India Gate, a majestic structure, 42 metres high, is set at the end of Rajpath, perhaps the most beautiful area of New Delhi with plush green lawns in the backdrop. It is a popular picnic spot during the winters and equally popular as a relaxation area during the
summer
evenings.Designed and built by Lutyens, it was originally called All
India War Memorial in memory of the 90,000 Indian soldiers who died
in the campaigns of World War I, the North-West Frontier operations
of the same time and the 1919 Afghan Fiasco.On the walls of the
structure are inscribed the names of all the soldiers. An eternal
flame called Amar Jawan Jyoti that runs on gas was lit in 1971 to
honour the martyrs. During the night, it is intensely floodlit and
the fountains nearby are lit up with coloured lights.Close by is the
canopy which once became controversial and under whose red sandstone
roof was the marble statue of King George V which has been shifted
from there. The canopy was also designed and built by Lutyens.