About India Gate

India Gate, a free standing arch, located at the east end of the Raj Path in New Delhi, is one of the most famous monuments in India and also one of the most visited places in New Delhi. Originally called the All India War Memorial, India Gate is a war memorial in honour of the 90,000 Indian soldiers who died during the World War I and the Afghan Wars (1919).

It was designed by the famous British architect, Edward Lutyens and the foundation stone was laid down by the Duke of Connaught in February 10 1921. The monument similar in design to the French war memorial, the Arc-de-Triomphe, was completed in 1931, and the same year the then Viceroy Lord Irwin dedicated the structure to the nation.

The arch is a magnificent 42 mt high structure made of red sandstone standing on a low base. Rashtrapati Bhavan (the President's house) is situated at the other end of the Rajpath and one can have good view of it by standing at the base of the arch of the India Gate.

On top of the India Gate, the line "To the dead of the Indian armies who fell honoured in France and Flanders Mesopotamia and Persia East Africa Gallipoli and elsewhere in the near and the far-east and in sacred memory also of those whose names are recorded and who fell in India or the north-west frontier and during the Third Afghan War" is inscribed in capital letters. The names of the demised soldiers who died in these wars are also inscribed all along the walls of the arch. There is a shallow domed bowl at the top of the gate.

Soon after the 1971 Indo Pak War, a shrine namely Amar Jawan Jyoti (The flame of the immortal warrior) was erected at the base of the India Gate to honour all the soldiers who laid down their lives for protecting the nation. This four faced black marble memorial consists of a rifle placed on its barrel, with a soldier's helmet on top of the bayonet and the words "Amar Jawan" (Immortal Warrior) inscribed in gold on all its faces. It also has four eternally lighted flames to commemorate their brave deeds at the corners of the square base on which cenotaph is placed.

India Gate stands amidst beautiful surroundings of lush green lawns with a famous boat club and a children's park nearby. The 2 1/2km long Rajpath (King's path), a tree-lined avenue flanked by lawns with orderly flowerbeds and clipped hedges, between the India Gate and the Rashtrapathi Bhavan offers an impressive view. India gate is also the centre point of many important roads, which are now closed to public due to terrorist threats. The beautiful surroundings attract a lot of people especially during the evenings when the gate is lit up.

Climate

The summer season begins from April and ends in the month of June. During the summers the average maximum temperature is 40°C and minimum temperature is 25ºC. The monsoon arrives the city in early July and continues till the end of September. The winter extends from late November to February. The temperature in winters varies between 21°C to 5°C. January is the coldest month when the temerature drops to a minimum of 0 °C.

Transportation

• Air: Delhi is the main gateway city for northern India with a modern airport. All major international airlines in the world fly through Delhi. Indira Gandhi International Airport is located at 23km southwest of Central Delhi and the domestic terminal at Palam is 5km away from the international terminal.
  
  Taxi and coach transfer is available from both International and Domestic Arrivals. Pre-paid Taxi (a service with journey fare paid at the booking counter), air-conditioned and non- air-conditioned coach counters are located immediately outside the customs Hall in International Terminal and outside Baggage Claim area in Domestic Arrivals.
  
  Airport Coach (non-airconditioned) is operated by Delhi Transport Corporation (via Connaught Place and Railway Stations) to Inter State Bus Terminus (ISBT), Kashmiri Gate and by Ex- Servicemen's Airlink Transport Service to Connaught Place. The coach covers all major hotels enroute.
• Train: Delhi is the hub of the Indian Railways network with Express trains to all parts of the country. The city has two major railway stations in New Delhi and Old Delhi. New Delhi station is within walking distance of Connaught Place and Main Delhi station is about 7km from Connaught Place. Delhi offers Express trains to all parts of the country. For the foreigners, tickets are available at the International Tourist Bureau (Ph: 011-3346804), located at New Delhi station. The main ticket office is at the IRCA building on Chelmsford Road, Pahar Ganj, between New Delhi station and Connaught Place.
  
  Shatabdi Express air-conditioned fast tourist train operates to Bhopal (via Agra, Gwalior, Jhansi), Lucknow (via Kanpur) and Chandigarh, provides access to some of the neighboring tourist centres.
• Bus: Buses from all the major places in Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan are available for getting to Delhi. During the summer months, air-conditioned coaches are recommended. Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC) operates special services from railway stations to different parts of the city.