India Gate

India Gate is at the centre of New Delhi, which almost resembles “Arc-de-Triomphe” of Paris. It is 42 meters tall and commemorates the 70,000 soldiers who lost their life fighting for the British Army during the First World War. This memorial bears the names of more than 13,516 British and Indian soldiers killed in the Northwestern Frontier in the Afgan war of 1919. 

The foundation stone of India Gate was laid by the Duke of Connaught in 1921 and it was designed by Edwin Lutyens. The monument was dedicated to the nation 10 years later by the then Viceroy, Lord Irwin.

The entire arch stands on a low base of red Bharatpur stone and rises in stages to a huge molding. The cornice is inscribed with the Imperial signs while both sides of the arch have INDIA, flanked by the dates MCMXIV (1914 left) and MCMXIX (1919 right). The shallow domed bowl at the top was intended to be filled with burning oil on anniversaries although it is rarely done.

When India got its independence another memorial was added to India Gate. It is called Amar Jawan Jyoti. Here an eternal flame burns day and night for the entire year as a mark of respect to those soldiers who laid down their lives in the India-Pakistan war of December 1971. The Amar Jawan Jyoti is made up of black marble and has a gun and a soldier’s cap on top of it.

During nightfall, India Gate is dramatically floodlit while the fountains nearby make a lovely display with coloured lights. India Gate stands at one end of Rajpath, and the area surrounding it is generally referred to as 'India Gate'.