Introduction

India Gate is one of the “Must” places to visit in Delhi. It is 1914 – the onset of the First World War. The great European powers are divided into two major coalitions – the Allied Powers and the Central Powers.

The British Empire is one of the major players in the Allied Powers. The British army is comprised entirely of volunteers at the beginning of the war.

India, a British colony at the time, has one of the biggest volunteer armies in the world with over 200,000 men. Several troops are sent to fight overseas, while others stay back to guard the frontiers of the country.

Through the course of the war, over 74,000 Indian soldiers lose their lives. The Imperial War Graves Commission, now known as the Commonwealth War Graves Commission is founded in 1917 to commemorate those who lost their lives in the wars.

As a part of their work, the construction of the India Gate commences in 1921. On completion in 1931, the memorial is inaugurated by the then Viceroy and Governor-General of India, Lord Irwin.

Architecture

The India Gate was designed by Sir Edwin Lutyens, an Englishman who is also known for designing the Rashtrapati Bhavan as well as the city of New Delhi. He has also designed over 50 other war memorials around the world.

Though a war memorial, the design of the India Gate is very similar to several triumphal arches, most notably, the Arc de Triomphe of Paris. The arch stands 42 metres high and is made of a combination of red and yellow sandstone.

Though the foundation stone for the All-India War Memorial was laid in 1921, its construction was completed only by 1931. It was also this year that New Delhi was named the capital of the country.

Inscription

At the top of the arch of the India Gate, the word ‘India’ is inscribed at the centre. On its left and right, the years 1914 and 1919 are inscribed in Roman numerals.

Inscribed below these is a passage that reads

“To the dead of the Indian armies who fell and are honoured in France and Flanders, Mesopotamia and Persia, East Africa, Gallipoli and elsewhere in the Near and the Far East and in sacred memory also of those whose names are here recorded and who fell in India on the north west frontier and during the Third Afghan War”.

Other surfaces of the arch are inscribed with the names of the deceased.

Amar Jawan Jyoti

After the Indo-Pakistan war of 1971, the Amar Jawan Jyoti, or the “Flame of the immortal soldier” was constructed at the base of the India Gate.

The memorial comprises of a cenotaph or empty tomb at the centre with the words ‘Amar Jawan’ inscribed on all four sides. On top of the tomb stands a rifle pointing towards the tomb. A army helmet caps the rifle, denoting the Unknown Soldier.

Towards each of the four corners of the tomb lies an urn. One of these urns has a perpetually burning flame, to symbolize immortality. The flames in the other urns are lit only on Indian Independence Day and Republic Day.

Trivia

The India Gate is lit up every evening from 7:00 pm to 9:30 pm