Vidhan Soudha
“A Temple Dedicated to The Nation,” is what Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru called Vidhana Soudha in Bangalore, which houses the State Legislature along with the Secretariat of Karnataka. In addition to being amongst the top tourist places to visit in the city of Bangalore, it is also the largest Legislative building in the entire country. The conception and construction of Vidhana Soudha was done by the then Chief Minister of Mysore, Kengal Hanumanthaiah, with Nehru laying down its foundation stone on July 13, 1951. Subsequently, the iconic structure was completed in 1956, with a total cost of almost INR 1.84 crore.
Boasting of four different entrances in all the four directions and four storeys, with an additional floor below the ground level, Vidhana Soudha is also popularly known as the “Taj Mahal of South India.” At the moment, the structure stands tall at 150 feet, with an opulent and exquisite Neo-Dravidian style of architecture. Moreover, it has several elements of Indo-Saracenic, Dravidian as well as Rajasthani designs implemented into it.
Spread over an expanse of 60 acres, this stunning white building has many carved pillars, pediments, bases, arches as well as cornices, which add to its immense beauty. With four different floors, the building has a porch on its eastern side, with 12 huge columns of granite. Additionally, the central dome of the building is supported by eight pillars, with a crown of the four-headed lion, the national emblem of the country.
