India Gate , Delhi

India Gate, Delhi

India Gate, were originally called as All India War Memorial is both the pride and sorrow of Delhi. This 42 m high India gate stands in the center of New Delhi as an archway in the middle of a cross road. This was built as its French counterpart “Arc de triomphe” in Paris.
It commemorates the 90,000 Indian soldiers who fought bravely for the British Army during the World War I and lost their lives. The memorial has names inscribed on its wall, of more 13,500 British and Indian soldiers killed in Afghanistan during the war. The foundation stone for this imposing structure was laid down by His Royal Highness, The Duke of Connaught in 1921 and was designed by an experienced architect, Edwin Lutyens , who had an experience of building so many like monuments before. 10 years later the then viceroy, Lord Irwin dedicated it to the nation. This historical monument is constructed in hexagon shape with a diameter of 625 meters, covers approximately an area of 306,000m².

Major attractions :

Besides names of the soldiers written on the gate, a huge letter words of INDIA is on both sides with years of the war.

Canopy : About 150 meters east of the India Gate stands the controversial (?) canopy constructed using Delhi order columns with a height of 73 ft. The canopy was build for the purpose of placing the statue of King George V, but later it was removed from there.

Amar Jawan Jyothi : It means the flame of the immortal soldier, was added much later after Independence to remind our brave soldiers who laid down their lives in the Indo- Pak war of December 1971. This is a black marble plinth, with reversed rifle; a war helmet over it. The sides of the Amar Jyoti is lighted permanently with CNG flames. Since its inauguration in 1972, it has served as ‘India’s tomb of the Unknown Soldier’. (The construction of another building ‘ National War Memorial and National War Museum’ is under consideration of Indian government and expected to cost Rs. 400 crores).

During nightfall, the building blows majestically and provide a grand feast to the eyes. The illumination and the floodlit while the fountains nearby make a lovely display with colored lights formulate an awesome outlook to this historic building. The Large expanse of lush green lawns around the India Gate make it a popular picnic spot.

How to reach :

You can use any of the following means to reach the destination. Indira Gandhi International airport is very near to this site and can hire a taxi or board a bus. From within India domestic flights are available to Delhi. There are many bus terminals and metro, rail stations at you service and pick you to India Gate.

Visiting Time

Opening timings for India Gate:
All days of the week : 5:00 AM - 12:00 AM
Best Time To Visit India Gate Summers are the best time to visit India gate.

Entry Fee

No Entry Fee