A total of 875 LED lights are part of the system, a Lok Sabha secretariat official said
The parliament on Tuesday evening lit up with a dynamic range of themes after a new lighting system was installed on its facade ahead of the 73rd Independence Day celebrations. The lighting facility was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Lok Sabha speaker Om Birla, union ministers, and members of parliament present at the complex lawn.
"India's Parliament is all lit up, thanks to the lighting facility inaugurated today," tweeted PM Modi, along with photos of the newly-lit parliament, after the inauguration.
The lights are placed on all 144 pillars of the parliament house, each measuring 27 feet each, and will change colour every few seconds. A total of 875 LED lights are part of the system, a Lok Sabha secretariat official was quoted as saying by news agency PTI.
"Parliament House, the largest temple of the world's largest democracy, will be illuminated with new lights from now on. Through facade lights, a special message will go to the whole world that from Kashmir to Kanyakumari and from Arunachal to Rann of Kutch, the colour of this country is tricolour," Lok Sabha speaker Om Birla tweeted in Hindi.
The colonial-era building's makeover comes about two years after buildings on the famous Raisina Hills - the seat of the government of India - were adorned with similarly dynamic LED lights. The lights are on from 7pm and 5am with colours changing every few seconds.
The initiative adds the parliament building to the leagues of other historical sites, such as the Eiffel Tower in Paris, which lights up every night.