<P> The Old Secretariat Building now houses the Delhi Legislative Assembly . The nearby Parliament House was built much later, and hence was not constructed around the axis of Rajpath . Construction of Parliament House was begun in 1921, and the building was inaugurated in 1927 . </P> <P> Today, the area is served by the Central Secretariat station of the Delhi Metro . </P> <P> The Secretariat Building was designed by the prominent British architect Herbert Baker in Indo - Saracenic Revival architecture . Both the identical buildings have four levels, each with about 1,000 rooms, in the inner courtyards to make space for future expansions . In continuation with the Viceroy's House, these buildings also used cream and red Dholpur sandstone from Rajasthan, with the red sandstone forming the base . Together the buildings were designed to form two squares . They have broad corridors between different wings and wide stairways to the four floors and each building is topped by a giant dome, while each wings end with colonnaded balcony . </P> <P> Much of the building is in classical architectural style, yet it incorporated from Mughal and Rajasthani architecture style and motifs in its architecture . These are visible in the use of Jali, perforated screens, to protect from scorching sun and monsoon rains of India . Another feature of the building is a dome - like structure known as the Chatri, a design unique to India, used in ancient times to give relief to travelers by providing shade from the hot Indian sun . </P>

Architect of north and south blocks of central secretariat in delhi