Made of white marble, the memorial stands for purity and peace. A battle-scarred Centurion tank that witnessed action in the 1971 war stands on it. The names of the martyrs are inscribed on the walls of the memorial.

The centre stone carries an inscription ``To commemorate the dead of the Indian Cavalry and Armoured Corps who gave their lives in defence of our country.''

At the dedication ceremony wreaths were laid by the Director General of Mechanised Forces, Lt Gen M S Shergill, Lt Gen S S Mehta, Deputy Chief of the Army Staff (P & Q), Commandant of the Armoured Corps Centre and School (ACCS) Lt Gen V K Sewal and other officers.

Ceremonial flags from the armoured regiments fluttered with pride as lancemen in their ceremonial winter dress added colour. The sprawling lawns and rose saplings in bloom added grace.

The unique memorial covers a 12,000 sq mt area. Two bronze statues of cavalrymen, carrying the regimental lances in ceremonial dress, stand guard on either side of the platform. They were cast at Vadodara and finishing touches was done at Noida. The wall that forms the backdrop will display the crests of armoured formations and units. The memorial is the brainchild of former Army chief General Shanker Roychowdhury. The construction began in May 1998 and was completed in a nine months.The memorial is the jewel in the ACCS crown.