Photos: Indian MPs leave behind old premises, walk to new parliament

Indian lawmakers walked to the country's new parliament on Tuesday to symbolise the legislature's departure from its former home in chambers built during British rule. Above: Panoramic view of the entrance at the New Parliament Building during the flag hoisting ceremony, in New Delhi on Sunday.

"Today India has awakened with a new consciousness," Modi said in the central hall of the old parliament building before leading fellow legislators by foot across to the new complex. Above: Prime Minister Narendra Modi greets Congress Parliamentary Party (CPP) Chairperson Sonia Gandhi at the Central Hall of the old Parliament building ahead of the Parliament Special Session, as Union Ministers Anurag Thakur, Jyotiraditya Scindia, Ashwini Vaishnaw and other Parliamentarians look on, in New Delhi on Tuesday.

The triangular building that will now seat nearly 800 representatives from across India is the centrepiece of a remodelling of the heart of New Delhi by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Above: Proceedings of the Rajya Sabha are underway during the Special Session at the new Parliament building, in New Delhi on Tuesday.

India's lower house also held a brief first session in its new home to introduce a bill setting a 33 percent quota on female representation among lawmakers. Above: Bollywood actress Kangana Ranaut with Union Minister for Information and Broadcasting Anurag Singh Thakur, BJP MP Manoj Tiwari and other MPs outside the new Parliament Building, in New Delhi on Tuesday.

If passed, the proposed law would dramatically lift the number of women in parliament. Just 104 of India's 788 MPs were women after the last national election, according to government figures - a little over 13 percent. Above: The Special Session in Rajya Sabha at the new Parliament building is underway.

India's parliament has grown considerably over the decades, with more than 100 additional lawmakers in total across both houses since its first post-independence elections in 1952. Above: A statue of Mahatma Gandhi is pictured next to India's new parliament building a day before the inauguration of the building.

The new, larger building has extra room to accommodate parliament's expanded ranks along with updated technology. Above: A general view of India's new parliament building is pictured in New Delhi.

It stands next to the ageing and cramped colonial-era building from where India's first prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru made his landmark "tryst with destiny" speech to signal the beginning of the country's independence in 1947. Above: A man walks past the new Parliament building.

Modi has stressed in public speeches the need for India to abandon traces of a "colonial mindset". His government has worked to excise traces of the British era from the country's urban landscape. Above: Parliament Duty Group (PDG) personnel stand guard at the New Parliament building during the Special Session.

The new parliament is part of a broader renovation of New Delhi's main political precinct. The government has yet to specify its plans for the old assembly but media reports have suggested that parts of the complex will be used as archives and a museum. Above: A general view of India's new parliament building is pictured.