Last September, I took a week long trip to Bangalore - the garden city of India. I took a plane from New Delhi to the lovely city of Bangalore. The trip from airport to hotel was full of excitement. Although I had an office work to complete but then that didn't stop me to explore the magnificent city. I got a room booked in the hotel. After arranging for my belongings in the hotel room, I took shower and rested for a while. My first sightseeing stop was Vidhan Soudha. One of the most splendid architectural creations of India, Vidhan Soudha, is located at the northern boundary of the Cubbon park, in the city of Bangalore. It is a granite structure built in the neo - Dravidian style of architecture.

The making of Vidhan Soudha
As I was new to the place, I had to take a guide, Anil, who aquainted me with various facts about the magnificent building. He told me that the building project was started in 1952 and was completed in four years. In fact, the building has a total plinth area of over 5,00,000 sq.ft . “Sir, five thousand laborers, 1500 chiselers, masons and wood carvers were employed to bring the building to its present form.” informed Anil.

He also aquainted me with the fact that the project was conceived and executed by Kengal Hanumanthaiya, the then Chief Minister of the state. The team was lead on the ground by the then Chief Engineer, late B.R. Manickam of the Public Works Department. Built entirely from Bangalore granite in the Dravidian style, it has floral motifs on stone carvings drawn from the celebrated temple craft of South India. The huge carved doors of the cabinet room are made of pure sandalwood.

It was interesting for me to notice that Vidhan Soudha houses the State Legislative Assembly of Karnataka and Secretariat. It is the largest Secretariat in India. In the evening, when the building is lit, it is joy to watch the building.