Spread over a vast expanse of 40 acres at the India Gate complex, the National War Memorial opening comes at a time when the country is mourning its 40 CRPF jawans who were martyred in the devastating Pulwama terror attack.
Prime Minister dedicated the National War Memorial at the iconic India Gate complex in New Delhi to the fallen soldiers who laid their lives in the several wars India has fought since Independence as rose petals were showered on the newly built structure.
Spread over a vast expanse of 40 acres at the India Gate complex, the National War Memorial opening comes at a time when the country is mourning its 40 CRPF jawans who were martyred in the devastating Pulwama terror attack.
Speaking at the inauguration with Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman by his side, PM Modi said, “For seven decades since Independence, the country didn’t have a memorial for our fallen heroes. In the last decade there were one or two attempts but nothing concrete could happen, with the help of your blessing we started the process in 2014.”
After the inaugural address at the National Stadium, PM Modi walked to the National War Memorial at the India Gate complex along with Sitharaman and inaugurated the monument.
Helicopters rained rose petals on the National War Memorial and a fly-past in the ‘Missing Man’ formation was also seen at the event on Monday as PM Modi inaugurated the memorial at the India Gate complex.
The Rs 176 crore project stands tall at the India Gate complex along with the Amar Jawan Jyoti, which in itself is a memorial for those martyred in the 1971 Indo-Pak war.
The National War Memorial fire will continue to burn in the memory of the martyrs just like the Amar Jawan Jyoti that was built in 1972.
The National War Memorial bears the name, rank and regiment of the 25,942 fallen soldiers. The names have been inscribed on the 16 walls of the memorial complex.
The memorial is a tribute to the soldiers who laid down their lives in the 1962 Indo-China War, Indo-Pak Wars in 1947, 1965 and 1971, Indian Peace Keeping Force Operations in Sri Lanka and in the Kargil Conflict in 1999.
Inspired by the ‘chakravyuh’ military formation mentioned in the Mahabharata, the National War Memorial has four concentric circles the tall obelisk standing at the centre that bears the eternal flame in the memory of the fallen soldiers of the country.
The four concentric circles have been named ‘Amar Chakra’ or the Circle of Immortality, ‘Veerta Chakra’ or Circle of Bravery, ‘Tyag Chakra’ or Circle of Sacrifice and ‘Rakshak Chakra’ or the Circle of Protection.
The memorial also has six bronze murals, made by ace sculptor Ram Sutar. These sculptures depict the famous battles fought by the Army, Air Force and Navy and have been put up in a gallery in the Veerta Chakra zone.
A day before the National War Memorial inauguration, PM Modi expressed pain and surprise that such a monument never existed in the country before this, TOI reported.
