Shri Kengal Hanumanthaiah, the Honorable Chief Minister of Mysore for the period spanning from 1951 to 1956 was a visionary statesman. It was on his initiative that the erstwhile Old Residency Building or Raj Bhavan has been converted into a magnificent historical landmark, the Vidhana Soudha. The idealist in Sri K. Hanumanthaiya wanted the district to possess a Secretariat that would be a hallmark to its legislative sovereignty.
The then Prime Minister of India Sri Pandit Jawaharalal Nehru laid the foundation stone of this glorious architectural edifice bearing evidence of the efflorescence of Mysore. Vidhana Soudha, sprawling across an expanse of 60 acres was finally completed in the year 1951 having incurred a total expenditure of Rs.1.84 crores.
Vidhan Soudha’s claim to fame is that it is the largest Secretariat in India and houses the State Legislature. The building is a charming amalgam of the neo-Dravidian, British, Indio-Islamic and contemporary architecture bears testimony to the secularism that prevails in India.
The building was constructed by dexterous craftsmen under the supervision of the then then Chief Engineer, late B.R.Manickam of the Public Works Department. To preserve the aesthetic and ergonomic appeal of the building, Vidhana Soudha is composed of a striking blend of Bangalore granite, Magadi pink and Turuvekere black stones.
It is ironical that the State Secretariat was a fruit of the toil of ex-convicts who earned their freedom upon the completion of this majestic epigraph. The building made of a composition of steel, reinforced cement concrete glass and plastic contains ornate floral carvings, vibrant and colorful friezes, kapotha cornices, chaithya arches, and heavy and intricate pediments and dome shaped finials.
A trip to Bangalore remains incomplete without a quick stopover at Vidhana Soudha, the torchbearer of Mysore’s traditional legacy.
