India's first museum for war heroes: Must visit place in Delhi

New Delhi : India gets its first war memorial in Delhi, the capital city of the country. Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 25 February 2019 has inaugurated the National war memorial and paid tribute to the brave soldiers who lost their lives in Pulwama terror attack. The museum also dedicated to all those brave hearts who have sacrificed their lives for protecting India. 

To inform, the National War Memorial had been there for many decades but the project seemed hidden and could not attract people anyhow. Initially conceptualised in 1961, the memorial comes to life after decades of being under process. The project was approved by the Cabinet in 2015, and its total cost has been pegged at Rs 176 crore. 

Attractions in National War Memorial in Delhi

• The newly inaugurated war memorial is located just east of Amar Jawan Jyoti at the India Gate, where the eternal flame was lit in the honour of fallen soldiers.
• The memorial has names of  25,942 soldiers who died in multiple conflicts after Independence engraved in gold on granite tablets, and placed on 16 ‘honour walls’ in two concentric circles named ‘Tyag Chakra’.
• At the centre of the Tyag Chakra is a 15.5-metre tall granite obelisk, where the PM lit the ‘Eternal Flame’.
• The outermost circle i.e. the 'Rakshak Chakra' comprises rows of more than 600 dense trees with each tree representing many soldiers who guard the territorial integrity of the nation round the clock, officials said.
• The main complex, a Param Yoddha Sthal has also been built on the northern side of the India Gate's C-Hexagon area. 
• The park is dotted with bronze busts of the 21 awardees, fifteen posthumously, of the Param Veer Chakra, country's highest wartime gallantry medal.
• Six bronze murals, made by noted sculptor Ram Sutar, depicting famous battles fought by the Army, Air Force and Navy have been put up in a gallery in the Veerta Chakra zone.

The memorial pays tribute to soldiers who laid down their lives defending the nation during Indo-China War in 1962, Indo-Pak Wars in 1947, 1965 and 1971, Indian Peace Keeping Force Operations in Srilanka and in the Kargil Conflict in 1999.It also commemorates the soldiers who participated and made supreme sacrifice in the UN Peace Keeping Missions, during Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) Operations, counter-insurgency operations and Low Intensity Capital Operation (LICO).

Good news is that 250 people will be able to visit it at a time. “The aim is to highlight the sacrifices made by soldiers after Independence and instil nationalistic pride and patriotism,” said Chief of Integrated Defence Staff Lt-General P S Rajeshwar.

National war museum is a must-visit place in Delhi. If you are in the city or planning a trip to the metro city, then be sure to include the museum into your tour itinerary. PM Narendra Modi during his monthly radio programme 'Mann ki Baat' said he believed that for Indians, a visit to the National War Memorial will be the same experience as visiting a holy place. 

Jai hind and happy travelling!