India Gate

Not to be confused with Gateway of India.

India Gate
India
India Gate
For Indian soldiers who died in World War I and the Afghan Wars
Established	1921
Unveiled	1933
Location	28°36′46.31″N 77°13′45.5″E
Designed by	Edwin Lutyens

The India Gate is the national monument of India. Situated in the heart of New Delhi, it was designed by Sir Edwin Lutyens.

Built in 1931, the monument was inspired by the Arc de Triomphe in Paris, which in turn was inspired by the Roman Arch of Titus. Originally known as the All India War Memorial, it is a prominent landmark in Delhi and commemorates the 90,000 soldiers of the British Indian Army who lost their lives in World War I and the Third Anglo-Afghan War. It is composed of red and pale sandstone and granite.

Originally, a statue of George V, Emperor of India stood under the now vacant canopy in front of the India Gate, but it was removed to Coronation Park together with a number of other British Raj-era statues. Following India's independence, the India Gate became the site of the Indian Army's Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, known as Amar Jawan Jyoti ("the flame of the immortal soldier").

Site

Cars passing through India Gate 1930s

Until the 1920s, the Old Delhi Railway Station served the entire city, and the Agra–Delhi railway line cut through what is today known as Lutyens' Delhi and the site of the India Gate on Kingsway (now Rajpath). Eventually the line was shifted to run along the Yamuna river, and when that route opened in 1924, the construction of the memorial site could begin. The New Delhi Railway Station was opened in 1926, ahead of the inauguration of the city of the same name in 1931.

The 42-metre tall India Gate is situated in such a way that many important roads spread out from it. Traffic passing around India Gate used to be continuous until the roads were closed to the public. The lawns around Rajpath throng with people during the evening, when the monument is lit up.

The India Gate hexagon complex, with a diameter of about 625 metres, covers approximately 306,000m² in area.

The Republic Day Parade starts from Rashtrapati Bhavan and passes through India Gate.  ⁄

Canopy

Standing behind the gate is an empty canopy made out of sandstone, also designed by Lutyens, and inspired by a sixth-century pavilion from Mahabalipuram.

Gallery

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  India gate during day
• 
  India Gate after sunset with all lights on
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  India Gate as a popular nighttime scene
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  Indian Army Soldiers paying tribute to Martyrs
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  The Canopy
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  Engravings on India Gate
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  India Gate on a Sunday Evening
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  From another angle
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  Flags of the three Armed Forces of India
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  India Gate Canopy in the morning
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  Morning Walk
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  Morning walk

Other

Robert Garside, a British runner, also known as "The Runningman" began the first run around-the-world run from India Gate in October 1997

See also

• Gateway of India

External links

• India Gate Delhi, Republic Day of India, 26 January 2010
• http://www.helloonline.com/celebrities-news-in-pics/13-06-2003/11206/