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The country’s first war memorial was inaugurated by PM Modi today. This is built in memory of the soldiers who have laid their lives for the country.

Names of the 25,942 soldiers who died in multiple conflicts after Independence have been engraved in gold on granite tablets, and placed on 16 ‘honour walls’ in two concentric circles named ‘Tyag Chakra’.

The memorial is spread over 40 acres in the India Gate complex in Delhi. Modi lit the ‘eternal flame’- signifying the souls of soldiers who laid down their lives for the countryunder a 15.5 metre tall obelisk at the memorial. This will be the second eternal flame, besides the one at the Amar Jawan Jyoti under the arch of India Gate. The project has been executed at a cost of Rs 176 crore and its design was selected through a global competition.

It draws inspiration from the ”Chakravyuh” formation, the iconic memorial boasts of four thematic concentric circles with a tall ceremonial obelisk at its centre that will bear the eternal flame. The design of the memorial comprises four concentric circles, namely the “Amar Chakra” or Circle of Immortality, the “Veerta Chakra” or Circle of Bravery, the “Tyag Chakra” or Circle of Sacrifice and the “Rakshak Chakra” or Circle of Protection. The central obelisk is topped with an Ashokan Capital and the base bears the famous couplet ”Shaheed ki mazron par…” by poet Jagdamba Prasad Mishra ”Hitaishi”.

The memorial will also serve as the place for future ceremonies for armed forces, while the general public can pay their respects to the fallen through interactive electronic panels that will soon be set up.

The National War Memorial also commemorates the soldiers who died in United Nations peace-keeping missions, Humanitarian Assistance Disaster Relief (HADR) operations and counter insurgency operations.