India Gate
Delhi's most iconic war memorial, framed by a grand ceremonial boulevard.
India Gate is a 42-metre-tall stone arch standing at the eastern end of Kartavya Path (formerly Rajpath), the grand ceremonial boulevard that runs through the heart of New Delhi. Built in 1931 and designed by Edwin Lutyens — the same British architect who shaped much of the colonial-era capital — it was originally called the All India War Memorial and commemorates the 84,000 Indian soldiers who died serving in the British Indian Army during World War I and the Third Anglo-Afghan War. The names of more than 13,000 soldiers are inscribed on its walls. Beneath the arch burns Amar Jawan Jyoti, an eternal flame that has long honored India's fallen soldiers. The monument sits at the center of a vast circular intersection flanked by green lawns and a reflecting pool, and the entire composition — arch, lawn, boulevard — is one of the most recognizable urban set-pieces in Asia.
Most visitors come to walk the lawns, take in the scale of the structure up close, and soak in the atmosphere. In the evenings especially, the monument is beautifully lit, and the broad lawns fill with families, vendors selling ice cream and snacks, children flying kites, and couples out for a stroll. It functions as both a place of solemn remembrance and one of Delhi's great public parks. Looking back west from India Gate toward the Rashtrapati Bhavan (the Presidential Palace) at the other end of Kartavya Path is one of the great urban vistas in India — nearly two kilometres of tree-lined boulevard with the domed palace anchoring the far end.
There's no entry fee and no ticket required. The canopy behind India Gate — a stone baldachin — once held a statue of King George V, which was removed after independence; it now stands empty, a quietly pointed reminder of changed times. Come in the late afternoon to catch the golden hour light on the sandstone, then stay for the illuminated evening atmosphere. Street food vendors set up along the periphery, and the nearby National War Memorial (opened in 2019, just behind India Gate) is absolutely worth a visit as a continuation of the experience.