Amar Jawan Jyoti — Attraction in New Delhi

Amar Jawan Jyoti (Hindi: अमर जवान ज्योति) (English translation: Flame of the immortal soldier) is an Indian memorial constructed after the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971 to commemorate the martyred and unknown soldiers of the Indian Armed Forces who died during the war. The memorial was constructed in December 1971 and inaugurated by Indira Gandhi in 1972. Amar Jawan Jyoti is located under India Gate at Rajpath in New Delhi and consists of a marble pedestal on which a cenotaph is situated. "Amar Jawan" (Immortal Soldier) is scripted in gold on all four sides of the cenotaph and on top, a L1A1 self-loading rifle stands on its barrel with a helmet of the Unknown Soldier on top. The pedestal is bound by four urns, one of which holds a continuously burning flame.From 3 December 1971 to 16 December 1971 (Fall of Dhaka), India had a military confrontation with Pakistan (Indo-Pakistani War of 1971) during the liberation war in East Pakistan. Creation of Bangladesh was majorly assisted by India during which many Indian soldiers lost their lives. In December 1971, after the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971, Indira Gandhi (then Prime Minister of India) helped pay to construct the Amar Jawan Jyoti under the India Gate to commemorate the dead and unknown soldiers who died invading Pakistan. On 26 January 1972 (23rd Republic Day of India), the monument was officially inaugurated by Indira Gandhi.

Since 1972, every-year on the Republic Day (before the Republic Day parade), it has been customary for the President, Prime Minister, Chief of the Air Staff, Chief of the Naval Staff, Chief of the Army Staff and dignitaries to place wreath at Amar Jawan Jyoti and pay homage to the dead and unknown soldiers.

The main structure (India Gate) was originally constructed in 1921 by Edwin Lutyens. Amar Jawan Jyoti was added under the India...

There are few things that invoke a sense of patriotism as much as the thought of your nation's army. January 15 is celebrated in India as Army Day. With parades and other military shows in New Delhi as well as at all army headquarters, the Army day commemorates the then Lieutenant General KM Cariappa's taking over as the first Commander-in-Chief of the Indian Army from General Sir Francis Butcher, the last British Commander-in-Chief of India, on 15 January 1949 . It's a day when we celebrate the dedication, courage and sacrifices of our formidable Indian army.

On the occasion of the 68th Army Day, we turn our attention to the one interesting fact about one of our most famous war monuments in India -- the Amar Jawan Jyoti. Located at the east end of Rajpath in New Delhi, the memorial needs no introduction. From movies to magazines, we have seen several glorious portrayals of this historic war memorial. The Amar Jawan Jyoti is canopied by the India Gate, which itself is a memorial to the 82,000 soldiers of the undivided Indian Army who died in between 1914–21 in the First World War.

The black marble plinth pedestal with a reversed rifle, capped by a helmet, bounded by four eternal flames has sicne 1971 served as India’s Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. The words 'Amar Jawan' are scripted in gold on the cenotaph. On important days, VIPs and top ranking military officials pay their respects at this monument.

You've seen the pictures and the videos: the rifle standing there solemnly even as the city bustles around it. But do you know whom the bayonet and rifle placed on the structure belong to?...

Amar Jawan Jyoti is located under India Gate at Rajpath in New Delhi. It consists of a marble pedestal on which a cenotaph is situated. "Amar Jawan" (Immortal Soldier) is scripted in gold on all four sides of the cenotaph and on top, a L1A1 Self-Loading Rifle is placed on its barrel and is capped by a helmet of the Unknown Soldier. The pedestal is bound by four urns, in one of which a flame has been burning continuously (using CNG) since 1971.The person responsible for keeping the flame burning lives in a room under the arch, next to the perpetually burning flame.From 1971 to 2006, LPG was used as fuel source and from 2006, CNG is used as source. Each of the four urns has a flame but only one of the four flames burns throughout the year; on Indian Independence and Republic Days, all flames are lit simultaneously.The Amar Jawan Jyoti is manned 24/7 by soldiers from the Army, Air Force and the Indian Navy. Amar Jawan Jyoti is also located at Amar Chakra of National War Memorial. The Memorial has four concentric circles and a central obelisk, at the bottom of which burns an 'eternal flame' representing the immortal soldier (amar jawan). The pedestal is bound by four urns, in which flame has been burning continuously (using CNG) since the inauguration. The President and Prime Minister visit this memorial on National Days including but not limited to Republic Day and Independence Day. The Chief of Defence Staff , along with Army Chief, Navy Chief, and Air Force Chief also visits the monument on respective Service Days to pay tribute to the fallen Heroes of the Nation, post...