- Inauguration will be held on Friday in the presence of the Governor, Chief Minister & Deputy CM
The newly constructed Darbar Hall at Raj Bhavan in Mumbai will be inaugurated by The President of India Ramnath Kovind, in Mumbai on 11th February 2022 at 11 am. The first lady of India Savita Kovind, The Governor of Maharashtra Bhagat Singh Koshiyari, Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray, Deputy CM Ajit Dada Pawar, PWD Minister Ashok Chavan, and selected invitees will attend the inaugural event. Earlier, the President of India was slated to be inaugurated Darbar Hall on 8th December 2021 but due to the sad demise of Chief of Defence Staff of the Indian Armed Forces, Bipin Rawat, the event was postponed.
The new Durbar Hall in the Raj Bhavan is built on the same site as the old Durbar Hall with a seating capacity of 750, whereas old hall had a seating capacity of 225. While retaining the heritage features of the old hall, the new hall has been given extra features with a balcony as well as a sea view gallery.
The Durbar Hall was built during the visit of King George V and Queen Mary of England to India in 1911. It was designed by the then architect George Wittet. After independence, the Durbar Hall of the Raj Bhavan was used for swearing-in ceremonies, government functions, police medal ceremonies, delegation visits as well as small and large cultural events.
Interior grandeur of Durbar Hall
It may be noted that Arcietect George Wittet designed some of Mumbai’s best-known landmarks: the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Saghralaya, the Gateway of India, the Institute of Science, the Small Causes Court at Dhobitalao, the Wadia Maternity Hospital, Bombay House, the King Edward Memorial Hospital, the Grand Hotel and other buildings at the Ballard Estate, by the Mumbai Docks.
The old Durbar hall that stood for more than a century was dilapidated due to sea waves and storms. Therefore, it was decided by the government to stop its use in 2016 and decided to build a new high-capacity Durbar Hall in its place. Construction of the new Durbar Hall started in 2019. However, due to the eruption of Covid19, the pace of construction slowed down considerably.
History of the Darbar Hall: The Darbar or audience hall, on a rectangular plan, was constructed in 1911, between Jal Bhushan and the Secretariat. Its portico edges on the underground passage which leads towards the southern tip and after skirting the periphery terminate below Jal Chintan near the Devi temple. When the investiture ceremony of Governor Shri Sri Prakash was held here on 10th December 1956, the hall was known as Jal Naik. In continuing a tradition, the hall when complete was referred to as the Darbar Hall, a nomenclature that emulated the native states to whom it came with a distinct connotation.
The hall has all the required trappings of an audience hall. As a backdrop for the dais and on the wall facing the dais were two large paintings with the tree of life motif. With an evolving socio-political scenario today, the Governor is required to preside over several functions including investiture ceremonies, and the Darbar Hall, the Jal Sabhagriha, remains the most active area of the Raj Bhavan.
Editor in Chief : Mewati SItaram
