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| Sunday, 12 June 2005 |
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Junior Observer |  |
| News Business Features Editorial
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Houses of power
The building, located on the west bank of the River Thames, was originally a royal residence, but no king has lived there since the 16th century. The site where the Westminster Palace now stands was originally known as Thorney and was believed to have been used as a residence first by Canute the Great (1016-1035). It was St. Edward the Confessor (1045-1050) however, who first built a palace on the site; he built the Westminster Abbey at the same time. The area then came to be known as Westminster. King William II was responsible for the Westminster Hall and the Great Hall, which still remains from the first structures. It was in the Westminster Hall, one of the oldest sections of the building with a history dating to 1097, that the Royal Council, the predecessor of the parliament, met. The first official parliament of the world, the Model Parliament, also met here for the first time in 1295. Since then, the historic building has been the venue for sittings of all British Parliaments which followed. The palace remained the official London residence for the ruler until 1529, when a fire destroyed a part of the building. It was again destroyed by a fire in 1834, and the building which stands today dates to the 19th century. The architect responsible for rebuilding the Houses of Parliament was Sir Charles Barry; he adopted the Gothic style for the palace. The foundation stone for the present Westminster Palace was laid in 1840. The House of Lords was completed in 1847 while the House of Commons was completed in 1852. Most of the work was completed by 1860, although it took about 10 more years to see its completion. The Chamber of the Commons was again destroyed by bombs during World War II, and was rebuilt on the original lines by architect Sir Giles Gilbert Scott. The palace has four floors, 1,100 rooms, 100 stairways and 4.8 kilometres of passageways. The most important rooms are the Chambers of the Lords and Commons while there are numerous committee rooms, libraries, lobbies and dining facilities. The Westminster Hall boasts one of the largest unsupported roofs in Europe. The 73.2 metre roof was originally supported by pillars, but was replaced with a hammerbeam roof during the era of Richard II. The towers of the palace are another of its more prominent features. The tallest is the 98.5 metres high Victoria Tower at the south-west end of the complex. It contains the House of Lords' Record Office, which, despite its name, maintains records of both Houses. The 91.4 metre Central Tower, the shortest, has a spire. The most famous is the Clock Tower, which is known around the world as Big Ben, and which is a landmark in its own right. *********** The engineering marvel of Hyderabad
The fort, dating back to 1364, is located on a 120 metre high granite hill in the western outskirts of Hyderabad. There are interesting stories about how the fort came to be named as Golconda. One story says that it was originally named Golla Konda (Shepherd's Hill). It is said that a shepherd boy came across an idol (a religious image) on this rocky hill in 1143. He informed the ruler of the area about this discovery and the ruler built a mud fort on the spot. Another theory is that the fort is built within a circle and was named Gol which means round. According to history, the Bahamani rulers acquired ownership of the fort around 1364, over 200 years after the first mud fort was built on the site. The golden era of the Golconda Fort could be attributed to the Qutb Shahi dynasty, whose reign spanned over 62 years from 1507. They expanded the original mud fort into a massive granite fort which had a circumference of about five kilometres. King Mohammed Qali Qutb Shah, who is known as the great planner and founder of the Hyderabad city, was mainly responsible for these developments. Golconda comprised four forts with a 10 kilometre long outer wall and 87 semi-circular strongholds; some of them still have mounted cannon. The building housed royal apartments and halls, a temple, mosque, stable and barracks and was protected by a moat and four drawbridges. The fort has eight gateways of which the main gate is the Fateh Darwaza (Gate of Victory). It has iron spikes covering the surface to prevent elephants breaking it down. The Balahisar, which lies next, leads to the grand Portico, where the Persian architecture of the day could be seen at its best. On the very top is the Durbar Hall. A novel feature of the fort is the absence of doors. The royal quarters and the chambers of various officials had been converted into rooms with drapes tied to iron rings; these iron rings can still be seen on the doorways. The Golconda Fort was known as a treasure trove of diamonds. The world famous Kohinoor, one of the world's largest and most valuable diamonds that now adorns the British crown, also came from this fort. The edifice was also well known for its acoustics. A sound made at a certain point lower in the building reverberated and could be heard at the topmost Durbar Hall. This technique had been adopted to signal the arrival of visitors. The Golconda Fort was destroyed by the invading armies of Aurangazeb
and now, only ruins remain of this once magnificent building. |
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| Politics | Produced by Lake House |
The British Houses of Parliament or the Palace of Westminster is one of
the most prominent buildings in London, UK. This is the location where the
British Parliament, which comprises the House of Lords and House of
Commons, conduct sittings. 
An engineering marvel of the ancient world that continues to fascinate
modern humanity is the Golconda Fort in Hyderabad, India. 
