durbar

See also: Durbar

English

Alternative forms

• darbar

Etymology

From (deprecated template usage) [etyl] Persian دربار, (deprecated template usage) [etyl] Urdu دربار (“court”).

Noun

durbar (plural durbars)

1. (historical) A ceremonial gathering held by a ruler in India.
   • 1934, George Orwell, chapter 25, in Burmese Days‎^[1]:

     A month after his retirement he was summoned to a durbar in Rangoon, to receive the decoration that had been awarded to him by the Indian Government.

   • 1990, Peter Hopkirk, The Great Game, Folio Society 2010, p. 175:

     He decided to stage a durbar on the plains outside the city, at which the Afghans would be able to express their loyalty to their new ruler.

   • 1997, Kiran Nagarkar, Cuckold, HarperCollins 2013, p. 456:

     Father had refused to see my brother privately and had chosen to speak to him at the durbar held to honour the victors of the Malwa campaign […]

2. (historical) An audience chamber.
3. (historical) The body of officials at a native court.