National War Memorial

The National War Memorial is Delhi's principal tribute to Indian soldiers who died in conflicts since independence, its design built around four concentric circles representing sacrifice, courage, protection and eternity, inscribed with the names of over 25,000 fallen soldiers. The Amar Jawan Jyoti eternal flame, previously located beneath India Gate, was relocated here in 2019 to consolidate the nation's military remembrance at a single dedicated site.

Unlike India Gate's colonial-era origins honouring soldiers who died under British command, the National War Memorial specifically commemorates those who died defending independent India, including the wars of 1947, 1962, 1965, 1971 and the Kargil conflict, giving it particular significance as a distinctly post-independence memorial.

Inaugurated in 2019 after decades of advocacy for a dedicated memorial to post-independence Indian military casualties, the site fills a gap that India Gate — built under British rule to honour colonial-era soldiers — had never been intended to address.

Near India Gate, easily reached from Central Secretariat metro station.