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India Gate " Delhi"
India Gate is a 42 m high majestic war memorial
built in commemoration of the World War-I martyrs. Thousands of
Indian soldiers sacrificed their lives fighting for the British
in the war. Stood right at the heart of New Delhi, this popular
tourist site of the city was a creation of the great British architect
and designer Sir Edward Lutyens. It was His Royal Highness, the
Duke of Connaught who laid the foundation stone of India Gate in
1921. Ten years later the monument was dedicated to the nation by
the then Voiceroy, Lord Irwin.
The war memorial stands facing the great Rashtrapati
Bhavan (House of the President), from the other end of the Rajpath.
Every wall of this war memorial is covered with names of thousands
of soldiers who laid down their lives during the World War-I. A
vast expanse of green lawn surrounded the complex. The site forms
a favorite picnic spot and hoards of people come here for relaxation
during summer. One can see number of local vendors selling ice creams,
balloons and other food items here. At sunset the place is lit up
intensely with floodlights and colorful fountains.
Another memorial-Amar Jawan Jyoti (eternal flame)
was added to this site much later in the form of a flame that keeps
burning day and night in memory of the Indian soldiers who laid
down their lives fighting the Pakistanis in the Indo-Park War of
December 1971.
The entire arch of the Gate stands on a low platform
of red sandstone and rises to a huge molding. At the top is inscribed
the word INDIA on both the sides of this war memorial, flanked by
MCM and to the right XIX. There is a sallow dome bowl above intended
to be filled with burning oil on anniversaries but it is rarely
used.
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