THE iconic Mughal Gardens at the Rashtrapati Bhawan will now be known as ‘Amrit Udyan’, which would open for public from January 31, an official statement issued on Saturday said. President Draupadi Murmu will grace the opening of the gardens of Rashtrapati Bhawan -- Udyan Utsav 2023 -- on Sunday, it said. On the occasion of the celebrations of 75 years of Independence as ‘Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav’, the President of India is pleased to give a common name to the Rashtrapati Bhawan gardens as ‘Amrit Udyan’, Navika Gupta, Deputy Press Secretary to the President, said in the statement. The Government had last year renamed Delhi’s famed Rajpath as “Kartavya Path”. The renaming of the stretch and other institutions is in line with the Centre’s effort to remove any trace of colonial mindset. “Rashtrapati Bhawan is home to a rich variety of gardens.

 

Originally, they included East Lawn, Central Lawn, Long Garden and Circular Garden. During the term of former Presidents Dr A P J Abdul Kalam and Shri Ram Nath Kovind, more gardens were developed, namely, Herbal-I, Herbal-II, Tactile Garden, Bonsai Garden and Arogya Vanam,” it said. In this year’s Udyan Utsav, among several other attractions, visitors will be able to see specially cultivated tulips of 12 unique varieties which are expected to bloom in phases, the statement said. This time the gardens (Herbal Garden, Bonsai Garden, Central Lawn, Long Garden and Circular Garden) will be open for about two months.

 

The gardens will open for general public on January 31, 2023 and will remain open till March 26, 2023 (except on Mondays which are maintenance days and on March 8 on account of Holi). From March 28 to 31, the gardens will be open for special categories -- for farmers on March 28, for differently abled on March 29, for personnel of defence forces, paramilitary forces and police on March 30, and for women, including tribal women’s self help groups, on March 31. People can book their slots well in advance through online booking. Booking can be made on https://rashtrapatisachivalaya.Gov.In or https://rb.Nic.In/rbvisit/visit_plan.Aspx. Walk-in visitors can also get entry into the gardens, it said. However, they will have to register themselves at the facilitation counters as well as at the self service kiosk near gate no 12 of Rashtrapati Bhawan. It is advisable to book a slot online in advance to avoid rush and save time, the statement said.