Secretariat Building, New Delhi
Secretariat Building | |
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Indo-Saracenic architecture. | |
Location | New Delhi, India |
Coordinates | 28°36′54″N 77°12′21″E / 28.61500°N 77.20583°E |
Construction started | 1912 |
Completed | 1927 |
Technical details | |
Floor area | 148,000 sq ft (13,700 m2) |
Design and construction | |
Architect(s) | Herbert Baker |
The Secretariat Building or Central Secretariat houses the important ministries of the
History
The planning of
After the capital of India moved to Delhi, a temporary secretariat building was constructed in a few months in 1912 in
The Old Secretariat Building now houses the
Today, the area is served by the Central Secretariat station of the Delhi Metro.[5]
Architecture
The Secretariat Building was designed by the prominent
The style of architecture used in Secretariat Building is unique to Raisina Hill. In front of the main gates on buildings are the four "dominion columns", given by Canada, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa. At the time of their unveiling in 1930, India was also supposed to become a
Photos of The Secretariat Building
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The Secretariat Building Dome in New Delhi, India
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The Secretariat Building in New Delhi, India
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The North Block catching rays of the early morning sun.
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TheNorth Blockhouses key government offices.
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North Block, front view
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Central dome of Secretariat Building, New Delhi.
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The Secretariat Building at night
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Colonnaded balconies and the tower with Indian flag.
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Secretariat Building illuminated on Republic Day.
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Prime Minister's Office, also showing the "Dominion Column".
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The Secretariat Building, with North Block (left) and South Block (right), view looking towards India Gate in the east.
Similarities with Union Buildings, Pretoria
The Bell tower and colonnaded balcony, Union Buildings | The Bell tower and colonnaded balcony, Secretariat Building |
Prior to coming to India, Baker had an established practice in South Africa over twenty years and designed various prominent buildings there, especially the
But the similarities between the two building show a clear influence of the former, especially in the basic structure of two wings and colonnaded balconies at the end with almost identical symmetrical bell towers. Both buildings have a similar symmetrical design in case of the Union Building the two wings are joined by a semi-circular colonnade, while with Secretariat building, the North and South Blocks are separated and face each other. The colour scheme is reversed while the roof of Union Building is covered with red tiles, in secretariat red sandstone is used in the ground floor walls only, the rest is the same pale sandstone.[1]
Ministries and offices in the Secretariat Building
The Secretariat Building houses the following ministries:
Ministry/Department Serial | Name of Ministry/Department | Ministry/Department abbreviated as | Block |
---|---|---|---|
Ministry No. 1 | Ministry of Defence | MoD | South |
Ministry No. 2 | Ministry of Finance | MoF | North |
Ministry No. 3 | Ministry of External Affairs | MEA | South |
Ministry No. 4 | Ministry of Home Affairs | MHA | North |
Office | Prime Minister's Office | PMO | South |
Office | Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs |
CBIC | North |
Office | Central Board of Direct Taxes |
CBDT | North |
Office | National Security Council | NSC | South |
The Secretariat Building consists of two buildings: the North Block and the South Block. Both the buildings flank the Rashtrapati Bhavan.
- The South Block houses the Prime Minister's Office, Ministry of Defence and the Ministry of External Affairs.
- The North Block primarily houses the Ministry of Finance and the Home Ministry.
The terms 'North Block' and 'South Block' are often used to refer to the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of External Affairs respectively.
See also
- Kartavya Path
- Rashtrapati Bhavan
- India Gate
References
- ^ a b c "The building Blocks of British empire". Hindustan Times. 7 June 2011. Archived from the original on 7 August 2011.
- ^ "Capital story: Managing a New Delhi". Hindustan Times. 1 September 2011. Archived from the original on 8 December 2012.
- ^ "Architectural marvels for the new capital". Hindustan Times. 20 July 2011. Archived from the original on 2 November 2014.
- ISBN 978-1579584337.
- ^ "Central Secretariat – Sarita Vihar Corridor Opens for Commuter Operations Tommorow [sic]". www.delhimetrorail.com. Archived from the original on 19 October 2010.
- ^ "A guard stands in front of a chhattri on a platform by the South Block Secretariat Building in New Delhi, India". Alamy. Retrieved 4 January 2024.