Mughal Gardens renamed ‘Amrit Udyan’ — BJP hails move, Congress calls it ‘narrow-mindedness’
The central government today changed the name of the iconic Mughal Gardens at Rashtrapati Bhavan in New Delhi to ‘Amrit Udyan’.
Designed in 1917, the gardens spread over 15 acres are also known as the “soul of the presidential palace” and were renamed in view of the ‘Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav’. Boards bearing the name ‘Mughal Garden’ were replaced Saturday with new sign boards reading ‘Amrit Udyan’.
“On the occasion of the celebrations of 75 years of Independence as ‘Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav’, the President of India has given a common name to the Rashtrapati Bhavan gardens as ‘Amrit Udyan’,” said Navika Gupta, deputy press secretary to President Droupadi Murmu.
“The collective identity of all the gardens at Rashtrapati Bhavan will be ‘Amrit Udyan’. Earlier there were descriptive identities, now a new identity has been given to the gardens,” said Ajay Singh, Press Secretary to the President.
The move has invited sharp reactions from the Congress, with Congress leader Rashid Alvi saying it is a sign of “narrow-mindedness”.
“Why is the Centre changing the name of the Mughal Gardens? Was it built by the BJP? Even the Rashtrapati Bhavan was built by the British. Will it be demolished?” said Rashid Alvi to Times Now.
Meanwhile, BJP spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla said that this historic decision should be celebrated by all. “When a historic decision on naming Mughal Gardens as Amrit Udyan has been taken in a series of steps to rid Bharat of symbols of Gulami, Colonial past — true to its DNA, some leaders oppose it displaying they are prisoners of ‘Mughlai/vote bank mindset’. Why oppose this?” tweeted Poonawalla.
Talking about the renaming of the garden, Seshadri Chari, historian, told ThePrint that the particular garden was a part of Lutyens plan of Delhi and was built relatively recently.
“There was no relevance behind the name ‘Mughal Gardens’,” said Chari, adding that the new name would eventually be adopted.
Amrit Udyan to open soon for public
The sprawling gardens at Rashtrapati Bhawan will be inaugurated by President Murmu on 29 January and will be open for public viewing from 31 January to 26 March.
Drawing inspiration from the Mughal Gardens of Jammu and Kashmir and the gardens around the Taj Mahal, the gardens are made up of Rectangular, Long and Circular Gardens, the Herbal Garden, Musical Garden and the Spiritual Garden.
This year, apart from the two-month window, the government has also planned to keep the garden open for viewing by special groups, such as farmers and differently-abled from 28 March to 31 March.
The gardens host 159 celebrated varieties of roses, along with tulips, Asiatic lilies, daffodils, hyacinths, and more than 70 varieties of other seasonal flowers. Visitors can scan QR codes placed in the gardens to get more information about any particular flower, plant or tree during their visit. Tickets will be available online and bookings can be made.
