India Gate is located in the centre of the National Capital, New Delhi on Rajpath. India Gate is a war memorial built for the war heroes of the World War I and the Afghan Heroes. Later, the commemorative names and messages were also put for the war heroes of 1971 Bangladesh Liberation War.
History
It was originally called the All India War Memorial and was designed by the famous war memorial designer Edwin Lutyens in 1921. The structure inscribed at least 13,300 names of the people including soldiers and officers of the World War I and the Afghan war who fought in various parts of the world.
Architecture
India Gate represents the perfect architecture style of the Europe and India. It resembles with the Arc de Triomphe of Paris and the style of Mahabalipuram architecture of India. The India Gate is 42 meters tall and has a radius of 625 meters. The covering area of the architectural excellence is around 306,000 square meter. It is built in a Hexagonal Complex structure with Bharatpur Stones used at the lower base. A mounting top has been placed on the rise of the base in India Gate. At the top, a message is inscribed to dedicate this war memorial to the dead of the wars.
Amar Jawan Jyoti
Amar Jawan Jyoti or the Flame of the Immortal soldier is a black marble plinth which is erected under the India Gate. This has a reversed L1A1 self-loading rifle which is capped by a war helmet, and bound by four urns. This was originally inaugurated on 23rd Republic Day in 1972 after the Liberation War of Bangladesh. However, since then, it has been the Tomb of the Unknown Soldiers and is dedicated to all the soldiers who sacrifice their lives for the Nation.
Importance
India Gate is no longer a war memorial for the Indians. This is more of a sentiment and pride. This structure represents the unselfish contribution of the Indian Army to the people and the mother land. The park adjoining the India Gate is also a popular local gateway. India Gate is situated at the opposite of the President House and on the Rajpath, the celebration parade of 26th January takes place. This is also a popular tourist destination and thousands of people from various countries come to visit the India Gate and pay their homage.