Top 10 War Memorials

The country`s largest and newest War Memorial was recently inaugurated in Jammu. Known as Balidan Sthambh, the memorial came upon a 20 acres plot at Bahu Rakh area of the city. The memorial immortalizes the supreme sacrifice made by the martyrs of our security forces in post-independence wars and counter-insurgency operations in the border state of J&K. It boasts of a 60-meter tower designed like a bayoneted-rifle along with a necklace of 52 pillars where over 8,000 names of martyrs are inscribed on black stones.

The Chandigarh War Memorial located at Sector 3 Bougainvillea Garden was dedicated to the nation on August 17, 2006, by the then President A P J Abdul Kalam. This War memorial has names of 8,500 martyrs from the 3 services etched in gold lettering on black granite walls. Built by a unique citizen- institution initiative the Memorial had cost Rs 78 Lakh.

Set amidst the pine groves the Martyrs Memorial (Shaheed Samark) at Dharamsala is built on the entry point. It was dedicated to the people of the state on 28 Sep 1977. Inscribed on the murals in golden letters are the names of all those Himachali Martyrs who made the supreme sacrifice while fighting aggressions by Pakistan in 1947-48, China in 1962, again by Pakistan in 1965 and 1971 and during peace operations of United Nations.

Inside the hallowed precincts of Indian Military Academy Dehradun, close to the Chetwode hall lies a War Memorial. The face of the main structure replicates the Chetwode Tower. The War Memorial is in remembrance of the martyred soldiers of the nation. It was inaugurated on 17 Nov 1999 by the legendary Army Officer Field Marshal Sam Hormuzji Fromji Jamshedji Manekshaw, MC. There are names of numerous officers from the academy who have laid down their lives. The sanctum sanctorum has a bronze statue of a Gentleman Cadet carrying a sword.

Mother of all War Memorials, India Gate originally known as All India War Memorial was constructed during the British rule to commemorate those Indian soldiers who laid their lives during WW I and the Afghan Wars. The imposing 42 meters high Arch built by Edwin Lutyens has names of the soldiers who died in the wars. Since 1971 there is Amar Jawan Jyoti that burns as a tribute the dead Indian soldiers of Indo-Pak war.

To commemorate the Martyrs of "Operation VIJAY 1999" a War Memorial has been dedicated to the nation at Drass in the foothills of legendary "Tololing", some 150 km towards east from Srinagar. The memorial is dedicated to the war heroes belonging to 33 different units of the Army`s 8th Mountain Division who sacrificed their lives during the Kargil conflict, in the Drass-Mushkoh region.

National War Memorial at Morwada junction in Pune was first inaugurated in 1988. Maintained by Southern Command the memorial is built amidst a beautifully landscaped and well-maintained garden. A 25 feet pillar represents the memorial. The names are engraved in the stone of all the soldiers who made the sacrifice for the nation. A unique feature here is the daily flag hoist and downing carried out at 6 am and 6 pm. A Vijayanta Tank on display is an added attraction.

Jaswantgarh 14 km away from the 14000 ft high Sela Pass on the way to Tawang is an Indian army Memorial built to honor Rifleman Jaswant Sing Rawat of 4 Garhwal Rifles. This extraordinary brave soldier of the Indian Army fought the Chinese Army single-handedly to keep the advancing Chinese at bay for three days till he was captured and killed. The quaint memorial has a plaque describing Rawat`s heroics. The temple-like memorial on the roadside houses a garlanded bronze bust of Jaswant Singh along with some of his personal belongings. An earthen lamp keeps burning day and night before the portrait of this slain braveheart.

Nestled among the snow-capped peaks, overlooking the imposing Tawang-Chu valley the magnificent Tawang War Memorial stands tall at Tawang in Arunachal Pradesh. Built as a tribute to the martyrs of the 1962 Sino-Indian war it was dedicated to the nation by GOC Eastern Command, Lt. Gen. H. R. S. Kalkat in the year 1999. The imposing 40-foot-high multi-hued war memorial is constructed in a stupa design and is locally known as Namgyal Chorten. Built at a cost of about Rs 15 lakh, it has names of 2420 Indian soldiers etched in gold on 32 black granite plaques.

War Memorial or Gorkha War Memorial is a tribute to the memory of the brave Gorkha warriors of the region who sacrificed their precious lives for the country in all wars and operations since Indian independence. The War Memorial at Darjeeling is on the path of the famed Toy Trains of DHR as the toy train charters its way around the memorial making a circular loop along Batasia to gain height. The memorial was dedicated to the Darjeeling people 22nd March 1995. In the center of the memorial, a 30-ft high cenotaph (black granite) engraved with the name of the martyrs stands tall.