Vidhana Soudha

The Vidhana Soudha, the seat of Karnataka's Legislature, is in Bangalore (Bengaluru). It is an imposing building, incorporating elements of Indo-Saracenic, Rajasthani Jharokha & Dravidian styles, sometimes called Neo-Dravidian..

Kengal Hanumanthaiah, Chief Minister of Mysore from 1951 to 1956, conceived the idea of Vidhana Soudha when he visited Europe, Russia, US etc. The then Prime Minister of India, Jawaharlal Nehru, laid the foundation on July 13, 1951. It was completed in 1956.

The Vidhana Soudha has 4 floors above and a basement in an area of 700 by 350 ft. It is the largest Legislative building in India. Its eastern face has a porch with 12 granite columns, 40 feet tall. Leading to the foyer is a flight of stairs with 45 steps, more than 200 feet wide. The central dome, 60 feet in diameter, is crowned by the national emblem.

The construction cost was 17.5 million rupees. Presently, annual maintenance cost is more than 20 million rupees. The building is illuminated on Sundays and public holidays.
Opposite Vidhana soudha is the High court, another beautiful building of Bangalore. Both buildings are in Cubbon park