The long overdue National War Memorial India finally got inaugurated by the Prime Minister of India in February this year. The memorial is established to honor the sacrifices of more than 25,000 soldiers who laid down their lives in military battles post-independence. In order to bring forth the sheer valor and dedication displayed by the martyred soldiers, special circular walls are constructed displaying the names of each of the soldiers who lost their lives while fighting for their country. A 15 m tall tower carrying an eternal flame is also built inside the memorial to immortalize the sacrifices of Indian soldiers.
The project was first proposed in the year 1960 by the armed forces of India but the project could not see the light of the day due to insufficient funding and change of governments. It was only after continuous requests from the Indian army and families of martyred army men that the project got approved in 2015. The whole project cost around ₹176 Crore and the construction work began after years of careful planning regarding the location and design of the project. A special competition was organized in April 2016 to select the best design for the war memorial and its construction took off in the year 2017. The memorial was to be inaugurated in the month of August in 2018 but the construction work got delayed and the structure was completed in January 2019.
The memorial is built over an area of 40 acres and resembles a labyrinth which depicts round the clock protection inferred by the Indian army The structure has four circles symbolizing the definitive attributes of the India army. Amar Chakra comprises of the main structure of the memorial with the eternal flame to signify immortality. Veerta Chakra is made of bronze highlighting the six important wars fought by the three armed forces of India. Tyag Chakra denotes sacrifice and pays tribute to the martyred army men with their names inscribed in gold and granite. The fourth chakra is the Rakshak chakra which has about seven hundred tall trees and stands for protection provided by the soldiers serving in the Indian army.
Next to the main memorial building lies Param Yoddha Sthal built to honor the soldiers awarded with Param Vir Chakra. It has statues of 21 soldiers who were awarded for their exceptional bravery and courage during the military battles. Besides being a revered point of interests for visitors and tourists, the memorial is also expected to be the venue for conducting important events for the armed forces. The memorial will soon be decked with artificial lighting and a special walking area for visitors in the evenings. Special electronic panels are also proposed to be set up at the memorial to let the visitors pay obeisance. A separate War Museum is also proposed to be set up at Princess Park near National War Memorial which is expected to generate more visitors at the memorial.
Venue
National War Memorial is located near India Gate, the famous heritage monument of New Delhi. You can easily reach the memorial by taking a metro from Central Secretariat.
Timings
The Memorial remains open on all days of the week. The timings for visitors used to be from 9 am to 6:30 pm but from April, the visitor timing will be extended by an hour and the memorial will close at 7:30 pm. However, on some days the memorial might remain closed and it would be best to inquire about the right day to visit from the official website of National War Memorial.
Entry Fee
There is no entry fee to visit to the memorial.
Visit Duration
45 minutes
Nearby Attractions
- India Gate
- Rashtrapati Bhavan
- Humayun’s Tomb
- Rajpath
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