The gardens in Rashtrapati Bhavan were never officially named Mughal Gardens, they came to be known so owing to the style of architecture.
On Saturday, the Rashtrapati Bhavan’s Mughal Gardens were renamed “Amrit Udyan” in keeping with the festival’s theme, Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav. According to the Rashtrapati Bhawan website, the 15-acre Mughal Gardens (now former) were inspired by miniature paintings of India and Persia, the gardens surrounding the Taj Mahal, the Mughal Gardens of Jammu & Kashmir, and the Mughal Gardens of Jammu & Kashmir.
Lutyens’ imprint
The Mughal Gardens’ final plans by Edwin Lutyens were completed in 1917, but planting wasn’t completed until 1928–1929. William Mustoe, the director of horticulture, worked with him on the gardens. Similar to how Rashtrapati Bhavan combines the western and Indian architectural styles in its construction, Lutyens used the Mughal and English flower gardens horticultural traditions for the gardens. Beautifully blending with European flowerbeds, lawns, and private hedges are Mughal canals, terraces, and floral plants.
The Rashtrapati Bhavan has three gardens that were modelled by Persian and Mughal gardens. The Mughal Garden is the one that was modelled after the garden in Srinagar. Although the grounds were never formally designated as Mughal Gardens, the moniker stuck because of the architecture.
The Persian gardens, in especially the charbagh structure, which aims to produce a portrayal of harmony with nature’s elements, had an effect on the design. Within the gardens, common features include ponds, fountains, and canals. Mughal gardens can be found in Afghanistan, Bangladesh, India, and Pakistan. In fact, Babur had mentioned that charbaghs were his favourite kind of gardens.
Other gardens in Rashtrapati Bhavan
There are many gardens at the Rashtrapati Bhavan. East Lawn, Central Lawn, Long Garden, and Circular Garden were among them at one time. However, further gardens were created throughout the administrations of former Presidents APJ Abdul Kalam and Ram Nath Kovind, including Herbal-I, Herbal-II, Tactile Garden, Bonsai Garden, and Arogya Vanam.
Presidents have over the years made various contributions to the gardens for social or developmental purposes. The first Indian resident of Rashtrapati Bhavan, C Rajagopalachari, used a portion of the property to grow wheat. President APJ Abdul Kalam helped create the tactile gardens for the blind and the herbal gardens.
The herbal garden, bonsai garden, central lawn, long garden and circular garden are now collectively called Amrit Udyan.
