From Kingsway to Kartavya Path: Evolution of Central Vista’s names

When the announcement for the shifting of British India’s capital from Calcutta to Delhi was made in 1911, Raisina Hill was identified as the location for the new centre of power

Delhi’s historic Rajpath, which was renamed Kartavya Path on Wednesday, is an iconic stretch that serves as a ceremonial boulevard. It has witnessed changes since it came into being over 100 years ago with the birth of New Delhi as India’s capital. Starting as Kingsway during colonial rule, it was renamed Rajpath post-independence. After India’s Independence, it continued to be the centre of political and administrative power. The lawns and fountains along the important stretch became among the most public spaces in the capital and it also serves as the site for the annual Republic Day parade.

Central Vista Avenue. (Hindustan Times)

Kingsway

When the announcement for the shifting of British India’s capital from Calcutta to Delhi was made in 1911, Raisina Hill was identified as the location for the new centre of power. Over the next two decades, New Delhi was carved out. The town planning committee settled upon an area that lay to the south of Shahjahanabad. While not very built up, this area had an important elevation through which one could see the previous cities of Delhi.

The layout of the new city around Raisina was structured on a geometric grid with the seat of power at the apex and two ceremonial avenues intersecting each other at the centre point. Under the British, the nomenclature of roads was done keeping in mind the hierarchy of the British monarchy. Among them, the utmost importance was accorded to the road connecting the Viceroy’s House (Rashtrapati Bhawan). Described as the Central Vista, this stretch was known as the Kingsway (Rajpath). Perpendicular to this road ran the Queen’s Way (Janpath).

Kingsway is believed to have been named after king George V or could have been a generic reference applicable to successive monarchs. The transfer of capital took place during George V’s reign.

Rajpath

After independence, Kingsway was changed to Rajpath. It was seen as an act of appropriation and India’s democratisation. In 1955, Queensway became Janpath (People’s Way) and Kingsway became Rajpath (Royal Way).

Kartavya Path

The New Delhi Municipal Council, the civic body of the area, unanimously approved the renaming of the central avenue from Rashtrapati Bhavan to India Gate along with the Central Vista lawns to Kartavya Path on Wednesday. It said the old name was a symbol of the colonial legacy, and that the new designation fits the symbolic value of the central ceremonial avenue.