Written by Sthitee Mohanty

The Mughal Gardens of the Rashtrapati Bhavan are now known as the Amrit Udyan, as of 29 January 2023.

The Government of India has officially renamed the garden and all its public communications and website portals reflect this change.

The garden opened to the public on 31 January 2023.

About the gardens

The gardens are a part of The Rashtrapati Bhavan, which is where the President of India lives. This used to be called the Viceroy House in the time of the British.

Here’s a quick backstory about the gardens…

The British built the Viceroy House when they made Delhi their capital (moving it from Calculalt, now Kolkata).

A prominent English architect named Sir Edwin Lutyens was given the task of designing this building. A big part of the design was a large garden at the back of this building.

But why Mughal-style gardens?

While planning the designs of the then Viceroy’s House, Edwin Lutyens decided to bring together two diverse types of traditions together for the gardens – the Mughal style and the English flower garden.

The reason why Lutyens chose the Mughal style was that at the time when the gardens were being designed, the then Viceroy’s Lord Charles Hardinge’s wife, Lady Hardinge, came up with the idea of creating a Mughal-style garden. She is said to have been greatly influenced by Mughal architecture and designs – and she wanted the gardens to be built in the same style.

Lady Hardinge also planted the famous roses of these gardens.

Of the many gardens in the Rashtrapati Bhavan, three are inspired by Mughal and Persian traditions. Lutyens mixed canals, terraces, and shrubs with European lawns, hedges, and flowerbeds.

Fact to Know: The garden that was inspired by the gardens in Srinagar was the one that was known as the Mughal Garden, though they were never officially given the name, Mughal Gardens.

The gardens were called the Mughal Gardens primarily because of their char bagh (four gardens) design, a style adopted often by Mughal rulers.

Lady Hardinge also planted the famous roses of these gardens.

Influence of presidents over the years

The Rashtrapati Bhavan has been the residence of the President of India since 1950. Each President of India has left behind a personal touch in the gardens now called Amrit Udyan. 

President C Gopalachari added a foodgrain section to the gardens.
President R Venkatraman added a cactus garden (he liked cacti)
President APJ Abdul Kalam added many theme-based gardens: from the musical garden to the spiritual garden. 

The gardens have been renamed Amrit Udyan by the government as a way of reclaiming the past and staying true to Indian history. The name commemorates the 75th anniversary of Indian independence.

What is the Udyan Utsav?

The Udyan Utsav is the opening of the gardens of the Rashtrapati Bhavan to public viewing, inaugurated by the President of India.

President Droupadi Murmu inaugurated the Amrit Udyan in the Udyan Utsav of 2023 on 31 January 2023.

This year, special days have been set aside for specific groups of people. For farmers on March 28, for differently-abled persons on March 29, for defense, paramilitary forces, and police personnel on March 30, and for women, including tribal women’s self-help groups, on March 31.

What other places have been renamed recently?

Several Mumbai landmarks, including the Victoria Terminus and Prince of Wales Museum, as well as the airport, were renamed after Chhattrapati Shivaji.

In the past, cities like Bombay have been renamed Mumbai. Calcutta has been renamed Kolkata. A NCR region, Gurgaon, has been renamed Gurugram.

In 2018, Allahabad received a no-objection certificate for being renamed Pragyaraj. There have been renewed efforts to rename Ahmedabad as Karnavati.

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