Chausath Yogini temple

• From September 19, the ongoing special House session moved to the new Parliament building.
  • The old Parliament will be turned into a museum and called ‘Samvidhan Sadan’.

ABOUT PARLIAMENT BUILDING

• Designed by British architects Edwin Lutyens and Herbert Baker when the British decided to move their capital to New Delhi, the 164-pillared building first housed the Imperial Legislative Council (From January 18, 1927 to August 15, 1947).
• After Independence, it served as the Constituent Assembly of India, and once the Constitution was adopted and India became a republic, as the Parliament of India, housing the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha.

ABOUT CHAUSATH YOGINI TEMPLE

• A round and pillared structure in India pre-dates the Parliament by several centuries, and many believe it inspired the 20th century circular, colonnaded Parliament building.
• This structure is the Chausath Yogini temple in Mitaoli, in the Morena district of Madhya Pradesh.
• It was built around 1323 by King Devapala of the Kachchhapaghata dynasty.
• The Mitaoli temple is circular, with 64 chambers dedicated to the 64 yoginis, and a central shrine dedicated to Shiva.
• The 64 yoginis are believed to be powerful warriors and sorceresses.
• While most Hindu temples have a shikhara, or projecting dome, the Mitaoli temple, like other Chausath Yogini temples, is hypaethral, which means it has no roof.
• The Parliament-like pillars are on the inside of the stone temple complex.
• The central shrine has a slab with perforations, for excess rainwater to drain off.
• The temple has a diameter of 125 feet.