Places To Visit In Delhi - India Gate

 

India Gate is a war memorial located near Kartavya Road on the eastern edge of New Delhi's "ceremonial axis", formerly called Rajpath in New Delhi. Wikipedia

India Gate (previously known as the All India War Memorial) is a war memorial located near the Kartavya Road on the eastern edge of the "ceremonial axis" of New Delhi, formerly called Rajpath in New Delhi. It stands as a memorial to the 74,187 soldiers of the Indian Army who died between 1914 and 1921 in the First World War, in France, Flanders, Mesopotamia, Persia, East Africa, Gallipoli, and other parts of the Near and Far East, and the Third. Anglo-Afghan War. The names of 13,300 military personnel, including some soldiers and officers of the United Kingdom, are inscribed on the door. Designed by Sir Edwin Lutyens, the gate evokes the architectural style of ancient Roman triumphal arches, such as the Arch of Constantine in Rome, and later memorial arches; It is often compared to the Arc de Triomphe in Paris and the India Gate in Mumbai.

After the Bangladesh Liberation War in 1972, a structure consisting of a black marble pedestal with an inverted rifle, surmounted by a war helmet and outlined by four eternal flames, was built beneath the arch. This structure, called Amar Jawan Jyoti (Flame of the Immortal Soldier), has served since 1971 as the tomb of an unknown soldier in India. India Gate is counted among the largest war memorials in India and every Republic Day, the Prime Minister visits the Gate to pay tribute to Amar Jawan Jyoti, after which the Republic Day parade begins. India Gate is often a site of civil society protests and is popular with tourists.

India Gate - History: 

India Gate was part of the work of the Imperial War Graves Commission (IWGC), which was set up in December 1917 under British rule to build war graves and memorials for soldiers who died in the First World War. The foundation stone of the Gate, then called the All India War Memorial, was laid on 10 February 1921, at 4:30 p.m., by the visiting Duke of Connaught in a ceremony attended by officers and men of the Imperial Indian Army. , Imperial Service. Troops, the Commander-in-Chief, and Lord Chelmsford, the Viceroy. On occasion, the Viceroy is reported to have said: "The moving stories of individual heroism will live forever in the annals of this country", and that the monument which was a tribute to the memory of heroes, "known and unknown",, would inspire future generations to endure hardship with similar fortitude and "no less courage." The duke also read a message from the king which said: "At this place, in the central view of the capital of India, will rise a memorial arch, designed to keep", in the thoughts of future generations, "the glorious sacrifice of the officers and men of the Indian Army who fought and fell. During the ceremony, the Deccan Horse, 3rd Sappers, and Miners, 6th Jat Light Infantry, 34th Sikh Pioneers, 39th Garhwal Rifles, 59th Scinde Rifles (Frontier Force), the 117th Mahrattas and the 5th Gurkha Rifles. The land was owned by contractor Sir Sobha Singh, who helped build large tracts of New Delhi and was the main contractor.

Ten years after the foundation stone was laid on 12 February 1931, the monument was unveiled by Lord Irwin, who, on the occasion, said: "Those who after us behold this monument will be able to learn, as they reflect on its purpose, something of that sacrifice and service that "7.

The Gate, which is illuminated every night from 7:00 p.m. to 9:30 p.m., is today one of the most important tourist attractions in Delhi. Cars used to drive through the gate until it was closed to traffic. [citation needed] The Republic Day Parade starts from Rashtrapati Bhavan and passes around the India Gate. [citation needed] India Gate is often a site for civil society protests, including demonstrations in response to the 2011 anti-corruption movement.

In 2017, India Gate was twinned with the Arch of Remembrance in Leicester, England, another Lutyens war memorial, following a very similar design but on a smaller scale. In a ceremony, the Indian High Commissioner to the United Kingdom placed a wreath on the Leicester Arch, and the British High Commissioner to India placed one on the India Gate.

India Gate - Design and structure: 

The memorial gate was designed by Sir Edwin Lutyens, who was not only the chief architect of New Delhi but also a member of the Imperial War Graves Commission and one of Europe's leading designers of tombs and memorials. He designed sixty-six war memorials in Europe, including the highly regarded London Cenotaph in 1919, the first national war memorial erected after the First World War, commissioned by David Lloyd George, the British Prime Minister. The monument in New Delhi, like the cenotaph in London, is a secular monument, free of "religious and culturally specific iconography, such as crosses." Lutyens, according to his biographer Christopher Hussey, relied on the "elementary mode", a style of commemoration based on a "universal architectural style free of religious ornamentation".

India Gate, which has been called a "creative reworking of the Arc de Triomphe", has a span of 30 feet (9.1 m) across the largest opening and stands at the eastern axial end of Kingsway, the present Kartavya Path, the center. View and the main route of the ceremonial procession in New Delhi. The 42-metre-high (138 ft) India Gate stands on a low base of red Bharatpur stone and rises in stages to a massive cornice above a frieze with sunburst motifs. The shallow domed bowl at the top was intended to be filled with burning oil on anniversaries, but this is rarely done. m2 (3,290,000 square feet) of area.[citation needed]

The structure of the Gateway of India is oblong, with a large arch on each of the four faces, but the arches on the long sides are larger and taller. The arches on the shorter sides are blocked at the bottom, with doors, but open higher up. Technically, the four arches make the building a tetrapile. There is a large stone ornament above the blocked bottom of the arches on the shorter sides. Moldings surround the building on the levels from which both sizes of arch rise, and the keystones of the arches project slightly. The top of the keystones of the short-side arches touch the bottom of the molding at the base level of the tallest long-side arches. The ceilings and the undersides of the arches are decorated with well-spaced coffered ceilings.

India Gate - Inscriptions: 

The cornice of India Gate is inscribed with imperial suns, while both sides of the arch have INDIA, flanked by the dates MCMXIV ('1914'; left) and MCMXIX ('1919'; right). Below the word INDIA, in capital letters, is inscribed:

To the dead of the Indian armies who fell and are honored in France and Flanders, Mesopotamia and Persia, East Africa, Gallipoli and other places in the Near and Far East and in the Holy Memory also of those whose names are here recorded and who fell in India. on the Northwest Frontier and during the Third Afghan War.

13,313 names are engraved, of which 12,357 are Indian. Access to read the names on the memorial is restricted, although they can be viewed on the Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC) website, which lists the names with their respective date of death, name of unit, regiment, and place in the door where the name is inscribed. , location, and other information). 

References From Wikipedia

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India Gate - People also ask

What is India Gate famous for?

India Gate is counted amongst the largest war memorials in India and every Republic Day, the Prime Minister visits the Gate to pay their tributes to the Amar Jawan Jyoti, following which the Republic Day parade starts. India Gate is often a location for civil society protests and is popular with tourists.

Is India Gate a memorial?

A War Memorial to the brave Gurkhas and soldiers of the Indian Army.

Can we visit India Gate at night?

Since this iconic monument is situated on an open square, there are no timing restrictions as such. The monument is open all day on all days of the week. However, the best time to visit India Gate is between 07:00 PM and 09:30 PM. The timings for the light show at India Gate is between 07:00 PM and 09:30 PM.

How can I see India Gate?

India Gate is located 5 km from New Delhi Railway Station and can be easily visited by the following modes of transport: HOHO Bus. Delhi Metro: Take a Delhi Metro to Udyog Bhawan and take an auto-rickshaw to India Gate.

Why do tourists visit India Gate?

This monument is a lasting tribute to the bravery of Indian Army soldiers with over 13,000 names etched on its walls to honor their memory and valor. This tourist destination exemplifies unity, valor, and remembrance as it reminds us of the courage that has been displayed by our soldiers.

Why do we love India Gate?

Visiting this place revives history. We get to learn a lot about the then-Indian soldiers who fought and sacrificed their lives for the sake of our country. India Gate is a war memorial and was established by the British to honor the Indian soldiers who died fighting for them in World War I.

Is a camera allowed in India Gate?

Photography charges- Photography is allowed at India Gate. Visitors are free to take photographs of the monument and the surrounding areas

What is the best time to visit India Gate?

The monument is open all day on all days of the week. However, the best time to visit India Gate is between 07:00 PM and 09:30 PM. The timings for the light show at India Gate is between 07:00 PM and 09:30 PM.

Is a picnic allowed in India Gate?

With layers of top-quality grass now adorning the greens, activities like picnics on the grass immediately adjacent to India Gate will not be allowed.