PMO moves to Seva Teerth: Inside the new office and museum transformation, what happens to North & South Blocks?

Prime Minister Modi has inaugurated Seva Teerth, the new PMO address. Discover what happens to South Block as it becomes the Yuge Yugeen Bharat Museum—the worlds largest museum on Raisina Hill.  

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has officially inaugurated Seva Teerth, the new complex for the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO). This transition signals the PMO's move from South Block on Raisina Hill, a sandstone building that has been central to Indian governance for nearly 80 years.

As the government shifts to a modern facility, North and South Block will be transformed into the Yuge Yugeen Bharat Museum. Covering 155,000 square meters, it is set to become the largest museum in the world, dedicated to India’s 5,000-year history.

The story of the Secretariat began in 1911 when the British Crown moved India's capital from Calcutta to Delhi. Herbert Baker, a contemporary of Edwin Lutyens, designed the North and South Blocks, which were completed in 1931.

Baker used an Indo-Saracenic Revival style, blending classical European architecture with traditional Indian elements. The buildings feature:

- Dholpur Sandstone: Distinctive red-and-cream colors.   - Indian Motifs: Intricate jaalis (lattice screens), jharokhas (overhanging balconies), and chajjas (stone eaves).   - Imperial Grandeur: Symmetrical towers inspired by Baker's earlier work on the Union Buildings in Pretoria, South Africa.