History
The two houses of legislature of the Kingdom of Mysore, princely state of Mysore, the legislative assembly and the legislative council, were established in 1881 and 1907 respectively. Sessions of the two houses took place in Mysore (with joint sessions taking place in the Bangalore Town Hall) until India's independence from British rule on 15 August 1947, when Mysore acceded to India. The state's capital was shifted to Bangalore; the two houses moved into Attara Kacheri, a British-built building in Cubbon Park that housed the High Court of Mysore. A need was felt for more spacious quarters for the legislature than Attara Kacheri, and in April 1951. The foundation stone of the building was laid by Jawaharlal Nehru, the first Prime Minister of India, on 13 July 1951. The structure was planned to be a two-storeyed building housing the assembly and the council. Kengal Hanumanthaiah succeeded as Chief Minister after 1952 Mysore Legislative Assembly election, the 1952 election in the state. Calling the existing plan a "plain and simple type of American architecture", Hanumanthaiah ordered extensive revisions to produce "a work of art in keeping with the tradition of Mysore State". Apart from house chambers, the revised plan included government offices, archives, a library and a banquet hall. Construction of the building was completed in 1956. Hanumanthiah personally supervised and ordered several particular aspects of the construction; one of them was to inscribe "Government Work Is God's Work" and its Kannada equivalent on the entablature of the front facade. The final design was meant to dwarf the British-built Attara Kacheri, currently the seat of the Karnataka High Court, opposite which Vidhana Soudha was being built.Cost
Estimates of construction costs for the original two-storied structure stood at 33 lakh (3.3 million) Indian rupee, rupees. The final cost of construction of the redesigned building was 180 lakh (18 million) rupees. Hanumanthaiah was criticised for the inflated sum - equivalent to ₹170 crore, or in 2019 - spent on construction.Architecture
Built with granite, Vidhana Soudha is the largest legislative building in India. It measures on the ground and is tall. The architecture includes elements of styles from the mediaeval Chalukya dynasty, Chalukya, Hoysala Empire, Hoysala and Vijayanagara Empire, Vijayanagara empires of Karnataka. Its east-facing front Façade, facade has a porch with 12 granite columns, tall. Leading to the porch is a flight of stairs with 45 steps, more than wide. The central dome, in diameter, is crowned by a likeness of the State Emblem of India. The phrase "Government Work is God's Work" and its Kannada equivalent "''Sarkarada kelasa devara kelasa''" (in Kannada script as "ಸರ್ಕಾರದ ಕೆಲಸ ದೇವರ ಕೆಲಸ") are inscribed on the entablature. In 1957, the Mysore government planned to replace the inscription with ''Satyameva Jayate'' at a cost of , but the change did not take place. In 1996, the inscription inspired a visiting US state governor, George Voinovich of Ohio, to propose etching "With God, all things are possible" onto the Ohio Statehouse, prompting a high-profile lawsuit. The cost of construction at that time wasc . Currently, annual maintenance cost is more than including repairs, painting, and other miscellaneous expenses.Replicas
Vikasa Soudha
The Karnataka government constructed a replica named ''Vikasa Soudha'' to the south of the building. Initiated by the then Chief Minister S. M. Krishna, S. M. Krishna and inaugurated in February 2005, it is intended to be an annexe building, housing some of the ministries and legislative offices.Suvarna Vidhana Soudha
The Suvarna Vidhana Soudha () is the legislature building of the Karnataka, State of Karnataka in Belgaum in the Belgaum district of Northern Karnataka. It was inaugurated on 11 October 2012 by President of India, President Pranab Mukherjee.Location
It is located on Ambedkar Veedhi or Dr Ambedkar Rd, Seshadripuram. Across from Vidhana Soudha is the High Court of Karnataka. Both buildings are in Cubbon Park, which is located near the Karnataka State Lawn Tennis Association (KSLTA).References
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