The North Secretariat Building New Delhi

The Secretariat Building is where the India Cabinet Secretariat is housed

It is built on Raisina Hill, New Delhi, and consists of two blocks of symmetrical buildings (North Block and South Block) on opposite sides of the great axis of Rajpath, and flanking the Rashtrapati Bhavan (President's formerly Viceroy's House).

The planning of New Delhi began after Delhi was made capital of India in 1911. Edwin Lutyens was given responsibility for town planning and the construction of the Viceroy's House. Herbert Baker, who had practised in South Africa, supported him. Baker took on the design of the next most important building, the Secretariat, which was the only building other than the Viceroy's house to stand on Raisina Hill.

Relations between Lutyens and Baker deteriorated because Lutyens had wanted the Secretariat to be of lower height than Viceroy House. However Baker wanted it of the same height, and Baker's plans were executed, so that the extended hill placed by Baker in front of Viceroy's House largely obscures the view of Viceroy's House from the India Gate, contrary to Lutyens' plans.

After the capital of India moved to Delhi, a temporary secretariat building was constructed in a few months in 1912 in North Delhi, but most of the government offices of the new capital moved in during the 1920s, with the new capital being formally inaugurated in 1931.

The Secretariat Building was designed by Baker in Indo-Saracenic Revival style. Both the identical North and South Buildings have four levels, each with about 1,000 rooms. They are built out of splendid Dholpur sandstone from Rajasthan, with the red sandstone forming the base.

Much of the building is in standard imperial classical architectural style, but it incorporates Mughal and Rajasthani architectural style and motifs. These are visible in the use of Jali, perforated screens, to protect the civil servants from sun and monsoon rain. Another feature of the building are the dome-like structures known Chatri, a design unique to India, used in ancient times to give relief to travelers by providing shade from the Indian sun.

In front of the buildings are the four "dominion columns", given by Canada, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa, the one which is shown here. In 1930, British plans aimed to make India a British Dominion. Of course India became fully independent of Britain in 1947 and the Secretariat became the seat of power of the sovereign state of India.