The iconic 15 acre Mughal Garden of the Rashtrapati Bhavan was renamed “Amrit Udyan” on Saturday amid the “Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav” commemorating 75 years of India’s freedom. This action follows the Center’s renaming of Rajpath to “Kartavya Path.”
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’: Navika Gupta, Deputy Press Secretary to President pic.twitter.com/VPsJKPdGwZ
— ANI (@ANI) January 28, 2023
The renamed garden is being inaugurated by President Draupadi Murmu today, and it will be open to the public from January 31 up to 31st March, when the Udyan Utsav will be held. Although called Mughal Gardens, the garden on Raisina Hill was not built by the Mughals, as the entire complex was built by the British, long after the fall of the Mughal empire. However, because the design of garden was influenced by Mughal gardens built by Mughals in various locations throughout the country, it was known by the generic name Mughal Gardens.
There are several Mughal gardens in the country, most of them on the premises of Mughal-built structures like the Taj Mahal, Humayun’s Tomb, Red Fort etc.
Mughal Gardens have a lengthy history in India.
The Mughals were said to cherish gardens. In Babur Nama, Babur declares that the Persian charbagh form (literally, four gardens) of garden is his favorite type. The charbagh structure was designed to be a symbol of the jannat, an earthly utopia in which people live in perfect harmony with all other aspects of nature.
These gardens are spread out over regions that were once under the control of the Mughals and are distinguished by their rectilinear designs, which are divided into four equal pieces. All of them are constructed in this manner, earning them the name “Mughal Gardens,” including the ones encircling Humanyun’s Tomb in Delhi and the Nishat Bagh in Srinagar.
The usage of streams to mark off the garden’s various quadrants is one of their distinctive features. These were not only essential for maintaining the garden’s flora, but they were also a significant component of its attractiveness. Fountains were frequently constructed as a symbol of the “cycle of life.”
The gardens at the new Viceroy’s residence (Rashtrapati Bhavan)
As extensive is the history of the Estate’s famous gardens as are its fragrant flower reserves. The British made the decision to move Delhi from Calcutta as the capital of India in 1911. It would be a massive undertaking to build a brand-new city, New Delhi, to serve as the British Crown’s administrative capital in its most lucrative colony.
The Viceroy’s House on Raisina Hill was built on roughly 4,000 acres of land, with Sir Edwin Lutyens tasked with designing the structure. A sizable garden in the back of the Viceroy’s House was essential to its design.
The initial plans called for developing a garden with traditional British sensibilities in mind, but the wife of the Viceroy at the time, Lady Hardinge, encouraged planners to design a Mughal-style garden, as she was greatly impressed by the Mughal Gardens. She is credited with drawing inspiration from the Mughal gardens she visited in Lahore and Srinagar as well as Constance Villiers-book Stuart’s Gardens of the Great Mughals (1913).
The Taj Mahal’s surroundings, the Mughal Gardens of Jammu and Kashmir, and even Persian and Indian miniature paintings served as inspiration for the garden. Indian and traditional European architectural features were integrated in Lutyens’ designs, creating a distinctive aesthetic that continues to characterize Lutyens’ Delhi today.
Sir Edwin Lutyens, completed the garden’s design in 1917, and plantings took place in 1928–1929.
The wife of Sir Edwin Lutyens referred to the garden as a ‘paradise‘ in the book ‘The Life of Sir Edwin Lutyens,’ written by Christopher Hussey. She added, “lowers are set in such masses, producing a riot of colour and scents, that, when, with the fountains playing continually, there is not the least sense of stiffness. The round garden beyond beats everything for sheer beauty and is beyond words.”
Roses are the popular key feature of the garden
William Mustoe, the director of horticulture who planted the garden, is credited with introducing more than 250 distinct varieties of hybrid roses that he had gathered from all over the world. Mustoe was particularly talented at cultivating roses. A well-known horticulture named Lady Beatrix Stanley stated in 1931 that she had never seen prettier roses in England. Later, greater diversity was provided, particularly under Dr. Zakir Husain’s administration.
The Rashtrapati Bhavan’s gardeners have continued the practice of caring for the gardens’ signature feature, the wide variety of roses. They are Oklahoma (also known as Black Rose), Adora, Mrinalini, Taj Mahal, Eiffel Tower, Scentimental, Black Lady, Blue Moon, and Lady X. In addition, there are roses named after famous people, like Arjun and Bhim, Mother Teresa, Raja Ram Mohan Roy, Abraham Lincoln, and Jawahar Lal Nehru. In 1998, the imaginative gardeners also added new, exotic species of flowers, including tulips, heliconia, and birds of paradise.
The garden has seasonal flowers in more than 70 different species. Tulips, Asiatic lilies, daffodils, hyacinths, and other flowers are among them. The garden also grows 60 of the 101 known types of bougainvillea.
The ground of the Rashtrapati Bhavan’s garden is covered in ‘Doob grass.’ When the Mughal Gardens were being constructed, it was transported from Calcutta (now Kolkata). In addition to these, the garden comprises bushes, vines, and about 50 different kinds of trees, such as the Moulsiri tree, Golden Rain tree, flower-bearing Torch Tree, and many more.
Over three hundred permanent and casual employees are deployed for the development and maintenance of the gardens of Rashtrapati Bhavan.
Every Rashtrapati Bhavan resident added their personal touch
Over time, the gardens have changed. While roses continue to be the garden’s main feature, each Rashtrapati Bhavan resident has contributed their own distinctive touch.
For instance, when there was food scarcity in the nation, C. Rajagopalachari, the previous Governor General of India, personally ploughed the ground and set aside a portion of the garden for foodgrains, as a gesture to address the problem. In its place now, the Nutrition Garden, also known as Dalikhana, grows a variety of vegetables using organic methods for consumption at the Rashtrapati Bhavan.
Rainwater harvesting for recharging groundwater in the presidential estate was done by President K.R. Narayanan in collaboration with the Centre for Science and Environment.
APJ Abdul Kalam created numerous theme-based gardens, like Herbal Gardens, Tactile Gardens for the visually handicapped, Musical gardens, Bio-Fuel Park, Spiritual and Nutrition garden and more. While President R Venkatraman added a cactus garden because he simply liked cacti.
On the initiative of the former president Pranab Mukherjee, the garden was made accessible to the general public in August 2012. On the Estate, almost 2000 different species of trees were planted during his administration. President Pratibha Patil had got Bonsai Garden and nature trails added to the estate during her tenure.
Over the years, the Garden along with the entire Rashtrapati Bhavan complex has been made more accessible for visitors. Circuit three of the tour takes visitors through the pristine Mughal Gardens or Amrit Udyan that have been designed as three successive terraces. It is said that the large geometrical designs of the garden can only be appreciated from the first story of the building. The three gardens are the Rectangular Garden at first, followed by Long Garden and finally the Circular Garden.
