10 Interesting Facts About National War Memorial Of India

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Since Independence, 25942 Soldiers sacrificed their lives in different wars that India fought. National War Memorial also known as Rashtriya Samar Smaarak represents gratitude of the Country to its Armed Forces and symbolizes the victory and valour of our Gallant War Heroes.

National War Memorial is situated in the east of Amar Jawan Jyoti at the India Gate. Prime Minister of India Mr. Narendra Modi inaugurated and dedicated the National War Memorial to the Armed Forces on behalf of the Nation on Feb 25, 2019 . The National War Memorial constructed with a total cost of Rs. 176 crore is said to be able to handle over 250 visitors at a time.

List of Wars fought by India since Independence

The name, rank and regiment of the soldiers martyred in the list of wars given below are inscribed in the 16 walls of the memorial.

Indo-Pakistani War of 1947-1948. This was the first war that India fought after Indpendence. This War is also known as First Kashmir War. It was also the first war between India and Pakistan. It was fought over the princely state of Jammu & Kashmir. More than 1000 Brave Indian Soldiers lost their lives in this war.
Annexation of Goa (1961). In this process, The Republic of India annexed Goa, Daman and Diu. The Indian Armed Forces carried out the armed action code named Operation Vijay. This war costed the lives of 22 Indian Soldiers.
The Sino-Indian War(1962). This war was fought between India and China. There were many reasons for the war but the most important was the disputed Himalayan Border. Between 1,383–3,250 Indian soldiers martyred in this war.
Indo-Pakistani War of 1965. Fought between April 1965 to September 1965. The War started after Pakistan’s Operation Gibraltar to infiltrate forces in J&K. Nearly 3000 Indian Soldiers martyred in this war.
Indo-Pakistani War of 1971. It was a military confrontation that occurred during the liberation war in East Pakistan(Now Bangladesh) lasting just 13 days. This war is also known as one of the shortest war in History. Around 2,500–3,843 Indian Soldiers killed or wounded in the war.
1987-88(Sri Lanka). Indian Peace Keeping Force (IPKF) started Operation Pawan to take control of Jaffna from the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE). 12 Indian Soldiers Martyred in the Operation.
The Kargil War(1999). Also known as Operation Vijay was fought between India and Pakistan between May and July 1999 in the Kargil district of Kashmir. 527 Indian Soldiers martyred in the war.

Design & Architecture of The National War Memorial

A global design competition was organized in April 2017. WeBe Design Lab’s proposal won the competition.
WeBe Design Lab, Chennai was chosen for the formulation of the architectural design and for the coordination of Project’s construction.
The Chief Architect of the National War Memorial is Ar. Yogesh Chandrahasan.
The Complex of the National War Memorial spread across 40 acres.
It includes an eternal flame, a 15.5 metre tall central Obelisk, 6 Bronze Murals depicting famous battles fought by the Army, the Navy and the Air force.
The names of the 25,942 martyred soldiers, along with their rank and regiment, are engraved in gold on granite tablets on the memorial.
The design of the National War Memorial includes 4 concentric circles, Amar Chakra, Veerta Chakra, Tyag Chakra and Rakshak Chakra.
The National War Memorial is also comprised of the Statues of 21 awardees of Param Vir Chakra including the country’s highest gallantry award- Subedar Major Yogendra Singh Yadav, Subedar Major (Hony Capt) Bana Singh (Retired) and Subedar Sanjay Kumar.

10 Interesting Facts about The National War Memorial

The National War Memorial was first proposed by the Armed forces in 1960.
In 2006, Ministry of Defence decided that the war memorial should be set up in the vicinity of India Gate.
In October 2012, After 50 years, The then Defence Minister AK Antony announced that a national war memorial will be built at India Gate to honour Indian soldiers. However, The then Chief Minister of Delhi, Sheila Dixit opposed the recommendation of the Group of Ministers’.
In October 2015, Cabinet passed the proposal and sanctioned Rs 176 crore for the memorial. ‘C’ Hexagon of India Gate was approved for the construction of National War Memorial.
In May 2016, Empowered Apex Steering Committee (EASC) suggested Princess Park complex as the suitable site for National War Museum.
In August 2016, A global design competition for the National War Memorial & Museum was launched. A total of 427 submissions were received for the Memorial and a total of 268 submissions were received for the Museum.
In April 2017, Result announced for the Global Design competition. sP+a Studio from Mumbai won for the National War Museum and WeBe Design Lab from Chennai won for the National War Memorial.
August 2018 was the first deadline missed by National War Memorial.
National War Memorial construction completed on January 01, 2019.
National War Memorial inaugurated by PM Shri Narendra Modi on Feb 25, 2019.

National War Memorial Visit Timings

There are no charges for visiting the National War Memorial and the visit timings & help line number are as follows:

Days	Visit Timings
Monday – Friday	9 am – 5 pm
Saturday & Sunday	Closed

We suggest visiting the war memorial in the evening to enjoy the ‘Retreat Drill‘ that happens everyday just before the sunset and lighting scheme.

National War Memorial Website, App and Helpline Number

Before you visit National War Memorial, check out the details on official website or app. You can also keep the helpline number handy for any assistance or help.