Door statues, artworks, Foucault’s Pendulum: New Parliament's architectural elements capture India's imagination

The statues and other architectural motifs inside the new parliament building have captured the country's imagination. The statues at the six doors, inspired by ancient sculptures, merit a special mention in this regard.

The Gaj Dwar has two elephants made of stone, inspired by statues at Madhukeshwara temple at Banavasi in Karnataka which date back to 9th century CE.

Two statues of horses adorn the Ashwa Dwar, a reference to the sculptures at Sun temple in Odisha from 13th century CE.


The Shardula, Hamsa and Makara dwars feature statues that are inspired by sculptures from Gujri Mahal at Gwalior, Vijay Vithala temple at Hampi and Hoysaleswara temple in Karnataka.

The last one, the Garuda dwar, has the statues of mount (vahana) of Vishnu, inspired by 18th century CE Nayaka period sculpture of Tamil Nadu.

The Foucault’s Pendulum, which hangs from a large skylight in the triangular roof of the Constitution Hall, is one of the top attractions of the new parliament building.

The pendulum demonstrates the rotation of the earth and "signifies the idea of India with that of the universe". The pendulum and its relative rotation is proof of the rotation of the earth.

The interior of the new Rajya Sabha is modelled upon the lotus, India's national flower. Banyan, the national tree, is also present.

The interior of the new Lok Sabha, on the other hand, is based on the peacock, the national bird.

The building has three ceremonial foyers — they display huge brass images of Mahatma Gandhi, Chanakya, Gargi, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, B R Ambedkar, and the Chariot Wheel from the Sun Temple at Konark.

The new parliament building houses nearly 5,000 artworks — paintings, wall panels, stone sculptures and metal murals.

The new Parliament House, a four-storey structure, has a built-up area of 64,500 sqm and has two chambers – 888-seater Lok Sabha, which can accommodate 1,272 members for the joint sitting of both the Houses, and the 384-seater Rajya Sabha chamber.