Mughal gardens in Delhis Rashtrapati Bhavan are now called

Mughal gardens in Delhi’s Rashtrapati Bhavan are now called…

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The Rashtrapati Bhavan Mughal Gardens have been renamed Amrit Udyan

New Delhi:

The gardens of the Presidential Residence, Rashtrapati Bhavan, have been given a common name as part of the Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav celebrations. The old Mughal Gardens street sign was removed and bulldozed away.

“On the occasion of the celebrations of the 75th anniversary of Independence as Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav, the President of India has given a common name to the gardens of Rashtrapati Bhavan as Amrit Udyan,” said Deputy Presidential Press Secretary Navika Gupta.

While the BJP said the renaming would shred another symbol of colonialism, opposition parties advised the government to focus instead on creating jobs and controlling inflation.

Congress did not officially respond to the name change, but the Trinamool Congress and CPI scrapped the move, with the Left Party calling it an “attempt to rewrite history.”

“Who knows, they might want to rename the Eden Gardens to Modi Gardens now! They should focus on creating jobs, controlling inflation and protecting the valuable resources of the LIC and SBI,” Parliamentary Party Chairman of the Trinamool Congress in Rajya Sabha Derek O’Brien told PTI news agency.

CPI Secretary General D Raja said this name change has been going on for quite some time and “no one knows when it will end”.

There are three gardens at Rashtrapati Bhavan inspired by Mughal and Persian gardens. The public and authorities began to refer to the garden, which was inspired by a garden of the same name in Srinagar in Jammu and Kashmir, as the “Mughal Gardens”. But the gardens were never officially named “Mughal Gardens”.

Spread over 15 hectares, Amrit Udyan has often been portrayed as the soul of the Presidential Palace.

Amrit Udyan draws inspiration from the Mughal gardens in Jammu and Kashmir, the gardens surrounding the Taj Mahal, and even miniature paintings from India and Persia, according to Rashtrapati Bhavan’s website.

“The Amrit Udyan was previously only open to the public during the annual Udyan Utsav festival, which took place in the months of February to March. But the gardens, which form the third circuit of the Rashtrapati Bhavan Tour, will now be open to the public from August to March,” the Rashtrapati Bhavan website reads.

“Welcome and thank you President Droupadi Murmu ji for renaming the iconic gardens of the Presidential House Amrit Udyan. This new name not only shreds another symbol of the colonial relic but also reflects India’s aspirations for the Amrit Kaal,” Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan tweeted.

“Removed symbol of slavery. To get out of the slavery mentality in Amrit Kal, another historic decision by the Modi government. The Mughal Garden in Rashtrapati Bhavan will now be known as Amrit Udyan,” tweeted Devesh Kumar, Chairman of the Bihar BJP.

The old street sign reading “Mughal Gardens” was removed with a bulldozer and a new sign reading “Amrit Udyan” was installed.

This time, the gardens will be open to the public for about two months, starting January 31st.