On Thursday Rashtrapati Bhavan’s iconic ‘Durbar Hall’ and ‘Ashok Hall’ renamed ‘Ganatantra Mandap’ and ‘Ashok Mandap’ respectively. Rashtrapati Bhavan, the office and the residence of the president of India, is a symbol of the country and an invaluable heritage of the people.
A statement issued by the President’s Secretariat said, ‘Continuous efforts are being made to make it more accessible to people. There has been a consistent endeavour to make the ambience of the Rashtrapati Bhavan reflective of the Indian cultural values and ethos’.
President Droupadi Murmu is pleased to rename two of the important halls of Rashtrapati Bhavan- ‘Durbar Hall’ and ‘Ashok Hall’- as ‘Ganatantra Mandap’ and ‘Ashok Mandap’ respectively, it said.
‘Durbar Hall’ is the venue of significant ceremonies and celebrations such as the presentation of national awards. The term Darbar signifies the courts and assemblies of Indian rulers and the British. Ashok Hall was originally a ballroom. The statement said, ‘The word Ashok connotes someone who is free from all sufferings or is bereft of any sorrow’.
Also, ‘Ashoka’ refers to Emperor Ashok, a symbol of unity and peaceful coexistence. The National Emblem of the Republic of India is the lion capital of Ashok from Sarnath. The word also refers to the Ashok tree, which has deep importance in Indian religious traditions as well as arts and culture, it said.
Renaming ‘Ashok Hall’ as ‘Ashok Mandap’ brings uniformity in language and removes the traces of anglicisation while upholding the key values associated with the word ‘Ashok’, it added.
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