The Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday inaugurated the National War Memorial in Delhi, dedicated to 25,942 Indian soldiers who have died in various conflicts since Independence.
Launch date – Feb 25th 2019
It is located next to the iconic India Gate complex in New Delhi. It would stand as a testament to the sacrifice and valor of Indian armed forces for times to come.
The Four Circles
Spread over an area of approximately 40 acres, the memorial has four concentric circles :
Amar Chakra – the Circle of Immortality
Veerta Chakra – the Circle of Bravery
Tyag Chakra – the Circle of Sacrifice
Rakshak Chakra – the Circle of Protection
Tributes to…
The names of 25,942 battle casualties have been inscribed in golden letters on granite tablets across 16 walls that consist of granite pieces bearing the name, rank and regiment of the fallen heroes.
The National War Memorial pays tribute to soldiers who laid down their lives defending the nation during the India-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 of 1999.
The main memorial complex, a Param Yoddha Sthal has also been built on the northern side of the India Gate’s C-Hexagon area. The park is dotted with bronze busts of the 21 awardees, 15 posthumously of the Param Veer Chakra, country”s highest wartime gallantry medal, a senior defence official said.
A stone mural depicting a joint operation by the three armed forces, also has been made in front of the Param Yodha Sthal.
Cost of the project:
The National War Memorial was built at a cost of Rs. 176 crore. The project cleared on December 18, 2015 and construction started in February last year. A War Museum will be also constructed in the adjoining Princess Park area. The proposed National War Museum and the National War Memorial will be connected by a subway. The War Memorial and Museum are expected to cost ₹500 crore
Architecture and Design of the Memorial
The Chief Architect of the National War Memorial is Ar. Yogesh Chandrahasan of WeBe Design Lab, Chennai.
A global design competition was conducted and the result was announced in early April 2017 and Chennai-based Architects, WeBe Design Lab’s proposal was declared the winner for the National War memorial.
The chennai-based Architect Yogesh Chandrahasan who designed the project said,
“The whole concept is based on the thought that the war memorial should be a place where we don’t mourn death, but celebrate the life of the soldiers and pay respect to the sacrifices made by them.”
