Sanskrit Names To Parliament Rooms

Two key halls in Rashtrapati Bhavan, the official residence of the President of India have been officially renamed by President Droupadi Murmu.

'Durbar Hall' has now become 'Ganatantra Mandap' and 'Ashok Hall' is now 'Ashok Mandap'.

This change represents a move towards utilizing Sanskrit names that align with cultural heritage.

In English, ‘Ganatantra’ means republic which can be interpreted as denoting India’s democratic character while “Mandap” means pavilion or hall.

The name Ashok Mandap still reminds us of Emperor Ashoka, who was a notable figure in Indian history for his promotion of Buddhism and his contributions to governance.

These newly adopted names aim at highlighting the rich cultural and historical heritage of India so as to strengthen national pride and identity.

Rashtrapati Bhavan, which doubles up as the official home for Indian presidents hosts many important state events with these two halls being significant for ceremonial purposes and official meetings.

The renaming also forms part of larger attempts to bring indigenous languages as well as cultural heritage into formal nomenclature.