Chandigarh - A Introduction
The most striking thing about the Chandigarh city is the expanse of resplendent blue
sky with the mountains in the backdrop. When you are approaching the city,
you would see the jagged skyline of the Shivalik Hills looming large over
the city and the faint image of an old temple dedicated to Goddess Chandi,
from which the city got its name. Political position of Chandigarh is quite
ambiguous for anybody not knowing the city well. It is the capital to two
northern Indian states Punjab and Haryana besides being a union territory in
itself. The birth of this modern, happening city was an act of anguish and
drama that took place at the time of partition of India and Pakistan.
Lahore, the earlier capital of Punjab merged with Pakistan and Chandigarh
was conceived to be a symbol of India's freedom. The task of designing the
city fell on the shoulders of renowned French architect Edouard 'Le
Corbusier' Jeanneret who created Chandigarh as a city of "Sun, Space
and Verdure" to fulfil basic functions of working, living, and care of
body and spirit.
One can see architectural genius in the neat
geometrical design of residential quarters, reinforced concrete structures
and self-contained area layouts. Each sector of the city is designed with
its own shops, academic, and health care buildings, places of worship, open
spaces, greenery and the residential areas. The city is divided into four
major work areas. In the north, the capital complex, consisting of the
Secretariat, Legislative Assembly and High Court, with the hills as a
background dominating the city. Sector 17, which is the city and district
center, housing the administrative and state government offices, shopping
malls, banks and other offices. The west contains the university, and
institutions of engineering, architecture, Asian studies and medicine.
Finally the east zone, which is the industrial area of the city. Today, the
city is home to more than half a million people living in harmonious
conditions that are considered to be the best in the country.
Places
of Interest Nek Chand's Rock Garden
This Rock Garden is probably Chandigarh's premier attraction, a popular spot
for tourists. Nek Chand Saini, a resident of the city created it, in 1958.
He used discarded objects of everyday use like bottles, tin cans, broken
plugs, plates, saucers and rocks from the nearby Shivalik mountains to
create a 40-acre fantasy labyrinth garden with arched walkways, streams,
bridges, grottos, battlements, turrets and sculptures of people and animals.
Highlights include armies of stone ducks, papier-mache soldiers, pig iron
dancers and goblins. The park is open daily from April to September between
9 a.m. to 1 p.m. and 3 to 7 p.m. Between October and March, it is open from
9 a.m. to 1 p.m. and 2 to 6 p.m. The garden is an unabashed realm of natural
and manmade creativity attracting people of all ages and from all parts of
the world.
Open Hand Monument The Open Hand
Monument, a symbol of harmony and peace, is situated in Sector 1 along the
main road leading into the city. The first thing you'll notice as you are
the waist-high wicker fence which says 'for hon'ble judges only'. The best
time to visit the Open Hand Monument in the early evening. There is no
entrance fee to the monument grounds. The monument is itself at a large
distance away from the gate. It almost looks like a bird, slowly rotating on
rusted bearings. It is, in fact, a large, open, metal hand pointed skyward.
Some locals believe that the hand is supposed to represent the map of
Haryana. The base of the monument, which supports the shaft and hand, has
been fashioned out of a large, solid chunk of iron sunk several meters into
the ground. The metal monument is 14 meters high and weighs 50 tons. The
amazing thing about this monument is that it still rotates smoothly about
its bearings.
Capital Complex This area,
with its monumental public buildings is the site of architect Le Corbusier's
most ambitious experiments. The concrete campus and its accompanying lawns
are meant to express the strength and unity of independent India. They are
also Le Corbusier's way of staging the functions of government in symbolic
and geometric relation to one another and to the rest of the city. For
tourists, the High Court and the Open Hand Monument are more accessible than
the Legislative Assembly and the Secretariat.
Rose
Garden Leisure Valley is a garland of gardens that ornaments the
city from one end to another. Out of the many theme gardens that have been
developed in this valley, the Rose Garden is perhaps most famous of all. The
garden is located in the Sector 16 and is spread over an area
of 25 hectares. Containing more than a thousand varieties of roses, the
garden is one of the largest in Asia.
Government
Museum & Art Gallery Located in Sector 10 of Chandigarh, the
museum has a fine collection of stone sculptures of the Gandhara School of
art. Other exhibits include prehistoric fossils and artefacts along with the
works of modern art and miniature paintings.
Leisure
Valley The linear Leisure Valley was sculpted from a dried
riverbed. It is over 8 km long and runs through most of in this city. The
valley consists of several segments, each with its own theme. Flower
gardens, jogging tracks and tennis courts dot the trail. There's even an
open-air theatre and a sculpture park in the sector 10 section of the
Valley.
National Gallery of Portraits
Nrityagram Located in sector 17 B, this gallery was
inaugurated in September 1977. It is filled with portraits of Indian freedom
fighters, rare documents and recordings of the voices of prominent figures
of India's Independence movement. The gallery also contains photographs and
facsimiles of original writings, sculptures and ceramic murals.
Punjab
Kala Kendra The Punjab Kala Kendra is the office of the Punjab
Arts Council (Punjab Lalit Kala Akademi). Exhibitions are frequently
organized in its large galleries and the Council's permanent collection of
contemporary art is also on display here.
Museum of
the Evolution of Life (Science Museum) Inaugurated on 14 August
1973, this museum is famous for a large gallery that depicts the origin of
the earth and the evolution of life. Other galleries introduce the viewer to
astronomy, geology and the world of ancient man. International Dolls Museum
Situated in Bal Bhawan, Sector 23, the international dolls museum contains
more than 300 dolls from nearly every country in the world. Ten ceramic
murals and a large model train complete the display.
Chandigarh Excursion:-
Places nearby Bhakra Nangal Dam
Situated at Bhakra village of Bilaspur around 116 kilometres from
Chandigarh, it is one of the highest straight gravity dams in the world. The
Gobind Sagar Lake built here is around 90 km long covering an area of about
168 sq km. The dam was constructed in the year 1963. From here, you get the
fascinating view of the lake and the surrounding green jungles.
Bhima
Devi Temple This historic shrine related to the Panchayatan group
of temples is located 22 kilometres from Chandigarh on the Pinjore Kalka
Road. Here one can find the idols that date back to 11th and 14th centuries
Sukhna Lake Also in Sector 1, the Sukhna
Lake is an artificial reservoir. A popular place to hang out, one can expect
to find residents of the city jogging or strolling along the banks. There is
a walking path, a cafeteria, shops and a mini-amusement park and
paddleboats. The Sukhna Lake was created in 1958 by damming the Sukhna Choe,
a seasonal stream that flows down from the Shivaliks. Storks and cranes make
migratory stops at the lake. The lake, incidentally, has Asia's longest
water channel for rowing and yachting.
Morni Hills
Morni Hills, a beautiful hill resort, is situated at around 45 kilometers
in the Ambala district of Haryana. The hills combine the
best of an idyllic hill resort with many adventure and fun opportunities.
The hills are located in the lower reaches of Shivalik Range of Himalayas
and are an ideal base for trekking, rock-climbing, and adventure sports. The
hill station has a tranquil atmosphere with cool climate and offers you
overwhelming natural vistas and stunning views.