The recently inaugurated Afghanistan parliament building in Kabul, by India Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, has a foundation stone made of green marble from Udaipur, Rajasthan.
 
The Rs 710-crore worth building has been built by the Central Public Works Department (CPWD).

The green fountain is the main attraction of this building.The entire flooring of the two houses has been done with white marble from Makrana. The fountain was made in such a way that it could be easily detached, shipped and then again assembled.

The building has Wolesi Jirga or the Lower House with a seating capacity of 294 and a 190-seat Meshrano Jirga or Upper House.

Earlier, heart marble (a variety of marble) was to be used for the flooring. This marble is found in the mines located on the border of Afghanistan and Iran. But as it lacked the whiteness, it was found unfit for the flooring. However, the outer cladding of the building has been done with heart marble.

The parliament building looks straight at the Afghan king's devastated palace Darul Aman which is in ruins after the Russian forces destroyed it with cannons and bullets.

Afghanistan, which has faced the wars and civil wars for more than three decades, has its democracy in its infancy.

Regarding the peace and turmoil, India has always maintained the friendly relations with Afghanistan.

As a friendly gesture, the Indian government, assisted in the construction of the new parliament building. Especially, Rajasthan has a healthy relationship with Afghanistan, that too particularly Kabul.   

The CPWD had invited tenders for building the green marble fountain and Udaipur's Natural Handicraft's Pvt Ltd had won that contract.

The fountain was built by over two dozen artisans who worked day and night to give the rocks of green marble the shape of a fountain. The fountain was made in such a way that it could be easily detached, shipped and then again assembled.

The history says that, Maharaja Jaswant Singh led the Jodhpur forces when he raided Kabul. Even, Raja Mansingh of Jaipur also led the Emperor Akbar's Kabul raid. A large number of Afghans, known for their valour and chivalry, equipped the forces of the rulers of Rajasthan with strong Afghan horses.

A large number of Pathans served as soldiers in various forces of the erstwhile princely states of Rajasthan.

By Phani Ch