Bharat SainiLast Updated on March 21, 2019 by Bharat Saini
National War Memorial that commemorates the sacrifices made by Indian soldiers in major wars post independence, spread over an area of approximately 40 acres in India Gate complex behind Canopy in the heart of capital of India, comprises four concentric circles, namely- Amar Chakra, Veerta Chakra, Tyag Chakra and Rakshak Chakra with names of 25942 soldiers inscribed in golden letters on granite tablets, was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday 25 February 2019, nearly 60 years after it was mooted to honour the fallen soldiers after Independence.
Prime Minister lit the eternal flame, to mark the dedication of the the National War Memorial in New Delhi, to the nation. Rose petals were showered by IAF helicopters and a fly-past in ‘Missing Man’ formation was also part of the event.
Prime Minister, earlier, addressing a large rally of Ex-Servicemen, said that it is the result of the valour and dedication of lakhs of soldiers that the Indian Army is today considered among the strongest in the world and added, that the soldiers have been the first line of defence, both against enemies, and against natural disasters.
National War Memorial
National War Memorial has been built, a cost of ₹176 crore, as a tribute to the soldiers killed during Indo-China War in 1962, Indo-Pak Wars in 1947, 1965 and 1971, Kargil Conflict in 1999, and Indian Peace Keeping Force Operations in Sri Lanka.
- Government sanctioned the project of National War Memorial at C-Hexagon and National War Museum at Princess Park on 18 December 2015 and actual work on it started in February 2018.
- Memorial has a new eternal flame positioned at the bottom of a 15.5 metre tall main obelisk.
- Existing eternal flame at the Amar Jawan Jyoti will continue to burn
- Memorial’s 16 walls having names of 25942 soldiers inscribed in golden letters on granite tablets arranged in a circular pattern, symbolizing the ancient Indian war formation
- Main structure has been built in the form of four concentric circles, each chakra signifying different values of the armed forces:
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- Amar Chakra (circle of immortality) comprises a15-metre tall obelisk and the eternal flame.
- Veerta Chakra (circle of bravery) comprises of six bronze murals Six murals, made by noted sculptor Ram Sutar, depicting famous battles fought by the Army, Air Force and Navy have been put up in its gallery.
- Tyag Chakra (circle of sacrifice) holds the names of 25942 battle casualties which have been written on a 1.5 metre wall.
- Rakshak Chakra (circle of protection) is the outermost tier Suraksha Chakra comprising 695 trees with each tree representing many soldiers who guard the territorial integrity of the nation round the clock.
- Memorial complex also comprises graphic panels and stone murals.
- Param Yoddha Sthal has busts of the 21 awardees of Param Veer Chakra which include three living awardees Sub Maj (Hony Capt) Bana Singh (Retd), Sub Major Yogendra Singh Yadav and Sub Sanjay Kumar.
- Memorial’s entire stonework including the obelisk has been done by Star Mercantile of Kishore Kapur.
Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said the county now has “one more pilgrimage place” where citizens can come to pay homage to our brave soldiers, and added, “It has been wonderfully designed such that it homogenously merges with the surrounding; giving an impression that it existed ever since long. We can proudly say there is one more pilgrimage place for us Indians. We expect every citizen will pay a visit to this memorial to pay homage to our brave soldiers”.
“After World War I and the conflict in Afghanistan-Waziristan, a memorial was built in the pre-Independence era in the form of the India Gate. In 1972, the Amar Jwan Jyoti was built underneath it to commemorate the Indo-Pak conflict of 1971”.
National War Memorial also commemorates the soldiers who participated and made supreme sacrifice in the UN Peace Keeping Missions, during Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) Operations, counter-insurgency operations and Low Intensity Capital Operation (LICO), the minister said.
