Rashtrapati Bhavan gardens to now be called Amrit Udyan

President Droupadi Murmu on Saturday renamed six gardens of Rashtrapati Bhavan, including the famed Mughal Gardens, as Amrit Udyan, in line with national celebrations for the Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav to commemorate the 75th anniversary of India's Independence, an official statement said.

NEW DELHI: 

Rashtrapati Bhavan will open five of its gardens for the public for two months starting January 31. Spread over 15 acres, the sprawling Mughal Gardens, now part of the Amrit Udyan, was one of the key attractions for visitors to the Rashtrapati Bhavan. It derived its name from the Mughal Gardens in Srinagar.

Earlier, the government had renamed three other landmarks in the national capital. Raj Path became Kartavya Path, Race Course Road was renamed as Lok Kalyan Marg and Aurangzeb Road at the India Gate hexagon was named after late President and Bharat Ratna APJ Abdul Kalam.

Outside Delhi, Allahabad was renamed as Prayagraj, Mughal Sarai junction was named after Jan Sangh ideologue Deen Dayal Upadhyay and Gurgaon as Gurugram, among a series of name changes. While the ruling dispensation defended the change of names, critics and historians often disapproved the renaming.

"Rashtrapati Bhavan 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.