Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru commissioned Le Corbusier to build a new city for the capital of Punjab.

Nehru desired that the city's design be "unfettered by the traditions of the past, a symbol of the nation's faith in the future".

The upper half depicts man's relationship with the cosmos and includes imagery representing solstices, lunar eclipses and the Equinox.

[8] Le Corbusier believed that "architecture is circulation", and the Palace of Assembly is designed to encourage the movement of people and ideas.

High ceilings and narrow columns make the space feel expansive, and ramps replace stairs to provide fluid transitions between levels.

The General Assembly itself is circular – a literal interpretation of Le Corbusier's belief – and is off-centre within the space, challenging neoclassical architecture's focus on organization.