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Since
Chandigarh is a newly developed city, it does not have many
historic monuments to offer. However, the Chandigarh city
boasts of several beautiful and well-maintained gardens that
are a treat to the eyes. Amongst the must visit places of
Chandigarh are the Rose Garden and the Rock Garden. The Capitol
Complex is a must see. Tourists may stroll or enjoy boating
at the Sukhna Lake of Chandigarh city.
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| Attractions
in Chandigarh |
| Capitol
Complex |
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Amongst the must visit places in Chandigarh is the monumental
Capitol Complex at Sector 1. The tourist attraction happens
to dominate the skyline of Chandigarh. Standing aloof at the
foothills of the city of Chandigarh, like the Grecian Acropolis,
the geometrical concrete buildings rise from the mounds as
giant playful sculptures. The places to be visited in the
Capitol complex of Chandigarh are the three major buildings
of the Secretariat, the Assembly, and the High Court. All
the three are interlocked to one another as part of a subtle
visual composition, delicately balanced, and enclosing grandiose
spaces. Between the silhouettes of these magnificent edifices
is juxtaposed the Chandigarh city's most popular visible symbol:
the Open Hand.
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| The
Secretariat |
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The
largest building in the Capitol Complex of Chandigarh is the
750-ft-long and 150-ft-high Secretariat designed as a work
place for nearly 4,000 people. Le Corbusier, who was very
sensitive to nature, as a salute to the majesty of the mountains,
placed the Secretariat perpendicular to the nearby Shivalik
range, so as not to obliterate their panoramic view.
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| The
Assembly |
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The
Assembly building in Chandigarh happens to be the most sculptural
of all architectural forms in the Complex. While at this place
you must visit the entrance at the piazza level for ceremonial
occasions. The massive 25×25 feet door that Le Corbusier himself
painted, as a colorful mural must be seen.
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| The
High Court |
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The
High Court of Chandigarh is also a linear block, with the
main façade towards the piazza. It has a rhythmic arcade of
a parasol-like double roof, which shades the entire building
in summer. Keeping in view the special dignity of the honorable
judges, an exclusive entry has been created for them through
a high portico resting on three giant pylons. Very much in
the tradition of the ceremonial gateway of the Buland Darwaza
of Fatehpur Sikri, this grand entrance with its awesome scale
does manifest the majesty of law to those who enter its portals.
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| The
Open Hand |
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One
of the most significant monuments planned by Le Corbusier
in Chandigarh is the Open Hand. The monument is a place to
visit in Chandigarh. Rising 85 feet high from a sunken trench,
a giant hand in metal sheets is designed to rotate "like a
weather cock, not to show the incertitude of ideas, but to
indicate symbolically the direction of wind (that is the state
of affairs)." It is also meant to convey a message of peace
"open to receive."
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| Sukhna
Lake |
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Another favorite recreation spot of the nature-loving people
of Chandigarh is the Sukhna Lake in Sector 1. Created by building
an artificial dam on a seasonal stream, Chandigarh's Sukhna
Lake is spread over a large area. A 2-km-long promenade along
the lakeshore is a popular place to be visited in Chandigarh
by the tourists and localities alike.
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| The
Rock Garden |
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No
description of Chandigarh city can be complete without a mention
of its most celebrated creations-the Rock Garden. Spread over
12 acres of wooded land near the Capitol Complex the Rock
Garden of Chandigarh is the creation of a humble road inspector
called Nek Chand. The urban waste material turned into creative
patterns and textures, mute rocks turned into art objects
attract tourists to Chandigarh. A visit to the Rock Garden
is a must for all the tourists travelling to Chandigarh.
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| Leisure
Valley |
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Another
place to tourist interest in Chandigarh is its leisure valley,
which, like a garland of gardens, ornaments the Chandigarh
city from one end to the other. The Rose Garden of Sector
16, which with an area of 25 hectares is one of the largest
in Asia. The Rose Garden is a place worth visiting in Chandigarh
for being home to thousand varieties of roses. Other prominent
and worth visiting parks of the Chandigarh city are the Garden
of Tranquillity, Garden of Rare Plants, Garden of Annuals,
the Bougainvillea Garden, Botanical Garden, and the Garden
of Aromatic Plants.
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