https://indianpedia.org/index.php?action=history&feed=atom&title=Kargil_War_MemorialKargil War Memorial - Revision history2026-07-31T13:16:47ZRevision history for this page on the wikiMediaWiki 1.45.4https://indianpedia.org/index.php?title=Kargil_War_Memorial&diff=453619&oldid=prevTanyaBertrand6 at 13:07, 8 November 20252025-11-08T13:07:41Z<p></p>
<p><b>New page</b></p><div>{{Short description|Indian memorial in Ladakh}}<br />
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[[File:Kargilwarmemorialdarss3.jpg|thumb|Kargil War Memorial. On the background is the name of soldiers who died during the battle, and a memorial for them in the front.]]The '''Kargil War Memorial''', also known as '''Dras War Memorial''', is a war memorial built by the [[Indian Army]] in the town of [[Dras]], near [[Kargil|Kargil city]] in [[Kargil district]] of [[Ladakh]], [[India]], commemorating the 1999 [[Kargil War]] between [[India]] and [[Pakistan]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.rediff.com/news/slide-show/slide-show-1-drass-memorial-invoking-memories-of-kargil-war/20110727.htm#2|title=Drass memorial: Invoking memories of Kargil war|date=27 July 2011|work=Rediff}}</ref> The memorial is located on the [[Srinagar]]-[[Leh]] [[National Highway 1D (India)|National Highway 1D]],<ref name="autogenerated1">{{cite web|url=http://jktourism.org/index.php/dras-war-memorial-vijaypath|title=Dras War Memorial - Vijaypath|work=jktourism.org}}</ref> about 5&nbsp;km from the city centre across the [[Tiger Hill, Kargil]].<br />
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==History==<br />
In the winter of 1998–99, the Pakistani Army crossed the [[Line of Control]] (LoC) and occupied numerous heights in Indian State of Jammu and Kashmir. Pakistani forces were dominating the National Highway and roads connecting Leh (Ladakh) and Kargil to Srinagar. The Indian Army launched [[Operation Vijay (1999)|Operation Vijay]] ("Victory") in May 1999 to retake the territory, leading to fierce battles in the harsh mountain environment. The operation continued for over two months, leading to a stalemate, and eventual withdrawal of Pakistani troops on the intervention and instructions of USA, to avoid full-scale war between two nuclear states and for ensuring regional peace.<br />
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Each year, 26 July is observed by India as [[Kargil Vijay Diwas]] (Kargil Victory Day), during which the [[Prime Minister of India]] pays tribute to the soldiers at Amar Jawan Jyothi at the [[India Gate]], [[New Delhi]].<ref name="autogenerated1" /><br />
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A makeshift memorial is said to have been constructed by troops of 108 Engineer Regiment at the site to honor Indian troops in 2000. The memorial in its present form was constructed by the Indian Army in November 2014.<br />
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==Design==<br />
The central feature of the memorial is a pink sandstone wall bearing a brass plate engraved with names of the soldiers who died during Operation Vijay. Visible from the site are the Tololing Heights, Tiger Hill, and Point 4875 (Batra Top), where fighting took place during the conflict.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://jktourism.org/index.php/kargil-war-memorial|title=Kargil War Memorial|work=jktourism.org}}</ref><br />
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The memorial features the Captain [[Manoj Kumar Pandey|Manoj Pandey]] gallery, which commemorates a young officer who was posthumously awarded the Param Vir Chakra, India's highest military award, for leadership during the war.<br />
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Over the years, several infrastructural improvements have been made to the site. On 26 July 2012, the Flag Foundation of India presented to the memorial a giant national flag measuring {{convert|37+1/2|by|25|ft|m|order=flip}} and weighing 15&nbsp;kg, on a {{convert|100|ft|m|order=flip|adj=on}} flag pole. The Dras War Memorial is now an important landmark and a major tourist attraction in Western Ladakh—in the year 2016, it received about 1,25,000 visitors.<gallery><br />
File:Image installed at the Kar Gil War Memorial, Drass.jpg|Image installed at the Kargil War Memorial, Dras<br />
File:Kargilwarmemorialdarss1.jpg|Artillery pieces at the Kargil War Memorial, Dras<br />
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==References==<br />
{{Reflist}}<br />
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==External links==<br />
*{{Commons category-inline}}<br />
*[http://traveltwosome.com/kargil-war-memorial/ Kargil War Memorial - Honouring our War Heroes]<br />
*[https://www.ladakh-tourism.net/blog/leh-palace/ Leh Palace - General Information]<br />
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[[Category:Kargil War|Memorial]]<br />
[[Category:Indian military memorials and cemeteries]]<br />
[[Category:Tourism in Ladakh]]<br />
[[Category:Buildings and structures in Ladakh]]</div>TanyaBertrand6