New Delhi: The National War Memorial, built to honour Indian soldiers who fell while defending the country after Independence, will be dedicated to the nation on Monday by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
The names of 25,942 Armed Force men, who died in the service of the nation after 15th August 1947, are inscribed on the walls of the memorial in golden letters. The entire stonework of the memorial, including the obelisk, was done by Star Mercantile of Mr Kishore Kapur.
As of now, the wreath lying ceremonies to honour the Indian soldiers will be held at the National War Memorial and not at the India Gate. A retreat ceremony will be held every evening at the memorial, which has been constructed adjacent to the India Gate complex on the Rajpath in the national capital.
Till date, there was no National War Memorial in memory of the soldiers who died while defending the nation after 1947. The India Gate was built by the British to honour the 83,000 British Indian Army soldiers who died during World War I and the third Anglo-Afghan War.
The National War Memorial has a 15.5 metre tall central obelisk in the centre and on its base there will be an eternal flame, which will be lit by the PM on Monday. However, the flame for the memorial will not be brought from the Amar Jawan Jyoti as was earlier anticipated. There will also be a separate “Param Yodha Sthal” dedicated to the nation’s highest gallantry award “Param Vir Chakra” recipients.
The National War Memorial has a layout of four landscaped concentric circles spread over 40 acres. At the centre is the Amar Chakra (circle of immortality), which has an obelisk with an “eternal flame.”
Following it is the Veer Chakra (circle of bravery), a covered gallery that exhibits six murals crafted in bronze depicting the valiant battles of the Armed Forces.
