durbar

[dur-bahr]

noun (in India)

the court of a native ruler.

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

the hall or place of audience.

the audience itself.

Nearby words

Origin of durbar

1600–10; alteration of Urdu darbār court < Persian, equivalent to dar door + bār entry

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for durbar

In 1979 the Durbar Square of each city was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Nepal Old and New: Kathmandu Valley’s Royal Cities Get a Facelift|Condé Nast Traveler|August 19, 2013|DAILY BEAST
This fort commands the valley of Katmandu, and the Durbar therefore thought it advisable to treat as speedily as possible.
A Journey to Katmandu|Laurence Oliphant
Out in the garden two or three hundred soldiers were drawn up: it was a military Durbar.
At the Court of the Amr|John Alfred Gray
A durbar is, as you no doubt remember, a levee or reception.
The Great Round World and What Is Going On In It, Vol. 1, No. 58, December 16, 1897|Various

In the centre of a wide street of tents were those set apart for the purposes of the Durbar.
History of the War in Afghanistan, Vol. I (of 3)|Sir John William Kaye
The opinion of the Amr, delivered in open Durbar, is the keynote from which all tunes are played.
At the Court of the Amr|John Alfred Gray

British Dictionary definitions for durbar

durbar

noun

(formerly) the court of a native ruler or a governor in India and British Colonial West Africa
a levee at such a court

Word Origin for durbar

C17: from Hindi darbār court, from Persian, from dar door + bār entry, audience

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012