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India Gate is constructed as a memorial and was built in the memory
of 90,00 soldiers who laid down their lives during world war I.
Located at Rajpath, India Gate is 42 m high and is popular
relaxation area during the summer evenings. India Gate also act as
popular pinic spot during winter. Also known as the All India War
Memorial, India Gate was designed and constructed by Lutyens. He was
the who is considered the chief proclaimer in designing the New
Delhi plans.
The Architectural Marvel
A tour of Lutyens’ Delhi just has to kick off with the stately India
Gate at the east end of the broad Janpath (earlier Kingsway) that
leads to the Rashtrapati Bhawan. Another additional 13,516 names
engraved on the arch and foundations form a separate memorial to the
British and Indian soldiers killed on the North-West Frontier in the
Afghan War of 1919. The foundation stone was laid by HRH the Duke of
Connaught in 1921 and the monument was dedicated to the nation 10
years later by the then Viceroy, Lord Irwin. Another memorial, Amar
Jawan Jyoti was added much later after India had said goodbye to its
imperial rulers. It is in the form of a flame that burns day and
night under the arch to remind the nation of soldiers who perished
in the Indo-Pakistan War of December 1971.
The entire arch stands on a low base of red Bharatpur stone and
rises in stages to a huge cornice, beneath which are inscribed
Imperial suns. Above on both sides is inscribed INDIA, flanked by
MCM and to the right, XIX. The shallow domed bowl at the top was
intended to be filled with burning oil on anniversaries but this is
rarely done.
The Breathtaking View of India Gate
Nowadays, if you drive down the smooth wide expanse of Rajpath on a
midsummer night, you might be excused for assuming that a huge
glittering carnival is in progress at India Gate. The entire
boulevard up to the monument is lined with cars, scooters,
motorcycles and what-have-you. In fact all of Delhi seems to have
converged to the emerald lawns of India Gate. The air is thick with
chatter, laughter and the cries of assorted vendors peddling their
wares. You can snack on anything from fruit chaat (fruit salad with
hot, spicy dressing), through bhelpuri (a snack of puffed rice,
spices and hot, sweet and sour chutney), chana jor garam (spicy
chickpeas), dal ka pakodas (fried lentil-flour dumplings), potato
chips to ice cream, candy floss and aerated drinks.
A Perfect Place For A Halt
Most of the revellers come equipped with balls, Frisbees or just a
pack of playing cards. But India Gate has lots to offer in the name
of entertainment. You can watch monkeys perform, enjoy a camel ride,
blow soap bubbles all over the lawns, play with balloons and even
get your insides turned inside out on a ferris wheel.
But if you ask us, the best thing to do is to loll on the cool
lawns, lick a bar of ice candy and watch the floodlit arch and the
fountains nearby that seem magically lit up with coloured lights.
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