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{{Short description|India's National War Memorial from 1971 to 2019 and Flame of the Immortal Soldier}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=June 2018}}
{{Use Indian English|date=June 2018}}
{{Infobox military memorial
| name = Amar Jawan Jyoti
| native_name =
| native_name_lang = Hi
| body = {{flag|India}}
| image = {{Photomontage
| photo1a = India Gate 020.jpg
| photo2a =
| photo4a =
| spacing = 2
| position = center
| color_border = white
| color =
| size = 270
| foot_montage =''' Top Image:''' Amar Jawan Jyoti under [[India Gate]]<br />
'''Bottom Image:''' Amar Jawan Jyoti at Amar Chakra of [[National War Memorial (India)|National War Memorial]]}}
| caption =
| commemorates = martyrs and soldiers of [[Indian Armed Forces]].
| use_dates = 
| established = *{{start date|df=yes|1971|12}} under India Gate
* {{start date|df=yes|2019|02}} at War Memorial
| unveiled = *{{start date|df=yes|1972|01|26}} under India Gate
* {{start date|df=yes|2019|02|25}} at War Memorial
| coordinates = {{coord|28.612|77.233|display=inline,title}}
| location = Both monuments at C-Hexagon<br />[[New Delhi]]
| nearest_town =
| designer = [[Indian Army Corps of Engineers]]
| unknowns =
| commemorated =
| by_country =
| by_war =
| inscription = '''अमर जवान'''<br />(English: "Immortal soldier")
| embedded =
| findagrave =
| source = {{URL|https://nationalwarmemorial.gov.in/}}
|country=India}}
'''Amar Jawan Jyoti''' ({{Translation|Immortal Soldier Flame|literal=yes}}, or light{{Efn|Flame of the Immortal Soldier{{snd}}''Flame'', as opposed to ''tomb''. See [[Tomb of the Unknown Soldier]]. Immortal, as opposed to eternal. The soldier and flame have been referred to as both immortal and eternal.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=nTbfAAAAMAAJ&q=amar+jawan+jyoti+flame+immortal+soldier|title=... by Prime Minister, Smt Indira Gandhi at the "Amar Jawan" memorial under the India Gate, where she stood in silence for two minutes before the "Amar Jyoti"{{em dash}} the immortal flame...|date=1983|publisher=[[Sainik Samachar]]|volume=30|pages=18|language=en|quote=}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last=Mishra|first=Kavya|date=2022-01-24|title=Amar Jawan Jyoti is called 'Amar' for a reason, can't be snuffed: Shashi Tharoor|url=https://zeenews.india.com/india/amar-jawan-jyoti-is-called-amar-for-a-reason-cant-be-snuffed-shashi-tharoor-2430485.html|access-date=2022-01-25|website=Zee News}}</ref><ref name=":flame" /> Jyoti ([[:wiktionary:ज्योति|ज्योति]]) can also mean light.<ref>{{Cite web|title=ज्योति (Jyoti) meaning in English|url=https://dict.hinkhoj.com/%E0%A4%9C%E0%A5%8D%E0%A4%AF%E0%A5%8B%E0%A4%A4%E0%A4%BF-meaning-in-english.words|access-date=|website=HinKhoj Dictionary}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=English translation of 'ज्योति'|url=https://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/hindi-english/%E0%A4%9C%E0%A5%8D%E0%A4%AF%E0%A5%8B%E0%A4%A4%E0%A4%BF|website=Collins Dictionary}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last=Dalal|first=Roshen|chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=RSLZBfKwgw8C&dq=amar+jawan+jyoti&pg=PT13|title=The Puffin History of India For Children: Volume 2. 1947 to the Present|date=2003|publisher=[[Puffin Books]], [[Penguin Books]]|isbn=978-8184758344|language=en|chapter=1|author-link=Roshen Dalal}}</ref>}}) is an Indian [[memorial]] conceptualised and constructed after the [[Indo-Pakistani War of 1971]] and inaugurated on 26 January 1972. It was the national war memorial in India until February 2019,{{sfnp|Chhina, Last Post. Indian War Memorials Around the World|2014|pp=161}}<ref name=":3">{{cite web|last=Anand|first=Col Rohan|date=January 2016|title=National War Memorial, At Last|url=http://www.sainiksamachar.nic.in/englisharchives/2016/jan16-16/h14.htm|access-date=2022-01-23|website=[[Sainik Samachar]]}}</ref> when the new [[National War Memorial (India)|National War Memorial]] and its own flame was inaugurated and lit.<ref name=":1">{{cite web|date=2022-01-21|title=Burning for 5 decades, flame at Amar Jawan Jyoti will be put out at India Gate, merged with National War Memorial|url=https://indianexpress.com/article/india/amar-jawan-jyoti-to-be-extinguished-national-war-memorial-flame-7734184/|access-date=2022-01-23|website=[[Indian Express Limited]]}}</ref> On 21 January 2022, the older flame was merged with the newer one at National War Memorial.<ref name=":1" />

The Amar Jawan Jyoti at India Gate consisted of a base of 15 [[Square foot|square feet]] with a height of 4 feet 3 inches on which there was a black marble pedestal, a [[cenotaph]], 3 feet 2 inches in height. "Amar Jawan" was scripted in gold in Hindi on all four sides of the cenotaph and on top, a [[Reverse arms|reversed rifle]] capped by a war helmet. The pedestal was bound by four urns.<ref name=":6">{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=acoBAAAAMAAJ|title=Delhi Gazetteer|publisher=Gazetteer Unit, Delhi Administration|date=April 1976|location=Delhi|pages=1001–1002|chapter=XIX: Place of Interest|via=[[Google Books]]}}</ref> On observances the flames were lit accordingly. It was constructed in a short timeframe as per Prime Minister [[Indira Gandhi]] wishes.

A new flame was installed at the [[National War Memorial (India)|National War Memorial]] to honour all known martyrs of the [[Indian Armed Forces]] of independent India''.'' It was completed in February 2019 and inaugurated by Prime Minister [[Narendra Modi]] on 25 February with the igniting of the flame''.'' The flame at the center of India Gate was merged with this new one by the [[Chief of Integrated Defence Staff]], [[Air Marshal (India)|Air Marshal]] [[Balabhadra Radha Krishna|Balabhadhra Radha Krishna]].<ref>{{cite web|last=Bose|first=Joydeep|date=2022-01-21|title=In historic move, Amar Jawan Jyoti merged with National War Memorial flame|url=https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/in-historic-move-amar-jawan-jyoti-merged-with-national-war-memorial-flame-101642759893068.html|url-status=live|access-date=2022-01-23|website=[[Hindustan Times]]|language=en|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220121103432/https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/in-historic-move-amar-jawan-jyoti-merged-with-national-war-memorial-flame-101642759893068.html |archive-date=21 January 2022 }}</ref> Debate ensued with regard to the old and new monuments, related to semantics, history, politicisation and symbolism.<ref name=":5" />

{{National War Memorial complex and India Gate OSM Location map}}

==History==
[[India Gate]] was designed by [[Edwin Lutyens]] and unveiled in 1931.<ref name="DELHI MEMORIAL">{{cite web|year=|title=Delhi Memorial (India Gate)|url=http://www.cwgc.org/find-a-cemetery/cemetery/142700/DELHI%20MEMORIAL%20%28INDIA%20GATE%29|url-status=live |access-date=3 September 2014|publisher=[[Commonwealth War Graves Commission]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121019114512/http://www.cwgc.org/find-a-cemetery/cemetery/142700/DELHI%20MEMORIAL%20(INDIA%20GATE) |archive-date=19 October 2012 }}</ref> Traffic and parades would pass through the monument. Vehicular movement under the arch was restricted in the 1950s.<ref name=":4" />

Amar Jawan Jyoti was added under India Gate following the [[Indo-Pakistani War of 1971]]. The war, which lasted from 3 to 16 December 1971, and ended with the [[Fall of Dhaka]], was part of the [[Bangladesh Liberation War|liberation war]] in [[East Pakistan]].<ref name="India-Pakistan 1971 war">{{cite news|last=Singh|first=Sushant|date=2 January 2020|title=India-Pakistan 1971 war|work=[[The Indian Express]]|url=http://indianexpress.com/article/explained/india-pakistan-1971-war-bangladesh-indira-gandhi-4429236/ |access-date=4 January 2017}}</ref> On 26 January 1972, the twenty-third Republic Day of India, the monument was officially inaugurated by Prime Minister [[Indira Gandhi]].<ref name=":3" /> This short timeframe for setting up a memorial to honour those of who fought only the previous month was as per Indira Gandhi's wishes.<ref name=":4" /> Author Vedica Kants has written in her 2014 book "India and the First World War" that the location of Amar Jawan Jyoti under the arch of India Gate rewrote the symbolic intention of India Gate.<ref name=":4">{{cite web|last=Anand|first=Col Rohan|date=May 2015|title=India Gate. An Indian Legacy|url=http://www.sainiksamachar.nic.in/englisharchives/2015/may01-15/h8.htm|access-date=2022-01-23|website=[[Sainik Samachar]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last=Kant|first=Vedica|date=2014-06-28|title=Why did we fight the war?|url=https://www.livemint.com/Leisure/VfpJyUSGqCbFo9114UpALP/Why-did-we-fight-the-war.html|access-date=2022-01-25|website=[[Livemint]]|language=en|quote=...was a refashioning of the symbolism of the site away from its colonial legacy...}}</ref>

For many years after Independence, there was no clear cut policy on war memorials.{{sfnp|Chhina, Last Post. Indian War Memorials Around the World|2014|pp=161}} In 1973, the military top brass observed that memorials to commemorate war related events and martyrs were being constructed across the country without any coordination.{{sfnp|Chhina, Last Post. Indian War Memorials Around the World|2014|pp=161}} These memorials were often left untended and were not constructed with much commemorative or architectural thought.{{sfnp|Chhina, Last Post. Indian War Memorials Around the World|2014|pp=161}} There are at least 150 war memorials in the country.{{sfnp|Chhina, Last Post. Indian War Memorials Around the World|2014|pp=162-171}} However, as the national war memorial construction was delayed, individual structures continued to be built.{{sfnp|Chhina, Last Post. Indian War Memorials Around the World|2014|pp=161}} The construction of a [[National War Memorial (India)|National War Memorial]] started in 2017 and was inaugurated in 2019.<ref name=":02">{{cite web|last=Pandit|first=Rajat|date=1 January 2019|title=Delhi: War memorial ready, 60 years after it was first proposed|url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/delhi/war-museum-ready-60-yrs-after-it-was-first-proposed/articleshow/67330108.cms|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190103074259/https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com//city/delhi/war-museum-ready-60-yrs-after-it-was-first-proposed/articleshow/67330108.cms|archive-date=3 January 2019|access-date=23 January 2022|website=[[The Times of India]]}}</ref><ref name=":12">{{cite web|last=Bhatnagar|first=Gaurav Vivek|date=21 April 2018|title=National War Memorial Takes Shape Six Decades After Being Conceived|url=https://thewire.in/urban/national-war-museum-delhi-india-gate|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190130125759/https://thewire.in/urban/national-war-museum-delhi-india-gate|archive-date=30 January 2019|access-date=23 January 2022|website=[[The Wire (India)|The Wire]]}}</ref> When the National War Memorial was inaugurated in 2019 with a new flame the [[Chief of Integrated Defence Staff]] and a [[Deputy Chief of the Army Staff (India)|Deputy Chief of the Army Staff]] had said that the old Amar Jyoti Jawan would be retained, however no specifics were given.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Ramdas|first=Admiral L.|author-link=Laxminarayan Ramdas|date=2022-01-24|title=Amar Jawan Jyoti: Symbolism, respect can't be forced, it evolves over time; new will never take place of old|url=https://www.nationalheraldindia.com/opinion/amar-jawan-jyoti-symbolism-respect-cant-be-forced-it-evolves-over-time-new-will-never-take-place-of-old|access-date=2022-01-25|website=[[National Herald]]}}</ref><ref name=":flame">{{cite web|last=Channan|first=Lt Col (Retd) Manoj K|date=22 January 2022|title=The Eternal Flame: The Indian Armed Forces should not be milked for political ambitions|url=https://www.financialexpress.com/defence/the-eternal-flame-the-indian-armed-forces-should-not-be-milked-for-political-ambitions/2413295/|access-date=2022-01-25|website=The Financial Express|language=en}}</ref>

Following the ceremony on 21 January 2022, debate ensued related to semantics, legacy, politicisation and symbolism{{Em dash}} whether the shifted flame was merged, or extinguished; whether the five decades old memorial was temporary, irrespective of government plans to construct a permanent one; whether there could be two "eternal" flames; and how the location of the old Amar Jyoti Jawan under the Indian Gate was symbolised and its colonial linkages.<ref name=":5">{{multiref2|{{cite web|last=Shivshankar|first=Rahul|author-link=Rahul Shivshankar|date=24 January 2022|title=There's no blame in shifting the flame|url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/theres-no-blame-in-shifting-the-flame/articleshow/89098912.cms|url-access=subscription|access-date=2022-01-25|website=[[The Times of India]]}}|{{cite web|last=Ramdas|first=Admiral L.|author-link=Laxminarayan Ramdas|date=2022-01-24|title=Amar Jawan Jyoti: Symbolism, respect can't be forced, it evolves over time; new will never take place of old|url=https://www.nationalheraldindia.com/opinion/amar-jawan-jyoti-symbolism-respect-cant-be-forced-it-evolves-over-time-new-will-never-take-place-of-old|access-date=2022-01-25|website=[[National Herald]]}}|{{cite web|last=Kaushik|first=Krishn|date=2022-01-24|title=Explained: The significance of Amar Jawan Jyoti, and why it was merged with National War Memorial flame|url=https://indianexpress.com/article/explained/explained-amar-jawan-jyoti-national-war-memorial-7735258/|access-date=2022-01-25|website=[[The Indian Express]]|language=en}}|{{cite web|author1=Editorial|date=2022-01-24|title=Side by side|url=https://indianexpress.com/article/opinion/editorials/amar-jawan-jyoti-national-war-memorial-showcase-a-rich-history-7738405/|access-date=2022-01-25|website=[[The Indian Express]]|language=en}}|{{cite web|last=Thapar|first=Karan|author-link=Karan Thapar|date=22 January 2022|title=Watch {{!}} Do Not Politicise Merging of Amar Jawan Jyoti: Former Army Chief V.P. Malik|url=https://thewire.in/video/watch-karan-thapar-vp-malik-amar-jawan-jyoti-india-gate|access-date=2022-01-25|website=[[The Wire (India)|The Wire]]}}|{{cite web|last=Swami|first=Praveen|author-link=Praveen Swami|date=2022-01-24|title=Liberals mourning India Gate flame must also recall some dark aspects of the colonial Army|url=https://theprint.in/opinion/liberals-mourning-india-gate-flame-must-also-recall-some-dark-aspects-of-the-colonial-army/811232/|access-date=2022-01-25|website=[[ThePrint]]}}|{{cite web|last=Chadha|first=Saroj|date=2022-01-24|title=Amar Jawan Jyoti and National War Memorial|url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/blogs/blunt-frank/amar-jawan-jyoti-and-national-war-memorial/|access-date=2022-01-25|website=[[The Times of India]] Blog|language=en-US}}|{{cite web|last=Tandon|first=Aditi|date=23 January 2022|title=In 1972, Indira Gandhi govt too proposed permanent war memorial|url=https://www.tribuneindia.com/news/nation/in-1972-indira-govt-too-proposed-permanent-war-memorial-363848|access-date=2022-01-25|website=[[The Tribune (Chandigarh)|Tribune India]]}}|{{cite web|last=Abdi|first=Mehmood |date=22 January 2022|title=Amar Jawan Jyoti: Merging flames and submerging history|url=https://theprobe.in/amar-jawan-jyoti-merging-flames-and-submerging-history/|access-date=2022-02-02|website=The Probe}}
}}</ref>

==Construction and structure==

=== Under India Gate, in 1971 ===
The Amar Jawan Jyoti was conceptualised and constructed in less than a month as per Prime Minister Indira Gandhi's wishes, to be made ready for Republic Day on 26 January 1972.<ref name=":4" /> The limited timeframe constrained both the location and the scale of the memorial.<ref name=":4" />

The base was {{Convert|15|sqft|sqin}} with a height of 4 feet 3 inches. At the centre of this was a pedestal 3 feet 2 inches in height. Here a reversed rifle was placed with a war helmet on the top. All the four sides of the memorial were inscribed the words 'Amar Jawan' in Hindi. At each of the four corners of the main platform on which rests the pedestal are the urn which contain the flames.<ref name=":6" /> It was white at the time.<ref>{{cite web|title=Amar Jawan Jyoti|url=https://www.bharat-rakshak.com/ARMY/Galleries/Wars/Memorials/Monuments/0011.jpg.html|access-date=2022-01-25|website=[[Bharat Rakshak]]}}</ref>

[[File:Amar Jawan Jyoti-2.jpg|thumb|left|Cenotaph with a [[L1A1 Self-Loading Rifle]] placed on its barrel and capped by a helmet of the Unknown Soldier.|236x236px]]
From 1971 to 2006, the flame was fueled by [[Liquefied petroleum gas|Liquified Petroleum Gas]] (LPG) cylinders.<ref name=":2">{{cite web|last=Sharma|first=Nidhi|date=25 January 2006|title=Amar Jawan Jyoti to glow with green fuel|url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/delhi/amar-jawan-jyoti-to-glow-with-green-fuel/articleshow/1386411.cms|url-status=live|access-date=2022-01-23|website=The Times of India|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100709132449/http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com:80/city/delhi/Amar-Jawan-Jyoti-to-glow-with-green-fuel/articleshow/1386411.cms? |archive-date=9 July 2010 }}</ref> The pedestal was bound by four urns. Each of the urns are controlled by a separate burner.<ref name=":2" /> A single LPG cylinder would be able to provide fuel for one urn for about 36 hours.<ref name=":2" /> The cylinders were stacked in a room in the memorial.<ref name=":2" /> Sanctioned in December 2005, LPG cylinders were replaced by Piped Natural Gas (PNG), a safer and more economical option.<ref name=":2" /> A pipeline had been laid from Kasturba Gandhi Marg.<ref name=":2" /> The staff responsible for maintaining the burning flame resided in a room under the [[India Gate|arch]], next to the flame.<ref name="Keeper of the flame">{{cite news|last=Gupta|first=Geeta|date=10 June 2012|title=Keeper of the flame|work=[[The Indian Express]]|url=http://archive.indianexpress.com/news/keeper-of-the-flame/960016/0 |access-date=4 January 2017}}</ref> The overall responsibility of the flame was under the [[Military Engineer Services (India)|Military Engineer Services]].<ref name=":2" /> Chander Singh Bisht, a retired military engineer service personnel, operated the flame for four decades.<ref name=":4" /> The monument was always guarded.<ref name="5 things about Amar Jawan Jyoti">{{cite news|last=Garcia|first=Meryl|date=19 January 2016|title=5 things about Amar Jawan Jyoti|publisher=[[The Better India]]|url=http://www.thebetterindia.com/43484/amar-jawan-jyoti-republic-day-delhi/ |access-date=4 January 2017}}</ref>

=== At Amar Chakra, in 2019 ===
[[File:The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi lighting the eternal flame, to mark the dedication of the National War Memorial, in New Delhi on February 25, 2019 (1).JPG|thumb|300x300px|The flame at the National War Memorial being lit for the first time on 25 February 2019.]]
Amar Jawan Jyoti is now located at the inner ring, the Amar Chakra (Circle of Immortality), of the [[National War Memorial (India)|National War Memorial]]. The Memorial has four concentric circles representing a [[Padmavyuha|Chakravyuh]] and a central obelisk at the bottom of which burns the flame.<ref>{{cite news|last=Yadav|first=Namrata|date=3 March 2019|title=Are you looking for someone you lost, Ma'am? They asked my mother at National War Memorial|work=[[ThePrint]]|url=https://theprint.in/opinion/are-you-looking-for-someone-you-lost-maam-they-asked-my-mother-at-national-war-memorial/200744/|access-date=25 January 2022}}</ref>

A global design competition was conducted and the result was announced in early April 2017. A [[Chennai]] architectural firm, WeBe Design Lab's proposal was declared the winner and was accordingly chosen for the conceptualization of the architectural design and for coordinating the construction of the project. The chief architect of the memorial is Yogesh Chandrahasan of WeBe Design Lab, Chennai, chosen through a global design competition and a jury chaired by [[Christopher Charles Benninger]].<ref>{{Cite web|last=Bhatnagar|first=Gaurav Vivek|date=21 April 2018|title=National War Memorial Takes Shape Six Decades After Being Conceived|url=https://thewire.in/urban/national-war-museum-delhi-india-gate|url-status=live|access-date=2022-01-23|website=[[The Wire (India)|The Wire]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190130125759/https://thewire.in/urban/national-war-museum-delhi-india-gate |archive-date=30 January 2019 }}</ref>

== Observances, remembrances and celebrations ==
Since 1972, every-year on [[Republic Day (India)|Republic Day]], before the [[Delhi Republic Day parade|Republic Day parade]], it had been customary for the [[Prime Minister of India|Prime Minister]] and three service chiefs and dignitaries to place a [[wreath]] at Amar Jawan Jyoti.{{sfnp|Chhina, Last Post. Indian War Memorials Around the World|2014|pp=161}} On Independence Day, the President laid a wreath.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Search results for "Amar Jawan Jyoti"|url=https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?title=Special:Search&limit=500&offset=500&profile=default&search=Amar+Jawan+Jyoti|access-date=2022-01-23|website=[[Wikimedia Commons]]}}</ref> On 16 December, [[Vijay Diwas (India)|Vijay Diwas]], the [[Minister of Defence (India)|Defence Minister]] laid a wreath.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Ceremonials, Department Of Defence|url=https://www.mod.gov.in/dod/ceremonials|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210123075925/https://www.mod.gov.in/dod/ceremonials|archive-date=2021-01-23|access-date=2022-01-23|website=[[Ministry of Defence (India)|Ministry of Defence]], Government of India}}</ref>

{{Gallery
|title=Visuals from the old Amar Jawan Jyoti
|width=150 |height=
|align=center
|footer=A representative group. For more images see [[:commons:Category:Amar Jawan Jyoti (Tomb of the Unknown Soldier)|Wikimedia Commons]]
|File:Picture of service chiefs on Navy Day, 2017 (high res).jpg
|'''Service days:''' Tri Service Chiefs paying homage on [[Navy Day (India)|Navy Day]], 2017
|File:Tri Service Chiefs paying homage at Amar Jawan Jyoti, India Gate on the occasion of Navy Day in New Delhi on December 04, 2012.jpg
|'''Service days:''' Tri Service Chiefs paying homage on [[Navy Day (India)|Navy Day]], 2012
|File:The Defence Secretary, Shri G Mohan Kumar laying wreath at Amar Jawan Jyoti, India Gate, on the occasion of 68th Anniversary of National Cadet Corps (NCC), in New Delhi.jpg
|'''Select anniversaries:''' Defence Secretary [[G. Mohan Kumar]] on 68th anniversary of [[National Cadet Corps (India)|National Cadet Corps]]
|File:The President, Shri Ram Nath Kovind paying homage at the Amar Jawan Jyoti, India Gate, on the occasion of 71st Independence Day, in New Delhi.jpg
|'''National days:''' The President and service chiefs on [[Independence Day (India)]], 2017
|File:The Kyrgyzstan Defence Minister, Maj. Gen. Abibilla Kudaberdiev paying homage to the martyrs at Amar Jawan Jyoti, in New Delhi on September 09, 2011.jpg
|'''Foreign dignitaries:''' [[Ministry of Defense (Kyrgyzstan)|Kyrgyzstan Defence Minister]], Major General [[Abibilla Kudayberdiev]] rendering a [[hand salute]], 2011
|File:The Chief of Ground Forces of Israel Defence Forces, Major General Guy Zur paying floral tributes at Amar Jawan Jyoti, India Gate, in New Delhi on November 12, 2013.jpg|'''Foreign dignitaries:''' Wreath laying by Chief of Ground Forces of [[Israel Defense Forces]], Major General [[Guy Tzur]]}}

From 2020 onwards the Prime Minister, on the occasion of the 71st Republic Day, placed the wreath at the [[National War Memorial (India)|National War Memorial]] instead of the Amar Jyoti Jawan at India Gate. The Prime Minister is accompanied by the [[Chief of Defence Staff (India)|Chief of Defence Staff]], along with the [[Chief of the Army Staff (India)|Army Chief]], [[Chief of the Naval Staff (India)|Navy Chief]], and [[Chief of the Air Staff (India)|Air Force Chief]].<ref name=":0">{{cite web|date=January 23, 2020|title=Not Amar Jawan Jyoti, Republic Day wreath-laying ceremony at National War Memorial from this year|url=https://www.indiatoday.in/india/story/republic-day-amar-jawan-jyoti-ceremony-national-war-memorial-1639434-2020-01-23|access-date=2020-12-14|website=[[India Today]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last=Kaushik|first=Krishn|date=2020-01-24|title=This year, Republic Day ceremony to start from War Memorial, not India Gate|url=https://indianexpress.com/article/india/this-year-republic-day-ceremony-to-start-from-war-memorial-not-india-gate-6232317/|url-status=live|access-date=2022-01-23|website=[[The Indian Express]]|language=en|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200124033916/https://indianexpress.com/article/india/this-year-republic-day-ceremony-to-start-from-war-memorial-not-india-gate-6232317/ |archive-date=24 January 2020 }}</ref>

{{Gallery
|title=Visuals from the new Amar Jawan Jyoti
|width=200 |height=
|align=center
|footer=Representative; for more images see [[:commons:Category:National War Memorial (India)|Wikimedia Commons]]
|File:The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi at the dedication ceremony of the National War Memorial, in New Delhi on February 25, 2019.JPG|Dedication ceremony, 2019
|File:The Chief of Staff, Japan Air Self Defense Force, General Izutsu Shunji paying homage at National War Memorial, in New Delhi on December 10, 2020.jpg|The Chief of Staff, [[Japan Air Self Defense Force]], General [[:ja:井筒俊司|Izutsu Shunji]], 2020.|Secretary Pompeo and Defense Secretary Esper Participate in a Wreath Laying at the National War Memorial in New Delhi, India (50537513647).jpg|Wreath laying by the [[United States Secretary of State]] and [[United States Secretary of Defense|Secretary of Defense]], 2020}}

== See also ==
{{commons category}}
{{Portal|India}}
* [[National Military Memorial]] in Bengaluru
* [[National War Memorial Southern Command]] in Pune
* [[Jharkhand War Memorial]] in Ranchi
* [[Kargil Chowk]] in Patna
* [[Kargil War Memorial]] at Dras, Kargil
* [[Victory at Sea Memorial]] in Visakhapatnam
* [[National Police Memorial (India)|National Police Memorial]] in New Delhi
* [[Kargil Vijay Diwas]]
* [[Vijay Diwas (India)]]
* [[Victory day of Bangladesh|Bijoy Dibos]]
{{Clear}}

==References==
;Notes
{{Notelist}}

;Citations
{{Reflist}}

== Bibliography ==
* {{Cite book|last=Chhina|first=Rana T.S.|url=https://www.mea.gov.in/Uploads/PublicationDocs/23460_IWM_Book__11-06-2014_.pdf|title=Last Post. Indian War Memorials Around the World.|publisher=Centre for Armed Forces Historical Research, United Service Institution of India|others=A public diplomacy initiative of the Ministry of External Affairs|year=2014|isbn=978-8190209793|ref={{sfnref|Chhina, Last Post. Indian War Memorials Around the World|2014}}|author-link=Rana Chhina|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220120044036/https://mea.gov.in/Uploads/PublicationDocs/23460_IWM_Book__11-06-2014_.pdf|archive-date=20 January 2022|url-status=live}}

== Further reading ==
* {{Cite book|last=Nayyar|first=Vice-Admiral (retd.) K.K.|title=Amar Jawan, A Book of Remembrance|publisher=[[India Book House]]|year=1997|isbn=978-8175081055|quote=A book of remembrance in memory of our soldiers, sailors, and airmen who laid down their lives in defence of their country, India, 1947–1997}}
:: {{Em dash}} {{Cite web|last=Joshi|first=Manoj|author-link=Manoj Joshi (journalist)|date=1 December 1997|title=Amar Jawan, A Book of Remembrance: A sailor's monumental record of the war dead|url=https://www.indiatoday.in/magazine/society-the-arts/story/19971201-amar-jawan-a-book-of-remembrance-a-sailors-monumental-record-of-the-war-dead-830980-1997-12-01|website=India Today|language=en}}

{{Delhi}}
{{Military of India}}

[[Category:Buildings and structures completed in 1971]]
[[Category:Buildings and structures in New Delhi]]
[[Category:Commonwealth War Graves Commission memorials]]
[[Category:Indian military memorials and cemeteries]]
[[Category:Military of India]]
[[Category:Monuments and memorials in Delhi]]
[[Category:Terminating vistas in India]]
[[Category:Tombs of Unknown Soldiers]]

Amar Jawan Jyoti - Revision history

Dentaltrendz at 11:13, 23 February 2026