The iconic Durbar Hall of Rashtrapati Bhavan, traditionally used for important ceremonies and celebrations such as the presentation of National Awards, has been renamed โGanatantra Mandap,โ according to a press release from the Presidentโs Secretariat.
Ashok Hall, originally designed as a ballroom, will now be known as Ashok Mandap, the release said, adding that name changes were carried out to align with Indiaโs rich cultural heritage.
According to the release, the term โDurbar,โ referring to an imperial court, became outdated after India transitioned to a republic, or โGanatantra.โ โThe concept of โGanatantraโ is deeply rooted in Indian society since ancient times, making โGanatantra Mandapโ an apt name for the venue,โ it said.
Renaming Ashok Hall to Ashok Mandap was intended to bring โuniformity in language and remove traces of anglicization while upholding the key values associated with the word.โ
The statement highlighted the multiple meanings of the word Ashok: it denotes someone โfree from all sufferingsโ or โbereft of any sorrow.โ It also refers to Emperor Ashoka, a symbol of unity and peaceful coexistence whose lion capital from Sarnath serves as Indiaโs National Emblem, and the Ashok tree, significant in Indian religious traditions, arts, and culture. The word Mandap is a Sanskrit term traditionally used to describe a pavilion or sacred space in Indian culture.