Context: In a historic move government of India has put out the eternal flame of the Amar Jawan Jyoti underneath India Gate and merged it with the one instituted at the National War Memorial in 2019.

• The eternal flame was an iconic symbol of the nation’s tributes to the soldiers who have died for the country in various wars and conflicts since Independence.

Why was the eternal flame merged with the  flame at the National War Memorial (NWM)?
The government sources have claimed that the eternal flame paid homage to the soldiers killed in the 1971 War, but does not mention their name.

• Besides the India Gate is a “symbol of our colonial past”
• The names of all Indian martyrs from all the wars are housed at the National War Memorial. Hence it is a true tribute to have the flame paying tribute to martyrs there.
• Indian political and military leaders and foreign dignitaries pay their tributes to the fallen soldiers at the National War Memorial, which used to happen at the Amar Jawan Jyoti earlier.
• Many criticized that Amar Jawan Jyoti was etched so strongly in the emotional psyche of the country that the new war memorial did not get the attention as the government had expected, and the government wants to promote the new memorial.

About Amar Jawan Jyoti

• Amar Jawan Jyoti is an eternal flame at India Gate in central Delhi.
• It is an iconic symbol of the nation’s tributes to the soldiers who have died for the country in various wars and conflicts since Independence.

Why was Amar Jawan Jyoti constructed?

• After India defeated Pakistan in the 1971 war, the Amar Jawan Jyoti was constructed as a memorial for Indian soldiers who made the supreme sacrifice.
• Amar Jawan Jyoti was inaugurated by the then prime minister, Indira Gandhi, on January 26, 1972.

Key Elements of Amar Jawan Jyoti

• The key elements of the Amar Jawan Jyoti included a black marble plinth, a cenotaph, which acted as a tomb of the unknown soldier.
• The plinth had an inverted L1A1 self-loading rifle with a bayonet, on top of which was a soldier’s war helmet.
• The installation had four burners called the eternal flame which was never allowed to be extinguished.

How was the eternal flame kept burning?

• Since 1972, Amar Jawan Jyoti has been kept alive with the help of cylinders of liquified petroleum gas, or LPG.
• In 2006, the fuel for the flames was changed from LPG to piped natural gas, or PNG.

About National War Memorial (NWM)

• The National War Memorial was inaugurated in 2019.
• It is located at the ‘C’ Hexagon near India Gate.
• It was built in memory of the soldiers who laid down their lives for the country in the post-Independence period.
• The architecture of the memorial is based on four concentric circles:Raksha Chakra, Tyag Chakra, Veerta Chakra, and Amar Chakra.