India Gate, also known as the Delhi Memorial or the All-India War Memorial, is a magnificent sandstone arch in New Delhi dedicated to British Indian troops who died in battles fought between 1914 and 1919. India Gate, at the eastern terminus of the Rajpath (previously known as the Kingsway), is approximately 138 feet (42 metres) tall.

10 Lesser-Known Facts About India Gate

Facts about India Gate that you should know 

  1. The Duke of Connaught laid the foundation stone for India’s largest war cemeteries and memorials to troops slain in the First World War on February 10, 1921.
  2. The principal designer was Sir Edwin Lutyens. Viceroy Lord Irwin officially opened it on February 12, 1931.
  3. The entire arch rises in phases from a modest foundation of red Bharatpur stone to a massive moulding. It has etched on its walls the names of Indian troops who died in the Afghan Wars and World War I.
  4. It stands 42 metres tall and has a likeness to Paris’s ‘Arc de Triomphe.’
  5. Following independence, the Indian Army’s grave of the nameless troops was dedicated to this battle memorial.
  6. Another monument, Amar Jawan Jyoti, was built, which glows day and night under the arch to remember the country of troops who died in the Indo-Pakistan War of December 1971. Indira Gandhi, the Prime Minister of India, launched it on January 26, 1972. It has a black marble cenotaph with a rifle on its barrel and a soldier’s helmet on top.
  7. The edifice was inspired by the Mahabalipuram pavilion of the 18th century and housed a statue of King George V until 1947.
  8. The sun, which represents the British Imperial Colony, is engraved on the cornices of India Gate.
  9. Another patriotic attraction is the flags of India’s three armed forces.
  10. It is where the Indian Flag, which was formerly hosted at Rashtrapati Bhawan, is hoisted during the Republic Day procession.
  11. It’s also a favourite picnic site for those who want to relax on the lovely green grass and enjoy the boating facilities.
  • The Imperial War Graves Commission ordered several British monuments to be constructed, including India Gate (later renamed Commonwealth War Graves Commission). 
  • The architect was Sir Edwin Lutyens, an Englishman who designed numerous war memorials as well as served as the prime planner of New Delhi. 
  • In 1921, the cornerstone was laid by the Duke of Connaught, Queen Victoria’s third son.
  • The construction of the All-India War Memorial, as it was originally named, lasted until 1931, the year New Delhi was formally designated as India’s capital.

History of India Gate:

The Imperial War Graves Commission (IWGC), which was established in December 1918 under British authority for the purpose of erecting war graves and memorials to troops killed in the First World War, was responsible for the construction of the India Gate. 

The visiting Duke of Connaught lay the foundation stone of the gate, then known as the All-India War Memorial, on 10 February 1921 at 16:30, in a ceremony attended by officers and men of the British Indian Army, Imperial Service Troops, the Commander in Chief, and Viceroy Chelmsford.

“The stirring tales of individual heroism will live forever in the annals of this country,” the viceroy is said to have said at the time, adding that the memorial, which was a tribute to the memory of heroes “known and unknown,” would inspire future generations to face adversity with similar fortitude and “no less valour.”

Design And Structure of India Gate:

Sir Edwin Lutyens, not only the chief architect of New Delhi but also a member of the Imperial War Graves Commission and one of Europe’s greatest designers of war graves and monuments, created the memorial gate.

He constructed 66 war monuments across Europe, including the well-known Cenotaph in London, which was commissioned by British Prime Minister David Lloyd George in 1919 and was the first national war memorial completed following World War I.

Amar Jawan Jyoti

An installation of a reversed L1A1 Self-loading rifle, crowned with a combat helmet on a black marble podium, is located beneath the India Gate arch. Four urns with continuously burning CNG-fueled flames encircle the building, and the words “Amar Jawan” are written In Gold On Each Face Of The Cenotaph. 

It was constructed in the aftermath of Bangladesh’s liberation in December 1971 as Amar Jawan Jyoti, or Flame of the Immortal Soldier, to pay honour to Indian soldiers lost in the action.

Conclusion:

The India Gate (originally the All India Military Memorial) is a war memorial on the Rajpath on the eastern side of New Delhi’s “ceremonial axis,” formerly known as Kingsway. The All-India War Memorial, popularly known as the Delhi Memorial, is a majestic sandstone arch in New Delhi dedicated to British Indian troops who perished in engagements between 1914 and 1919. India Gate is 138 feet (42 metres) tall at the eastern end of the Rajpath (formerly known as the Kingsway).