Amar Jawan Jyoti to be extinguished, merge with War Memorial flame. Know more here

New Delhi: In what can be dubbed as a historical ceremony, Amar Jawan Jyoti at India gate will be extinguished for the first time in 50 years and will be merged with the flame at the National War Memorial on Friday as a part of Republic Day celebrations.

"The Amar Jawan Jyoti flame at India Gate will be extinguished and merged with the flame at the National War Memorial on Friday in a ceremony," an Indian Army told ANI.

The ceremony would be presided over by the Integrated Defence Staff chief Air Marshal Balabadhra Radha Krishna who would merge the two flames, officials said.

History of Amar Jawan Jyoti

Amar Jawan Jyoti, which is an eternal flame, came into being in 1972 underneath the India Gate arch to commemorate the soldiers martyred in the Indo-Pak War of 1971. It is a memorial symbolised by an inverted bayonet and soldier`s helmet over it with an eternal flame burning beside it.

Why a new flame?

The existence of Amar Jawan Jyoti was questioned two years ago after the National War Memorial came into being and the nation got a new eternal flame there.

Back then, the Indian Army had stated that Amar Jawan Jyoti will continue as it is an "inseparable" part of the country`s history.

But with the new eternal flame at the National War Memorial and wreath-laying ceremony on all designated days being carried out at the memorial, the force will now merge the Amar Jawan Jyoti with the other.

National War Memorial

The National War Memorial spread over 40 acres in the India Gate complex behind the canopy and is dedicated to soldiers killed during the Indo-China War in 1962, Indo-Pak Wars in 1947, 1965 and 1971, Indian Peace Keeping Force operations in Sri Lanka and in the Kargil Conflict of 1999, besides those killed in the UN peacekeeping missions.