On 28 May 2023 Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the new Parliament building and placed the historic and sacred golden sceptre ‘Sengol’ near the Lok Sabha Speaker’s chair.
When compared to the former Parliament building, the new complex is significantly larger with magnificent features.
The new Parliament building, which replaced the old circular structure, is triangular in design and stands directly opposite the 90-year-old complex that housed both the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha.
The new Parliament building not only fits modern standards, but also demonstrates the breadth and depth of Indian culture and civilisation.
As India transitions from the darkness of the colonial past to the light of Sanatana Dharma, here’s the civilizational importance of the new Indian Parliament.
The Vaastu Shastra Behind The Design
The guiding concepts for the roughly 5,000 works of art (paintings, ornamental art, wall panels, stone sculptures, and metal objects) displayed across 65,000 metres of space at the new Parliament building are Sanatana Parampara and Vaastu Shastra.
If the previous Parliament House guided post-independence India, the new structure would bear testimony to the birth of ‘Aatmanirbhar Bharat.’
Credits to the Ahmedabad-based HCP Designs, this modern temple of democracy incorporates Indian elements and showcases India as a rising power.
The new Parliament building is triangular in shape and is built right next to the existing Parliament House.
The triangular (actually hexagonal) shape was chosen because of the “sacred geometrics” of the shape.
The head of HCP Designs Bimal Patel had said that, “Many sacred geometrics celebrate ‘triangles’ and ‘trinities – The Sri Yantra uses a triangle, the three Gods or the Trinities are a triangle and therefore the triangle is sacred.”
Besides these, the new building’s six entrances exhibit guardian statues showing auspicious animals.
These “auspicious animals” have been chosen based on their importance in Indian culture, Vaastu shastra and traits such as wisdom, victory, power, and success.
Each animal chosen to be installed in the building possesses a set of affirmations, spreading well-being and harmony.
Guarding the ceremonial entrance to the north is the gaja (elephant), which represents wisdom, wealth, intellect, and memory.
According to Vaastu Shastra, the northern direction is associated with Mercury, which is the source of higher intellect.
Standing alert and ready at the southern entrance is the ashva (horse), which is symbolic of endurance, strength, power, and speed, describing the quality of governance.
Soaring at the eastern entrance is the garuda (eagle), which symbolises the aspirations of the people.
In Vaastu shastra, the east is associated with the rising sun, representing victory.
The north-eastern entrance has hamsa (swan), which represents discernment and wisdom.
The remaining entrances showcase the makara (a mythical aquatic creature that is a combination of the body parts of different animals), which represents unity in diversity, and the shardula (a mythical animal that is said to be the most powerful of all living beings), which symbolises the power of the people of the country.
The underlying narrative is to highlight “5,000 years of Indian civilisation”.
An official vision document entailing the objectives of artwork at the building, that was reviewed by The Indian Express, states: “The artworks and its installation represent sanatan parampara that continued over thousands of years. Along with that, the overall theme is designed keeping in mind the study of Vaastu shastra and maintaining the character of the building.” While sanatan parampara broadly refers to Hindu culture, which is believed to have been in continuity for centuries, Vaastu shastra is the traditional Indian system of architecture based on ancient texts that describe principles of design, layout, measurements, space arrangement and spatial geometry.
Celebrating Civilizational Ethos
The sacred Sengol was installed next to the Speaker’s chair at the Lok Sabha House on the day of the inauguration. PM Modi entered the Lok Sabha house while carrying the Sengol, amid Vedic chants by high priests of several devotees (maths) in Tamil Nadu and sounds from ‘nadaswaram.’ PM Modi began the event by offering Sengol, a Sashtang Pranam. Every Indian will remember the video of him entering the house and then installing Sengol for the rest of their lives. It represents the rich culture of India. Sengol was regarded as a symbol of the road of service, loyalty, and nation in different ancient Hindu kingdoms. The Sengol became the sacred emblem of power transfer under the direction of Rajaji and Adheenam. This Sengol will continue to inspire us during the House procedures.
Another feature of the new Parliament House that has been a talking point is the Samudra Manthan sculpture, which is situated along one of the building’s walls. Created by Murtikar Naresh Kumawat, the sculpture depicts the historic story of churning the milk sea. As the story goes, thousands of years ago, Devtas and Daanavs joined hands to churn the sea with the hope to get Amrit and other precious items. The scene depicts how the event took place.
A dedicated display depicting the ‘Akhand Bharat’ in its true form is also present inside the New Parliament Building. The display has an old sculpture, a stone with ancient scriptures, and an old map of Bharat with regions mentioned by their historic names. You can see Kurukshetra, Hastinapur, Sindhu, Sauveer, Saurashtra, Dakshinapath, Amravati, Sidhpur, Chol, Kanchipuram, Keralputr and other regions written in Devnagri script. Along with the above mentioned, other sculptures in the new Parliament includes Chanakya- The father of political science, Hand Mudras- Representing the depth of Indian , and more.
The new Parliament also serves as a symbol of Aatmanirbharata (self-reliance). India’s ‘Temple of Democracy’, the building is constructed using materials from all over the country, representing the diversity of India. The teak wood for the building was sourced from Nagpur, Maharashtra. The sandstone was procured from Sarmathura, Rajasthan. The carpets were imported from Mirzapur, Uttar Pradesh. The bamboo wood flooring was from Agartala, Tripura. The stone jali works were obtained from Rajnagar, Rajasthan and Noida. The Ashoka Emblem was sourced from Aurangabad and Jaipur, while Ashok Chakra was from Madhya Pradesh’s Indore. Some furniture was procured from Mumbai. The Lakha Red was got from Lakha in Jaisalmer, while the Ambaji White Marble was from Ambaji, Rajasthan. The Kesharia Green Stone was procured from Udaipur. The stone carving work was obtained from Abu Road and Udaipur, and the stone aggregate from Kotputali, Rajasthan.
The new Parliament building is thus not only a testament to India’s unity and diversity but also a symbol of the country’s commitment to democracy and its vision for the future.
Click here to subscribe to The Commune on Telegram and get the best stories of the day delivered to you personally.