The PM dedicated the memorial by lighting the flame positioned at the bottom of the stone-made obelisk. Rose petals were showered by IAF helicopters and a fly-past in 'Missing Man' formation was also part of the event.
Spread over 40 acres in the India Gate complex, the memorial has been executed at a cost of Rs 176 crore and its design was selected through a global competition.
The central part of the sprawling complex has been built in a sunken plot as the design had to respect the heritage look of the India Gate's Central Vista, officials said.
The names of 25,942 battle casualties have been inscribed across 16 walls that consist of granite pieces bearing the name, rank and regiment of the fallen heroes, the officials said, adding that it was built between February last year and this February in "record time"
Besides, the main complex, a Param Yoddha Sthal has also been built on the northern side of the India Gate's C-Hexagon area. The park is dotted with bronze busts of the 21 awardees, fifteen posthumously, of the Param Veer Chakra, country's highest wartime gallantry medal.
The India Gate itself is a war memorial built during the British Raj as the All India War Memorial Arch to honour the soldiers who died in the First World War (1914-1918) and the Third Anglo-Afghan War (1919). The landmark has the names of soldiers inscribed on its surface.
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