Mughal Garden, in Delhi University, renamed after Buddha

The university’s move came a day before the iconic Mughal Gardens at the Rashtrapati Bhavan were rechristened Amrit Udyan.

The Mughal Garden at the Delhi University has been renamed the Gautam Buddha Centenary Garden, according to a notification issued by the varsity last week.

A letter dated February 10, 2022, issued by the secretary of the DU garden committee, identified the garden in front of the vice-chancellor’s office as the Mughal Garden. (Photo courtesy: DU website)

“The competent authority of university of Delhi has approved the name of the Garden (opposite the Viceregal lodge) with the statue of Gautam Buddha in its centre as ‘Gautam Buddha Centenary Garden’,” the January 27 notification, issued by registrar Vikas Gupta, said.

The university’s move came a day before the iconic Mughal Gardens at the Rashtrapati Bhavan were rechristened Amrit Udyan.

According to Gupta, the garden at DU was never formally given the name Mughal Garden. “The notification was issued as per the centenary celebrations of the university. In none of our records is the garden identified as Mughal Garden. We have named the garden since it has a statue of Lord Buddha,” he said.

However, there are several examples of the garden being called “Mughal Garden” in official university documents, and even on its website.

A letter dated February 10, 2022, issued by the secretary of the DU garden committee to college principals, for example, identified the garden in front of the vice-chancellor’s office as the Mughal Garden. The university’s annual flower show took place in the same garden last year.

“This is to inform you that the 64th Annual Flower show of the University of Delhi is scheduled to be held on 4th March 2022 at the Mughal Garden (in front of V-C’s office) University of Delhi,” the February 10 letter stated.

The garden also find a mention on the university website, where it is identified as a popular destination. “The university gardens have several landscape elements. A popular destination for students, teachers, and the public is the famous Mughal Garden,” the website says.

Abha Dev Habib, who teaches physics at Miranda House, said that the exercise was an attempt to rewrite history. “The name Mughal comes from a certain architectural style. Even the gardens at the Rashtrapati Bhavan were renamed recently. This move is another attempt to rewrite history,” said Habib.