The Kargil War Memorial, also known as Dras War Memorial, is a war memorial built by the

Indian Army The Indian Army is the land-based branch and the largest component of the Indian Armed Forces. The President of India is the Supreme Commander of the Indian Army, and its professional head is the Chief of Army Staff (COAS), who is a four- ...

in the town of

Dras Dras (also spelt Drass, ISO transliteration: '), also known locally in Shina as Himababs, Hembabs, or Humas, is a town and hill station, near Kargil city in the Kargil district of the union territory of Ladakh in India. It is on the Nationa ...

, near Kargil city in Kargil district of

Ladakh Ladakh () is a region administered by India as a union territory which constitutes a part of the larger Kashmir region and has been the subject of dispute between India, Pakistan, and China since 1947. (subscription required) Quote: "Jammu and ...

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

, commemorating the 1999

Kargil War The Kargil War, also known as the Kargil conflict, was fought between India and Pakistan from May to July 1999 in the Kargil district of Jammu and Kashmir and elsewhere along the Line of Control (LoC). In India, the conflict is also referr ...

between

and

Pakistan Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 24 ...

. The memorial is located on the

Srinagar Srinagar (English: , ) is the largest city and the summer capital of Jammu and Kashmir, India. It lies in the Kashmir Valley on the banks of the Jhelum River, a tributary of the Indus, and Dal and Anchar lakes. The city is known for its natu ...

Leh Leh () ( lbj, ) is the joint capital and largest city of Ladakh, a union territory of India. Leh, located in the Leh district, was also the historical capital of the Kingdom of Ladakh, the seat of which was in the Leh Palace, the former res ...

National Highway 1D National Highway 1D (NH 1D), also known as Srinagar-Leh Highway, was a National Highway entirely within the union territory of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh in North India that connected Srinagar to Leh in Ladakh. It was one of the only two roa ...

, about 5 km from the city centre across the

Tiger Hill, Kargil Tiger Hill (also called Point 5062) is a mountain in the Drass-Kargil area of Ladakh, India. It is one of the highest peaks in the area and was the subject of a battle during the 1999 Kargil War. Strategic relevance Since Tiger Hill is the hig ...

History

In the winter of 1998–99, the Pakistani Army crossed the

Line of Control The Line of Control (LoC) is a military control line between the Indian and Pakistanicontrolled parts of the former princely state of Jammu and Kashmir—a line which does not constitute a legally recognized international boundary, but serve ...

(LoC) and occupied numerous heights in Indian State of Jammu and Kashmir. Pakistani forces were dominating the National Highway and roads connecting Leh (Ladakh) and Kargil to Srinagar. The Indian Army launched Operation Vijay ("Victory") in May 1999 to retake the territory, leading to fierce battles in the harsh mountain environment. The operation continued for over two months, leading to a stalemate, and eventual withdrawal of Pakistani troops on the intervention nd instructions of USA, to avoid full-scale war between two nuclear states and for ensuring regional peace. Each year, 26 July is observed by India as Kargil Vijay Diwas (Kargil Victory Day), during which the

Prime Minister of India The prime minister of India (IAST: ) is the head of government of the Republic of India. Executive authority is vested in the prime minister and their chosen Council of Ministers, despite the president of India being the nominal head of the ...

pays tribute to the soldiers at Amar Jawan Jyothi at the India Gate,

New Delhi New Delhi (, , ''Naī Dillī'') is the capital of India and a part of the National Capital Territory of Delhi (NCT). New Delhi is the seat of all three branches of the government of India, hosting the Rashtrapati Bhavan, Parliament House ...

. A makeshift memorial is said to have been constructed by troops of 108 Engineer Regiment at the site to honor Indian troops in 2000. The memorial in its present form was constructed by the Indian Army in November 2014.

Design

The central feature of the memorial is a pink sandstone wall bearing a brass plate engraved with names of the soldiers who died during Operation Vijay. Visible from the site are the Tololing Heights, Tiger Hill, and Point 4875 (Batra Top), where fighting took place during the conflict. The memorial features the Captain Manoj Pandey gallery, which commemorates a young officer who was posthumously awarded the Param Vir Chakra, India's highest military award, for leadership during the war. Over the years, several infrastructural improvements have been made to the site. On 26 July 2012, the Flag Foundation of India presented to the memorial a giant national flag measuring and weighing 15 kg, on a flag pole. The Dras War Memorial is now an important landmark and a major tourist attraction in Western Ladakh—in the year 2016, it received about 1,25,000 visitors. File:Image installed at the Kar Gil War Memorial, Drass.jpg, Image installed at the Kargil War Memorial, Dras File:Kargilwarmemorialdarss1.jpg, Artillery pieces at the Kargil War Memorial, Dras

References

External links

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Kargil War Memorial - Honouring our War HeroesLeh Palace - General Information
Kargil War Indian military memorials and cemeteries Tourism in Ladakh Buildings and structures in Ladakh