Recently the Prime Minister paid homage to the fallen soldiers at the newly-built National War Memorial in New Delhi on Republic Day for the first time instead of the Amar Jawan Jyoti beneath the India Gate arch.
About the War Memorial
- The memorial complex is in harmony with the existing layout and symmetry of the majestic Rajpath and Central Vista.
- Apart from the main memorial, there is a dedicated area for busts of soldiers who have been conferred with ‘Param Vir Chakra,’ the nation’s highest gallantry award.
- The memorial has distinct scheme of concentric circles:
- ‘Amar Chakra’: Circle of Immortality.This has an Obelisk with Eternal Flame. The flame symbolises the immortality of the spirit of fallen soldiers with the assurance that the Nation will never forget their sacrifices.
- ‘Veerta Chakra’: Circle of Bravery. A covered gallery that exhibits six murals crafted in bronze depicting valiant battle actions of our Armed Forces.
- ‘Tyag Chakra’: Circle of Sacrifice. The circular concentric walls of honour, which symbolise the ancient war formation ‘Chakravyuh’. The walls are clad with granite tablets where an independent granite tablet is dedicated to each soldier who has made the supreme sacrifice where his name is etched in golden letters.
- ‘Rakshak Chakra’:Circle of Protection. The row of trees in the Rakshak Chakra is a reassurance to the citizens of the country about their safety against any threat, with each tree representing the soldiers who ensure the territorial integrity of the Nation, round the clock.
- The memorial is dedicated to soldiers killed during the Indo-China War in 1962, Indo-Pak Wars in 1947, 1965 and 1971, Indian Peace Keeping Force Operations in Sri Lanka and in the Kargil Conflict in 1999, and also those in the UN peacekeeping missions.
- The requirement to construct a National War Memorial had been under consideration since 1961 at the apex level.
- The consideration acquired momentum in 2014 and after a deliberate process the Union Cabinet on 07 October 2015 approved construction of National War Memorial & Museum (NWM&M) within the National capital’s Lutyen’s zone
