India Gate

India Gate (Hindi: इंडिया गेट) is a Memorial Arch that was erected to commemorate the 90,000 Indian soldiers, of the erstwhile British Indian Army, who died in World War I and the Afghan Wars. Designed by Edwin Lutyens and constructed by Sir Sobha Singh in 1921, India Gate is one of the largest war memorials in India. Situated in the heart of New Delhi, India Gate was originally known as The All India War Memorial.

Following India's independence, India Gate became the site of the Indian Army's Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, known as the Amar Jawan Jyoti (Immortal Soldier). Originally, a Statue of King George V had stood under the now-vacant canopy in front of the India Gate; the Statue now stands in Coronation Park.

The Shrine of the Amar Jawan Jyoti

Burning in a shrine under the arch of India Gate, since 1971, is the Amar Jawan Jyoti (the flame of the immortal warrior) which marks the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. The shrine itself is a black marble cenotaph with a rifle placed on its barrel, crested by a soldier's helmet. Each face of the cenotaph has inscribed in gold the words "Amar Jawan" (Immortal Warrior).

This cenotaph is itself placed on an edifice which has on its four corners four torches that are perpetually kept alive. It was unveiled on January 26, 1972 by the then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, in the wake of the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971.

Today, it is customary for the President and the Prime Minister, as well as visiting Guests of State, to pay homage at the site on occasions of State ceremonies, and each Republic Day, 26 January, the Prime Minister pays homage to the soldiers along with Heads of Armed Forces, before joining the annual parade at the Rajpath.

Site

The 42-metre tall India Gate is situated such that many important roads spread out from it. Traffic passing around India Gate used to be continuous until the roads were closed to the public due to terrorist threats.

The lawns around Rajpath are thronged by people during the evening, when the India Gate is lit up.

Edited from India Gate article at Wikipedia [1]