India Gate

India Gate is a 42 m sandstone war memorial arch at the eastern end of Kartavya Path in New Delhi, designed by Sir Edwin Lutyens. It honours Indian soldiers of the British Indian Army who died in the First World War and the Third Anglo-Afghan War, and more than 13,000 of their names are carved into its stone.

The foundation stone of India Gate was laid in 1921 and the arch was dedicated in 1931, the same year New Delhi was inaugurated as the capital. In 1972 the Amar Jawan Jyoti, an eternal flame for the soldiers of the 1971 war, was lit beneath the arch. In January 2022 that flame was merged with the one at the National War Memorial, which opened in 2019 just east of India Gate and carries the names of nearly 26,000 soldiers killed since independence. A granite statue of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose now stands under the nearby canopy.

What to see

• The names carved into the arch and the inscription at the top
• The sandstone canopy with the statue of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose
• The National War Memorial and its circles of named tablets
• The arch lit up after dark
• The view west along Kartavya Path to Rashtrapati Bhavan

What to wear

India Gate is an open-air memorial with no dress code; light, modest clothes suit Delhi. In summer the lawns bake in the day, so visit at dawn or after sunset, with water and a hat. Winter evenings in December and January are cold, so bring a jacket. Wear comfortable shoes for walking the lawns. In Delhi you will see women in salwar kameez and sarees and men in kurta pyjama, especially at festivals and weddings.

Local food to try

India Gate evenings mean ice cream, roasted corn, chaat and gol gappe from the licensed vendors along the lawns. For a meal, Pandara Road market, a short drive south, has Punjabi and Mughlai restaurants serving butter chicken, dal makhani and kebabs, and Khan Market has cafes. Vegetarian choices are everywhere.

Good to know

• Best from October to March; sunset and after dark are the liveliest
• Open 24 hours; the area is closed for rehearsals before Republic Day on 26 January
• Free
• Allow 30 minutes to an hour, longer with the War Memorial
• About 3 km south of Connaught Place; Central Secretariat and Khan Market metro stations are nearby
• Security checks are routine; do not climb on the memorial

Nearby places

India Gate is linked to Rashtrapati Bhavan by Kartavya Path, and Connaught Place is 10 minutes north. Humayun's Tomb is about 5 km south-east.