiya, was the second Chief Minister of Karnataka (then, Mysore State) from 30 March 1952 to 19 August 1956. He contributed to the construction of Vidhana ...
succeeded as Chief Minister after the 1952 election in the state. Calling the existing plan a "plain and simple type of American architecture", Hanumanthaiah ordered extensive revisions to produce "a work of art in keeping with the tradition of Mysore State". Apart from house chambers, the revised plan included government offices, archives, a library and a banquet hall. Construction of the building was completed in 1956. Hanumanthiah personally supervised and ordered several particular aspects of the construction; one of them was to inscribe "Government Work Is God's Work" and its Kannada equivalent on the
entablature An entablature (; nativization of Italian , from "in" and "table") is the superstructure of moldings and bands which lies horizontally above columns, resting on their capitals. Entablatures are major elements of classical architecture, and ...
of the front facade. The final design was meant to dwarf the British-built
Attara Kacheri Attara Kacheri in Bangalore, India is the seat of the principal bench of the Karnataka High Court, the highest judicial authority in the state of Karnataka. It is a neoclassical red-painted stone and brick building in Cubbon Park, located on ...
, currently the seat of the
Karnataka High Court Karnataka (; ISO: , , also known as Karunāḍu) is a state in the southwestern region of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, with the passage of the States Reorganisation Act. Originally known as Mysore State , it was renamed ''Karnata ...
, opposite which Vidhana Soudha was being built.


Cost

Estimates of construction costs for the original two-storied structure stood at 33 lakh (3.3 million)
rupees Rupee is the common name for the currencies of India, Mauritius, Nepal, Pakistan, Seychelles, and Sri Lanka, and of former currencies of Afghanistan, Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, the United Arab Emirates (as the Gulf rupee), British East Africa, B ...
. The final cost of construction of the redesigned building was 180 lakh (18 million) rupees. Hanumanthaiah was criticised for the inflated sum - equivalent to ₹170 crore, or in 2019 - spent on construction.


Architecture

Built with granite, Vidhana Soudha is the largest legislative building in India. It measures on the ground and is tall. The architecture includes elements of styles from the mediaeval
Chalukya The Chalukya dynasty () was a Classical Indian dynasty that ruled large parts of southern and central India between the 6th and the 12th centuries. During this period, they ruled as three related yet individual dynasties. The earliest dynasty ...
,
Hoysala The Hoysala Empire was a Kannadiga power originating from the Indian subcontinent that ruled most of what is now Karnataka between the 10th and the 14th centuries. The capital of the Hoysalas was initially located at Belur, but was later moved ...
and
Vijayanagara Vijayanagara () was the capital city of the historic Vijayanagara Empire. Located on the banks of the Tungabhadra River, it spread over a large area and included the modern era Group of Monuments at Hampi site in Vijayanagara district, Bellar ...
empires of Karnataka. Its east-facing front facade has a porch with 12 granite columns, tall. Leading to the porch is a flight of stairs with 45 steps, more than wide. The central dome, in diameter, is crowned by a likeness of the
State Emblem of India The State Emblem of India is the national emblem of the Republic of India and is used by the union government, many state governments, and other government agencies. The emblem is an adaptation of the Lion Capital of Ashoka, an ancient sculptur ...
. The phrase "Government Work is God's Work" and its Kannada equivalent "''Sarkarada kelasa devara kelasa''" (in
Kannada script The Kannada script (IAST: ''Kannaḍa lipi''; obsolete: Kanarese or Canarese script in English) is an abugida of the Brahmic family, used to write Kannada, one of the Dravidian languages of South India especially in the state of Karnataka. K ...
as "ಸರ್ಕಾರದ ಕೆಲಸ ದೇವರ ಕೆಲಸ") are inscribed on the
entablature An entablature (; nativization of Italian , from "in" and "table") is the superstructure of moldings and bands which lies horizontally above columns, resting on their capitals. Entablatures are major elements of classical architecture, and ...
. In 1957, the Mysore government planned to replace the inscription with ''
Satyameva Jayate Satyameva Jayate (, ) is a part of a ''mantra'' from the Hindu scripture ''Mundaka Upanishad''. Following the independence of India, it was adopted as the national motto of India on 26 January 1950, the day India became a republic. It is inscrib ...
'' at a cost of , but the change did not take place. In 1996, the inscription inspired a visiting US state governor,
George Voinovich George Victor Voinovich (July 15, 1936June 12, 2016) was an American politician who served as a United States senator from Ohio from 1999 to 2011, the 65th governor of Ohio from 1991 to 1998 and the 54th mayor of Cleveland from 1980 to 1989, the ...
of
Ohio Ohio () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Of the fifty U.S. states, it is the 34th-largest by area, and with a population of nearly 11.8 million, is the seventh-most populous and tenth-most densely populated. The sta ...
, to propose etching "
With God, all things are possible With God, all things are possible is the motto of the U.S. state of Ohio. Quoted from the Gospel of Matthew, verse , it is the only state motto taken directly from the Bible (, ''para de Theō panta dynata''). It is defined in section 5.06 of the ...
" onto the
Ohio Statehouse The Ohio Statehouse is the state capitol building and seat of government for the U.S. state of Ohio. The Greek Revival building is located on Capitol Square in Downtown Columbus. The capitol houses the Ohio General Assembly, consisting of th ...
, prompting a high-profile lawsuit. The cost of construction at that time wasc . Currently, annual maintenance cost is more than including repairs, painting, and other miscellaneous expenses.


Replicas


Vikasa Soudha

The Karnataka government constructed a replica named ''Vikasa Soudha'' to the south of the building. Initiated by the then Chief Minister S. M. Krishna and inaugurated in February 2005, it is intended to be an annexe building, housing some of the ministries and legislative offices.


Suvarna Vidhana Soudha

The Suvarna Vidhana Soudha () is the legislature building of the
State of Karnataka Karnataka (; ISO 15919, ISO: , , also known as Karunāḍu) is a States and union territories of India, state in the southwestern region of India. It was Unification of Karnataka, formed on 1 November 1956, with the passage of the States Reor ...
in
Belgaum Belgaum (ISO: ''Bēḷagāma''; also Belgaon and officially known as Belagavi) is a city in the Indian state of Karnataka located in its northern part along the Western Ghats. It is the administrative headquarters of the eponymous Belagavi ...
in the Belgaum district of
Northern Karnataka North Karnataka is a geographical region in Deccan plateau from elevation that constitutes the region of the Karnataka state in India and the region consists of 13 districts. It is drained by the Krishna River and its tributaries the Bhi ...
. It was inaugurated on 11 October 2012 by
President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) *President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ful ...
Pranab Mukherjee Dr. Pranab Mukherjee (11 December 193531 August 2020) was an Indian politician and statesman who served as the 13th president of India from 2012 until 2017. In a political career spanning five decades, Mukherjee was a senior leader in the India ...
.


Location

It is located on Ambedkar Veedhi or Dr Ambedkar Rd, Seshadripuram. Across from Vidhana Soudha is the High Court of Karnataka. Both buildings are in
Cubbon Park Cubbon Park, officially known as ''Sri Chamarajendra Park'', is a landmark 'lung' area of Bengaluru city, located () within the heart of the city in the Central Administrative Area. Originally created in 1870 under Major General Richard Sanke ...
, which is located near the Karnataka State Lawn Tennis Association (KSLTA).


References


External links


Vidhana Soudha

vidhanasoudha.com
{{Bangalore topics Government buildings completed in 1956 Buildings and structures in Bangalore Legislative buildings in India Tourist attractions in Bangalore Karnataka Legislature