Teen Murti Haifa Chowk

The Battle of Haifa: 19 to 23 September 1918

In September 1918, the British Egyptian Expeditionary Force under General Edmund Allenby opened its final offensive in Palestine. The Indian princely states had placed their own cavalry at the service of the Allied war effort, and these regiments formed the 15th (Imperial Service) Cavalry Brigade. The brigade's regiments came from Hyderabad, Mysore and Jodhpur, with smaller detachments from Bhavnagar, Kashmir and Kathiawar [1]. Haifa mattered because it was a port. A force holding it could bring supplies in by sea instead of over long desert lines. Indian official sources at the 2018 renaming stated that the capture opened a sea supply route for the Allies [2]. On 23 September 1918, the brigade attacked. The Commonwealth War Graves Commission records that the Mysore and Jodhpur Lancers captured Haifa on that date [3]. The Jodhpur Lancers, led by Major Dalpat Singh Shekhawat, charged the combined Ottoman, German and Austrian defences, and the Mysore Lancers supported the attack from the flank. The lancers took close to 1,500 prisoners, along with 18 guns and 11 machine guns [4]. Major Dalpat Singh was killed during the charge. He received the Military Cross after his death, as did Captain Anop Singh and Second Lieutenant Sagat Singh; Captain Aman Singh Bahadur and Dafadar Jor Singh received the Indian Order of Merit [5]. Within days, Allied forces moved north to Damascus, and Ottoman rule in the region came to an end.

Jodhpur lancers marching through Haifa after it was captured.

The Memorial and Its Sculpture: 1922 to 1924

The memorial at the centre of the roundabout was raised by the government of British India in the new imperial capital. Its form is simple. A stone obelisk stands on a three-sided base, and a bronze figure of a lancer stands at each of the three corners. The Hindi name "Teen Murti" means "three statues," and the junction took its popular name from them. The National Army Museum in Britain records that the memorial was built in 1922 and inaugurated on 8 March 1924 by Lord Reading, then Viceroy of India. The sculpture was the work of Leonard Jennings. The three figures represent soldiers of the Mysore Lancers, the Hyderabad Lancers and the Jodhpur Lancers, and the memorial commemorates the officers and men of the brigade who died in the Middle East campaign [1]. The dates 1922 and 1924 therefore describe two stages of one project: the building of the memorial, and its formal opening. The inscriptions on the base record where the brigade served. They list the Suez Canal, Gaza, Jerusalem, the Jordan Valley, Haifa, Damascus and Aleppo [1]. The memorial was copied in silver. A table centrepiece in the shape of the memorial, hallmarked 1927 to 1928, is now kept in the Indian Army Memorial Room at Sandhurst [1]. The memorial stands outside Teen Murti Bhavan, which later became the residence of Jawaharlal Nehru [1]. The house, the road and the roundabout all carry the name of the three soldiers.

Counting the Fallen: What the Different Figures Measure

Three different numbers appear in public accounts of Indian losses at Haifa. Each comes from a different producing body and counts a different thing. They are given here separately and are not combined. The first figure is the Government of India's. On the day of the renaming, official sources quoted by the Press Trust of India stated that 44 Indian soldiers died in the liberation of the city [2]. This is the figure used in Indian state ceremonies. The second figure is the Commonwealth War Graves Commission's. The Commission records 49 Commonwealth servicemen of the First World War buried in Haifa Indian Cemetery, of whom 46 are identified. A casualty clearing hospital moved to the town on 15 October 1918, and the cemetery stayed in use until October 1920. The names of the identified dead were added to the cemetery memorial in 2001 [3]. The unit is burials at one site over two years, so this count includes men who died of wounds or illness after the battle The third figure covers the day of the charge alone. Accounts of the action give eight men killed, including the commanding officer, and 34 wounded, with 60 horses killed and 83 wounded [4]. These numbers are commonly traced to the British official history of the campaign by Cyril Falls (1930). No free, page-linked copy of that volume could be located for this piece. In wider terms, about 900 Indian soldiers lie in cemeteries in Haifa, Jerusalem and Ramle, a figure given in Indian reporting of the 2026 Haifa ceremony [6].

The Renaming: April 2017 to January 2018

The proposal to add Haifa to the name began in the New Delhi Municipal Council. In April 2017, the Council placed on its agenda a plan to rename Teen Murti Chowk as Teen Murti Haifa Chowk and Teen Murti Marg as Teen Murti Haifa Marg. The item was deferred after a long discussion. Council member Meenakshi Lekhi said the aim was to bring Delhi's residents closer to Indian history [7]. Diplomacy moved at the same time. Prime Minister Modi visited Israel from 4 to 6 July 2017, the visit raised relations to a strategic partnership, and Prime Minister Netanyahu made a return visit to India from 14 to 19 January 2018 [8]. During the July 2017 visit, the two leaders laid wreaths at the Indian cemetery in Haifa and unveiled a plaque honouring Major Dalpat Singh as the "Hero of Haifa" [5]. On 14 January 2018, the renaming took place. Prime Minister Modi received Netanyahu at the airport, and the two leaders drove straight to the memorial. They laid a wreath and signed the visitors' book. Modi wrote in Gujarati that the sacrifice remembered at Teen Murti was reaching its centenary. Benjamin and Sara Netanyahu wrote that they honoured the Indian soldiers who "helped liberate our land and Haifa" [9]. The joint statement issued the next day described the visit as closing the twenty-fifth anniversary year of the relationship [10]. The site has since served as a marker of the partnership. On 29 January 2022, the Chowk was lit in the colours of both flags to mark 30 years of diplomatic relations [11].

What Is Marked Each 23 September

The anniversary of the charge is observed in both countries. In India, the day belongs first to the regiment that carries the brigade's lineage. The 61st Cavalry observes 23 September as its Raising Day, also called Haifa Day [2]. In Israel, public remembrance in its present form is recent. In 2010, the Society for the Heritage of World War I in Israel, the Haifa History Association and Haifa Municipality began an initiative to mark Haifa Day in honour of the Indian soldiers [12]. The city has carried the story into its classrooms. At the 107th anniversary ceremony in September 2025, Haifa Mayor Yona Yahav said that school texts in the city were being changed to credit Indian soldiers, not British ones, with the liberation [13]. At the 2026 ceremony, Deputy Mayor Sarit Golan-Steinberg spoke, students from the Ironi Gimel school attended, and Indian Ambassador J.P. Singh laid a wreath at the Haifa cemetery. The Indian Embassy has also set up an "India Trail" linking sites of Indian wartime service in the region [6]. In New Delhi, the ceremony is held at the Chowk itself. On 23 September 2024, Israel's Ambassador to India, Reuven Azar, spoke at the Delhi commemoration and praised the relationship between the two democracies [14]. On 23 September 2026, the Forum for Awareness of National Security held its annual Haifa Victory Day ceremony at the Chowk, as it has done each year since the 2018 renaming, and an Israeli diplomat addressed the gathering [15].

In One Paragraph

Teen Murti Haifa Chowk in New Delhi surrounds a memorial to the 15th (Imperial Service) Cavalry Brigade, whose regiments from Hyderabad, Jodhpur and Mysore served in Sinai, Palestine and Syria in the First World War. Leonard Jennings sculpted its three bronze lancers; the memorial was built in 1922 and opened by Lord Reading on 8 March 1924. On 23 September 1918, the Jodhpur and Mysore Lancers took Haifa, and Major Dalpat Singh died leading the charge. The Government of India gives 44 Indian dead; the Commonwealth War Graves Commission records 49 graves at Haifa Indian Cemetery for 1918 to 1920; accounts of the day itself give 8 killed and 34 wounded. Modi and Netanyahu renamed the roundabout on 14 January 2018. Each 23 September, the 61st Cavalry, the city of Haifa and gatherings in New Delhi mark Haifa Day.

Sources

1. National Army Museum. “Centrepiece, 15th Imperial Service Cavalry Brigade, 1927 (c.).” Online Collection, accession no. 1959-05-64-1. Accessed October 5, 2026.https://collection.nam.ac.uk/detail.php?acc=1959-05-64-1.
2. Press Trust of India. “Teen Murti Chowk to Be Formally Renamed after Israeli City.” Deccan Herald, January 14, 2018.https://www.deccanherald.com/amp/story/archives%2Fteen-murti-chowk-formally-renamed-1915852.
3. Commonwealth War Graves Commission. “Haifa Indian Cemetery.” Cemetery Details, no. 72107, Historical Note and History Information. Accessed October 5, 2026.https://www.cwgc.org/visit-us/find-cemeteries-memorials/cemetery-details/72107/haifa-indian-cemetery/.
4. “Last Great Cavalry Charge Wasn't Led by Europeans: It Was Won by Indian Lancers in WWI.” La Brújula Verde, September 2026.https://www.labrujulaverde.com/en/2026/09/last-great-cavalry-charge-wasnt-led-by-europeans-it-was-won-by-indian-lancers-in-wwi/.
5. “The Battle of Haifa: The Last Successful Cavalry Charge in History.” Salute, n.d.https://salute.co.in/the-battle-of-haifa-the-last-successful-cavalry-charge-in-history/.
6. “Haifa's Liberation by Indian Soldiers Integral Part of History: Israeli City's Deputy Mayor.” The Hans India, September 17, 2026.https://www.thehansindia.com/news/international/haifas-liberation-by-indian-soldiers-integral-part-of-history-israeli-citys-deputy-mayor-1122493.
7. “Ahead of PM's Israel Visit, NDMC Moves Proposal to Rename Teen Murti after Haifa.” Indian Express (Delhi edition), April 28, 2017.https://indianexpress.com/article/cities/delhi/ahead-of-pms-israel-visit-ndmc-moves-proposal-to-rename-teen-murti-after-haifa-4631286/.
8. Ministry of External Affairs, Government of India. “India-Israel Bilateral Relations.” Country brief, February 2026, para. 3.https://www.mea.gov.in/Portal/ForeignRelation/Israel_February_2026_1_.pdf.
9. “‘Shalom’ after Jerusalem Row.” The Tribune, January 15, 2018.https://www.tribuneindia.com/news/archive/nation/shalom-after-jerusalem-row-528771.
10. Ministry of External Affairs, Government of India. “India-Israel Joint Statement during Visit of Prime Minister of Israel to India (January 15, 2018).” Bilateral Documents, para. 1.https://www.mea.gov.in/bilateral-documents?dtl/29357/IndiaIsrael_Joint_Statement_during_visit_of_Prime_Minister_of_Israel_to_India_January_15_2018.
11. Asian News International. “Teen Murti Haifa Chowk Lights Up in Indian, Israeli Colours to Celebrate 30 Years of Establishment of Diplomatic Relations.” ANI News, January 29, 2022.https://www.aninews.in/news/world/asia/teen-murti-haifa-chowk-lits-up-in-indian-israeli-colours-to-celebrate-30-years-of-establishment-of-diplomatic-relations20220129210943/.
12. “The Battle for Haifa: Palestinians Target a Symbol of India-Israel Ties.” Israel Hayom, October 1, 2026.https://www.israelhayom.com/2026/10/01/the-battle-for-haifa-palestinians-target-a-symbol-of-india-israel-ties/.
13. News On AIR. “India Embassy in Israel Marks 107th Anniversary of Battle of Haifa.” All India Radio, September 30, 2025.https://www.newsonair.gov.in/india-embassy-in-israel-marks-107th-anniversary-of-battle-of-haifa.
14. News On AIR. “Haifa Day Celebrated in the National Capital.” All India Radio, September 23, 2024.https://www.newsonair.gov.in/haifa-day-celebrated-in-the-national-capital.
15. “Haifa Victory Day: FANS Pays Tribute to Indian Soldiers in New Delhi.” Asianet Newsable, September 24, 2026.https://newsable.asianetnews.com/world/haifa-victory-day-fans-pays-tribute-to-indian-soldiers-in-new-delhi-articleshow-nchmyb7.