The India Gate of Delhi: Huge sandstone arch dedicated to the troops of British India

Navrang India November 18, 2025

India Gate Delhi en.wikipedia.org

 The India Gate, a towering triumphal arch in New Delhi, stands as a solemn tribute to the immense sacrifice of Indian soldiers who fought for the British Empire in various conflicts. Designed by the esteemed British architect Sir Edwin Lutyens, this 42-meter-tall monument was conceived as the All-India War Memorial. Its foundation stone was laid in 1921, and it was formally inaugurated in 1931, dedicated to the approximately 70,000 Indian troops who lost their lives in World War I and the Third Anglo-Afghan War (1919). The arch, often compared to the Arc de Triomphe in Paris for its classical simplicity, bears the inscribed names of over 13,500 servicemen.


1930s India Gate Delhi  en.wikipedia.org

Architecturally, the structure rests on a low base of red Bharatpur stone, rising in stages to a massive cornice decorated with Imperial sun motifs. The dedication is clearly marked above the archway with the dates MCMXIV (1914) and MCMXIX (1919) flanking the word INDIA. For decades after independence, the shallow domed bowl atop the gate was intended for ceremonial fires, though this was rarely utilized.
Statue of king George V, India gate
1952 en.wikipedia.org
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Above image:  About 150 metres (490 ft) east of the gate, at a junction of six roads, is a 73 feet (22 m) cupola, Architect Lutyens   got  inspiration from a sixth-century pavilion from Mahabalipuram. Lutyens used four Delhi Order columns to support the domed canopy and its chhajja.......

About the statue, it is  18.75 feet (5.72 m) tall  marble statue of the King-Emperor wearing his Delhi Durbar coronation robes and Imperial State Crown, bearing the British globus cruciger and  scepter, was placed atop the pedestal, which bore the Royal Coat of Arms and the inscription GEORGE V R I, the "R I" designating him as 'Rex Imperator' or 'King Emperor. he combined height of the statue and pedestal was 53.25 feet (16.23 m); while the pedestal and canopy were designed by Architect Sir Edwin Lutyens, the statue was designed by Charles Sargeant Jagger of the Royal Academy of Arts. The cornerstone was laid in 1921 by the duke of Connaught, third son of Queen Victoria. The statue's installation took place in 1936 when  the Indian independence movement was active.   In January 1943, statuesnose was smashed by a nationalist. The royal insignia of George V and the Tudor Crown atop the canopy were removed on the night of 12–13 August 1958......

The Present Status and Transformation

The area surrounding India Gate has undergone significant transformation in recent years. Historically, the arch housed the Amar Jawan Jyoti (Immortal Soldier Flame), established in 1972 to honor the martyrs of the 1971 Indo-Pak War. This served as the nation's Tomb of the Unknown Soldier until 2022.

statue of Netaji en.wikipedia.org

Above image: Prime Minister Narendra Modi unveils the statue of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose under the canopy at India Gate, during the inauguration of the 'Kartavya Path', in New Delhi on 8 September 2022.....

In a landmark change, the flame of the Amar Jawan Jyoti was officially merged with the eternal flame at the adjacent National War Memorial (NWM), inaugurated in 2019. The NWM now serves as the permanent, principal site for honoring all Indian soldiers who have fallen in service of independent India since 1947. This shift effectively transferred the central ceremonial function away from the colonial-era India Gate to the modern memorial. Furthermore, the central axis where the gate stands, formerly known as Rajpath, has been redeveloped and renamed Kartavya Path (Path of Duty). This entire vista, featuring the newly installed statue of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose under the canopy near the gate, has been reimagined as a key public and ceremonial space. Today, while still brilliantly illuminated at night and serving as a major tourist attraction and a focal point for large-scale national events like the Republic Day Parade, the India Gate has transitioned from an active memorial site to a celebrated architectural and historical landmark on the nation's central boulevard.