Incredible India, Episode - #27: National War Memorial, New Delhi

Hello and welcome to my blog!

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Welcome back to another episode of my favourite travel series on Hive. It has been some time since I published a post for the Incredible India series; the last one is already a few months old. It was a beautiful temple in the Himalayas, the Kedarnath Temple. However, today I will take you back to the heart of India's capital, New Delhi and show you one of the most important monuments dedicated to our fallen heroes.

National War Memorial

The National War Memorial is a War memorial in Delhi, built to honour and remember the soldiers of India who fought in the armed conflicts of Independent India.

This is a newly constructed memorial, inaugurated in 2019 and located in the vicinity of India Gate, a war memorial built to honour the Indian soldier who died serving in wars and conflicts between 1914 and 1921.

While the India Gate served as a war memorial for the country. There was a need for another memorial as more fell fighting in wars against the border nations. The National War Memorial served the needs of those.

It has an interesting design, having a central obelisk or a big tower. It has four concentric circles each representing different things (see below) and formed in the style of ancient war formation, Chakravyuh.

Amar Chakra (Eternal Circle)

An 'eternal flame' (Amar Jyoti) burns at the bottom of the Obelisk, representing the immortal soldier (Amar Jawan). This is the first circle and derives its name from the Amar Jawan Jyoti or Eternal Soldier flame. This flame was first lit on the inauguration day of Feb 2019 and will be burning continuously.

A soldier will always be standing there to guard this eternal flame. Normal visitors are not allowed to get to the innermost circle.

Veerta Chakra (Circle of Bravery)

The second circle depicts the bravery of the Indian soldier and forms a covered gallery which shows murals in bronze from six different battle scenes.

One of the most famous battles in India has to be the battle of Longewala where the Pakistani army comprising about 4000 soldiers with tanks and artillery attacked the Longewala border post during the 1971 war. It was a surprise attack and only 23 soldiers were stationed and had to ward off the attack until dawn when they were helped by the Indian Air Force. This is such a valiant effort that a Bollywood movie made on this battle became very famous.

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A total of six such murals were placed on the eastern side of this circle.

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Visitors are allowed to get close and walk inside this circle. They will read the stories and take pictures as they move along this inner circle.

I tried to be quick and not trouble the guards too much. This place gets around 10,000 visitors daily, more on weekends or special occasions and one must move along and respect the place, especially this inner circle. I still managed to get a few quick shots though. You can see the India Gate in the background from here.

Tyag Chakra (Circle of Sacrifice)

This circle comprises concentric circular walls. Each wall has granite tablets where the name of a fallen hero along with their details of rank is edged with golden letters.

It was sad to see so many walls and walls of names of soldiers. So many have sacrificed to protect the country. I bow down to all of these heroes.

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These walls have names of more than 26000 soldiers. It was sad to see that it took more than 70 years of Independent India to construct a memorial like this. What a shame!

Raksha Chakra (Circle of Protection)

This is the outmost circle and is made out of rows of trees to give a sense of assurance and protection to the country. Those trees represent soldiers which ensures the integrity and sovereignty of their country.

On the eastern side, you can see the Indian flag along with the flags of all three armed forces of India. Some of the flags have recently been redesigned to remove the colonial signs.

There are also busts of all the recipients of Parma Vir Chakra, the highest gallantry award in the Indian military.

This place will make you humble. I loved this next shot which accurately depicted my mood there. Rows and rows of names of the fallen and the sacrifices they made for the country. It must be a very proud feeling to see your family member or friend etched on one of the granite blocks here.

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I wanted to share this post a long time ago. This was an old visit, I visited there in February. It was a wonderful experience and there are more places I will share soonish.

Stay tuned for more such adventures...

Namaste 🙏

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Eo - #26 Kedarnath Temple, Uttarakhand

Ep - #25 Badrinath Temple, Uttarakhand

Ep - #24 Kalimath Temple, Uttarakhand

Ep - #23 Bhairav Garhi Temple, Uttarakhand

Ep - #22 Lansdowne Hill Station, Uttarakhand

Ep - #21 National Rail Museum, Delhi

Ep - #20 Dadhikar Fort, Alwar

Ep - #19 Hauz Khas Fort Complex, Delhi

Ep - #18 Garden of Five Senses, Delhi

Ep - #17 Karni Mata Temple, Alwar, Rajasthan

Ep - #16 Radha Rani Temple, Barsana, UP