India Gate is Delhi's most recognisable war memorial — a 42-metre sandstone and granite arch standing at the end of Kartavya Path, and one of the city's most popular evening gathering spots.
History
Designed by British architect Edwin Lutyens and completed in 1931, India Gate commemorates around 70,000 Indian soldiers who died fighting for the British Indian Army in World War I and the Third Anglo-Afghan War — their names are inscribed on the monument itself.
The Amar Jawan Jyoti
An eternal flame, the Amar Jawan Jyoti, was lit beneath the arch in 1971 to honour soldiers of the Indo-Pakistani War; in 2019 the flame was merged with the newly built National War Memorial nearby, though India Gate retains its powerful symbolic presence.
What's Around It
Kartavya Path (formerly Rajpath) stretches from India Gate toward Rashtrapati Bhavan, lined with lawns, boating ponds, and food vendors — it's one of Delhi's most popular spots for an evening walk, picnic, or family outing.
Best Time to Visit
Evening, when the monument is illuminated and the surrounding lawns fill with visitors — a classic Delhi experience, especially pleasant in the cooler winter months.
