Chandigarh War Memorial, the First of its Kind Post-Independence Era Monument in the Country

Chandigarh, the very name conjures up vivid images of the historic Rock Garden, Zakir Hussain Rose Garden, Sukhna lake, Government Museum and Art Gallery, and other places of historic and heritage value. Among some of the lesser known places dotting the city, nestled in Sector 3, Chandigarh, is the magnificent War Memorial, the first of its kind of post-independence era war memorial in the country.

Where is the Chandigarh War Memorial? 

As you enter the sprawling Bougainvillea Garden in Sector 3,Chandigarh, spread over 20 acres of land with 65 varieties of exotic flowers, housing the martyrs’ memorial, you are simply swayed by the ambient backdrop. The landmark monument has been raised to perpetuate the fond memory of the countless fallen heroes hailing from the states of Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh and Union territory of Chandigarh.

Touted to be a remarkable milestone in the annals of military history, the Chandigarh War Memorial lists on black granite plaques, names of over 11,000 martyrs from the three armed forces who laid down their lives fighting on the frontiers since 1947. The memorial walls bear the names of the brave men who attained martyrdom during the Indo-China, Indo-Pak wars and various operations carried out by the Indian forces from time to time.

Design of Chandigarh War Memorial

The design was prepared by two students of the Chandigarh College of Architecture, Shivani Guglani and Nanaki Singh. These students were then in their 9th Semester (Final Year) of Bachelor of Architecture course in 2002-2003. The then UT Administrator Gen Jacob had suggested that the design of this prestigious memorial should come from young students from the local college of architecture. A competition was conducted amongst the students and the winners, Shivani and Nanaki, were selected.

Built-in powder-coated steel sheets with a tubular frame inside, the 22-feet-high martyrs’ memorial sculpture has been designed by architect Shams Shaikh.

A low wall spiralling through the central space, offers a closer and clearer view of the granite sculpture symbolizing the three wings of the armed forces – the Indian Army, Air Force and Navy – coming out in unison, manifesting the collective spirit of sacrifices made by our heroes in uniform.

The memorial also has a layered sitting space around the vertical stanchion standing tall at the dead centre, serving as a perfect open-air theatre for conducting conventions related to martyrdom.

Making of the war memorial

The memorial was jointly set up by the UT Administration and Indian Express Group of newspapers at a whopping cost of Rs 78 lakh. The idea behind raising a war memorial commensurate to the supreme sacrifices of the brave hearts was conceptualised in 2003 by Lt Gen JFR Jacob (Retd) during his stint as Governor of Punjab-cum-Administrator, UT Chandigarh. While laying the foundation stone of this memorial on April 28, 2004, he had termed it as shaandar yaadgar (magnificent memorial).

The ground-breaking ceremony was performed by Gen S F Rodrigues (Retd), former Chief of the Army Staff and Governor of Punjab and Administrator, UT, Chandigarh. The memorial was dedicated to the nation by the then President of India, Dr APJ Abdul Kalam on August 17, 2006.

Among the curious visitors to this unique martyrs’ monument on a laidback Sunday morning, was honorary Capt Baldev Singh Verma (Retd), who has travelled all the way from Kangra district of Himachal Pradesh, to offer his homage to the war heroes says, “There is no denying that the sacrifices of our valiant soldiers are recounted on some commemorative occasions. Simply by offering floral tributes to them by the who’s who of the armed forces and civil administration amid other perfunctory rituals, are not enough, to say the least. Our befitting tribute to them would be to remember them every single day”.

The UT Administration deserves a huge round of applause for keeping alive the soaring spirit of unflagging heroism exhibited by the war heroes for posterity, many of whom were just out of their teens.