Eternal Flame of Sacrifice: The ₹177.5-crore Telangana Martyrs’ Memorial has a 10,000-square-foot memorial. Hall for display of photographs of martyrs, 2 lakh sq.ft. Basement parking, a convention center with a capacity of 500 people, an audio-visual theater and a rooftop restaurant. , Photo Credit: Nagra Gopal
The stage is set for the inauguration of the Telangana Martyrs’ Memorial, which will be attended by Chief Minister K.K. Chandrasekhar Rao, built in the memory of those who sacrificed their lives for a separate state.
Built at a cost of ₹177.5 crore and spread over 3.29 acres just opposite the new secretariat complex, the stainless steel structure has a built-up area of 2.88 lakh sq ft. It has six floors of varying heights including two basement floors. The elliptical diya (lamp) atop the structure has a major axis length of 54 meters and a minor axis of 37 metres. The height of the diya is 26 m on one side and 18 m on the other, with the flame structure 26 m from the roof level. The total height of the flame is 45 meters from the ground level.
The memorial has 10,000 sq. ft. Hall for display of photographs of martyrs, 2 lakh sq.ft. Basement parking, convention center with a capacity of 500 people, 70 seater audio-visual theater and rooftop restaurant etc. “It is the largest stainless steel seamless finished structure in the world. Compared to our monument, the size of the Chicago Bean is about 40%,” said a senior official of the Roads and Buildings Department.
The chief minister will formally inaugurate the memorial on Thursday evening and before the inauguration ceremony there will be a rally of over 5,000 artists from the 125-feet tall Dr BR Ambedkar statue to the memorial.
The state government has declared a holiday on Thursday for parks adjacent to martyrs’ memorials, including Lumbini Park, NTR Ghat and NTR Gardens, part of the Buddha Purnima project.