Atal

Atal is a masculine given name of Indian origin. In Sanskrit and Hindi, atal means steadfast, unyielding, or immovable. The name is used in India and among the Indian diaspora and can appear in various compound names or titles.

The most prominent bearer is Atal Bihari Vajpayee (1924–2018), an Indian statesman, poet, and journalist who served as prime minister of India in 1996 and again from 1998 to 2004. He was a founder of the Bharatiya Janata Party and was awarded the Bharat Ratna, India's highest civilian award, in 2015.

The name is also associated with a major infrastructure project named after Vajpayee: the Atal Rohtang Tunnel, commonly referred to as the Atal Tunnel, which opened in 2020 in Himachal Pradesh to provide all-weather road connectivity between Manali and the Lahaul-Spiti district. It is one of the longest road tunnels in India.

Beyond individuals and the tunnel, Atal is used as a given name in Indian communities and appears in various cultural contexts.