Prime Minister Narendra Modi dedicated the National War Memorial in New Delhi to the citizens of the country On Monday. Spread over 40 acres, the memorial is a commemoration of Indian soldiers who have been killed in battle since India gained Independence in 1947.
The Indian government has released a video of a visual tour.
The memorial is built inside the India Gate complex and will house a new eternal flame. PTI reported that this will not have any effect on Amar Jawan Jyoti which is symbolized an inverted bayonet and soldier’s helmet over it with an eternal flame burning beside it.
The names of 25,942 Indian soldiers who have lost their lives have been inscribed across 16 walls. The memorial can accommodate up to 250 visitors at a time.
War Memorial marks the great martyrdom
- More than 25,000 soldiers have died during the Indo-China War in 1962, the Indo-Pakistan wars in 1947, 1965 and 1971 and the conflict in Kargil in 1999.
- The National Memorial also commemorates the soldiers who died in United Nations peace-keeping missions, Humanitarian Assistance Disaster Relief (HADR) operations and counter insurgency operations.
- Built at a cost of Rs. 171 Crore, the memorial has a 15.5 metre tall tower, with an eternal flame and 16 circular walls of honour on which names of 25,942 martyrs have been written in gold on granite walls. The pattern of the walls symbolizes, “Chakravyuh“, the ancient Indian war formation.
- The design of the memorial comprises four concentric circles, namely the “Amar Chakra” or Circle of Immortality, the “Veerta Chakra” or Circle of Bravery, the “Tyag Chakra” or Circle of Sacrifice and the “Rakshak Chakra” or Circle of Protection.
Statues of the 21 Param Vir Chakra awardees have been installed at the Param Yoddha Sthal and include those of three living awardees – Retired Subedar Major Bana Singh, Subedar Major Yogendra Singh Yadav and Subedar Sanjay Kumar.
