durbar

American  

[dur-bahr] / ˈdɜr bɑr /

noun

1. the court of an Indian ruler.

2. a public audience or levee held by an Indian prince or by a British colonial governor or viceroy; an official reception.

3. the hall or place where an Indian prince or British colonial governor holds a public audience.

4. an audience held by an Indian prince or British colonial governor.

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durbar British  

/ ˌdɜːˈbɑː, ˈdɜːbɑː /

noun

1. 1. (formerly) the court of a native ruler or a governor in India and British Colonial West Africa

   2. a levee at such a court

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Etymology

Origin of durbar

First recorded in 1600–10; alteration of Urdu darbār “court,” from Persian, equivalent to dar “door” + bār “entry”

Example Sentences

After a short-lived career teaching geography, Holden had looked forward to his Arabian posting, but he hadn't expected to be attending a garden durbar in honour of Queen Victoria's appointment as Empress of India.

From BBC • Jun. 21, 2025

He was dismantled and taken to the place where he attended the Delhi durbar on becoming Emperor of India in 1911.

From BBC • Jun. 25, 2020

Instead of agreeing enthusiastically, as a maharajah in the 19th century would at Queen Victoria’s durbar, Modi wanted something in return.

From The Guardian • Mar. 9, 2018

In the French television serial “Rani,” the opulence of Indian royalty and of the French 18th-century aristocracy are recreated with as much pomp as Chanel’s more exclusive durbar.

From New York Times • Dec. 22, 2011

Grand durbar at the Maharajah's palace in the evening.

From The Last Voyage to India and Australia, in the 'Sunbeam' by Pritchett, R. T. (Robert Taylor)