To honour and remember soldiers, martyrs of the Indian Armed Forces/Indian military, Amar Jawan Jyoti (अमर जवान ज्योलत) an Immortal Soldier Flame was constructed as an Indian memorial after the Indo Pak war of 1971. It was constructed as per the directions of late Prime Minister Indira Gandhi and inaugurated on 26th January 1972. On observances, the flames were lit accordingly.

The old Amar Jawan Jyoti is situated at India Gate in New Delhi and consisted of a base of 15 sq. feet with a height of 4’ 3” on which there is a black marble pedestal, a monument, 3’ 2” in height. "Amar Jawan" is engraved in gold in Hindi on all four sides of the cenotaph or black monument. On this monument, a reversed rifle capped by a war helmet. The Memorial has four concentric circles representing a Chakravyuh and a central tower at the bottom of which burns the flame.

Significance behind making the new war memorial: For many years after Independence, individual structures and martyrs’ memorials were constructed here and there without any coordination or mentioned policy. There are at least 150 war memorials in the country. The construction of the new National War Memorial started in 2017 and was inaugurated in 2019. A new national war memorial (राष्ट्रीय समर स्मारक) was completed in February 2019. On 21 January 2022, the older flame was merged with the newer one at National War Memorial. It was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 25 February with the igniting of the flame. The flame at the center of India Gate was merged with this new one by the Chief of Integrated Defence Staff, Air Marshal Balabhadhra Radha Krishna. The memorial is spread over 40 acres of land and built by the Govt. of India, around the existing canopy, near India Gate.

But after the construction of the new National War Memorial, a serious debate arose with many questions like whether there could be two "eternal" flames; and how the location of the old Amar Jyoti Jawan under the Indian Gate was symbolized and its colonial linkages, etc. The names of armed forces personnel killed during the fight with Pakistan, China, the war of 1961 in Goa, Operation Pawan, with other significant operations of the Indian Army like Operation Rakshak are inscribed on the memorial walls in golden letters. Before the Parade on Republic Day every year as customary since 1972 the Prime Minister and three service chiefs with other dignitaries place a wreath at Amar Jawan Jyoti. In continuation to this every year on Independence-day the President of India and on 16th December on the occasion of Vijay Diwas, the defence minister laid a wreath at Amar Jawan Jyoti.

Instead of the Amar Jawan Jyoti at India Gate, from 2020 onwards Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 71st Republic Day placed the wreath at the newly built National War Memorial. The Prime Minister was accompanied by the Chief of Defence Staff with the Army, Navy, and Air Force chiefs.