India Gate

India Gate, formerly known as the All India War Memorial, is a prominent war memorial situated on the eastern edge of the ceremonial axis of New Delhi, India, officially known as Kartavya Path. The memorial bears the names of more than 13,516 British and Indian soldiers who were killed on the Northwestern Frontier in the Afghan War (1919). It stands as a memorial commemorating 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 the Third Anglo-Afghan War. Around 13,300 servicemen’s names, including those of some British soldiers and officers, are inscribed on the gate. Designed by Edwin Lutyens, the memorial draws inspiration from ancient Roman triumphal arches such as the Arch of Constantine and is frequently compared to the Arc de Triomphe in Paris.

Following the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971, a memorial structure comprising a black marble plinth, a reversed rifle capped with a war helmet, and surrounded by four eternal flames was established beneath the archway. Known as the Amar Jawan Jyoti (Flame of the Immortal Soldier), it served as India’s Tomb of the Unknown Soldier from 1971 to 2022. It was customary for the Prime Minister of India and other dignitaries to pay tribute at this site during major national occasions, including Republic Day. In January 2022, the eternal flame at Amar Jawan Jyoti was ceremonially merged with the eternal flame at the National War Memorial, located nearby. India Gate is counted among the largest war memorials in India and remains an important national landmark. It is also a prominent public space, frequently visited by tourists and historically associated with civil society gatherings and protests.