The India Gate is located at the heart of India’s capital city, New Delhi. About 2.3 km from the Rashtrapati Bhavan, it is located on the eastern extremity of the ceremonial boulevard, Rajpath. India Gate is a war memorial dedicated to honor the soldiers of the Undivided Indian Army who died during World War I between 1914 and 1921. War memorials are buildings, installations, statues or other edifices dedicated either to celebrate victory in war, or to pay tribute to those who died or were injured in war. Delhiites and tourists alike throng the India Gate Lawns surrounding the monument for a leisurely evening, enjoying the light show at the fountains along with snacking on street food. A National War Memorial to honor all armed forces members killed after 1947 is under construction at the ‘C’ Hexagon of India Gate.
All India War Memorial was designed by Sir Edwin Lutyens, a leading war memorial designer at that time. A member of the IWGC, he designed sixty-six war memorials in Europe, including the Cenotaph, in London, in 1919. Cenotaph is the first British national war memorial erected after World War I and was commissioned by David Lloyd George, contemporary British prime minister. Although it is a memorial, the design is that of a triumphal arch, similar to the Arch de Triomphe in Paris, France. Situated at the centre of a hexagonal complex with a diameter of 625m and a total area of 360,000 m2, the India Gate is 42m in height and 9.1m in width. The building material is primarily Red and yellow sandstones sourced from Bharatpur. The structure stands on a low base and rises in asymmetrical steps crowned with a shallow dome at the top. There is also a vacant canopy in front of the monument under which once stood the statue of George V in his coronation robes, Imperial State Crown, British globus cruciger and scepter. The statue was later shifted to Coronation Park in 1960 and the empty canopy symbolizes the British retreat from India.
Delhi is well connected, by a network of roads and national highways, with all the major cities in India. The three major bus stands in Delhi are Inter State Bus Terminus (ISBT) at Kashmiri Gate, Sarai Kale-Khan Bus Terminus and Anand Vihar Bus Terminus. Both the government and private transport providers provide frequent bus services. One can also get government as well as private taxis here.
Visit Timing : 24 hours a day, all days of the week, Entry Fee : None
October to March is the best time to visit New Delhi. Summers are very hot here in Delhi and should be avoided as much as possible as the temperature might rise upto 45 degree Celsius. Temperatures fall a little during the monsoons, but rains might hamper your sightseeing plans.
