India Gate

The gate is built of sandstone, the gate is 42 m high, 9.1 m wide, built in the middle of a hexagonal complex with a shape of 625 m and an area of 360,000 m2. The walls of the gateway are engraved with the names of the 13,516 soldiers who were killed on the Northwest Frontier during the Afghanistan war in 1919, in addition to the 90,000 soldiers of the Indian Army who were martyred during World War I. the monument is made of red Bharatpur Stone and the structure of the Gate of India is similar to the Arc de Triomphe of France.

In front of the gate there is a large dome, in the old days under the dome was a statue of King George V wearing the Royal crown during his coronation. Then in 1960 the statue was moved to Coronation Park, leaving only the dome as a testament to the period of British colonial rule in India. The first bricks of this grand monument were laid by the Duke of Connaught in 1921 and it was designed by Edwin Lutyens, a famous architect.

The India Gate also plays an important role for the Republic of India Day Parade on January 26, which departs from the Presidential Palace and then passes through it. The parade is an occasion to display many of the most advanced defensive weapons of the Indian army, while the folk dancers participating in the parade perform features of the long-standing culture. India Gate is surrounded by well-maintained green lawns, which are popular picnic spots for families.

Visitors can visit the gate at any time but the best time to visit this monument is 19:00 – 21:30 at night when it is bathed in soft golden light and twinkling in the sky.