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The city of Peace which is the capital of Indian northern states Punjab and Haryana, located in the foothills of Shivalik hills. A beautiful city that is well planned and designed, presents a perfect example of urban planning and modern architecture in the twentieth century. The whole credit of it goes to a famous Swiss-French architect Charles Eduard Jeanneret better known as Le Corbusier. Wide roads, clean footpaths, strict follow of traffic signals, high standard of living, happiest city of the country make it an ideal city to live. And an interesting fact is that Chandigarh was a dream project of former and India’s first Prime Minister Sri Pandit Jawahar Lal Nehru.
Chandigarh shares its border with the neighboring state Punjab to its North and into the South and West with Haryana. Chandigarh is situated 44 km (28 miles) northeast of Ambala, 229 km (143 miles) southeast of Amritsar, and 250 km (156 miles) north of Delhi.
Origin of the Name
The city of Chandigarh had derived its name from the one of famous “Chandi Temple” located around sites for the city. The deity ‘Chandi’, the goddess of power and a fort of ‘garh’ laying beyond the temple gave the city its name “Chandigarh-The City Beautiful”.
History of Chandigarh
The inhabitants are not new on the gently sloping plains on which the modern city exists. The city has a pre-historic past of over 8000 years back when Harrapan Civilization used to live and making India count in one of the oldest and well-planned civilizations.
The city of Chandigarh presents a perfect example of a monumental architect, cultural growth, and modernization. The master plan for the city was prepared by Le Corbusier, but with few transformations it was taken off by a Polish architect Maciej Nowicki and an American planner Albert Mayer. Le Corbusier was assisted by three senior architects, Maxwell Fry, his wife Jane B Drew, and Corbusier’s cousin, Pierre Jeanneret. Not only the foreign architects and planners were involved. Indian architects have given there crucial contribution to the development of Chandigarh M.N. Sharma, A. R. Prabhawalkar, U.E. Chowdhary, J.S. Dethe, B.P. Mathur, Aditya Prakash, N.S. Lanbha and others have shown their remarkable role.
The foundation stone of Chandigarh was laid in 1952. Subsequently, at the time of the reorganization of the state on 01.11.1966 into Punjab, Haryana, and Himachal Pardesh, Chandigarh assumed the unique distinction of being the capital city of both, Punjab and Haryana while it itself was declared as a Union Territory and under the direct control of the Central Government.
What to Visit in Chandigarh
Rock Garden:-
By paying the entry ticket of Rs 20 for adults and Rs. 10 for a child, you would enter the mesmerizing sculpture world of Nek Chand Rock Garden. The Garden stretch over 40 acres which exhibits the recycled imagination of Nek Chand. Rock Garden consists of Doll museum, artificial waterfalls, presentation arena, and much more, all are made up of waste materials like bottles, glasses, bangles, tiles, ceramic pots, sinks, electrical waste, broken pipes, earthen pots, etc.
Nek Chand has started this garden secretly in the heart of Chandigarh near Sukhna Lake, during his free time he use to visit the place and collect the waste materials and put it on as a sculpture form only by his imagination. His work was though illegal but when Chandigarh Government found it approx 12-year dedicated work was there over the stretch of 12 acres. Then after the Government of Chandigarh has approved his great deed as the majority of the population was in the support of Nek Chand.
Sukhna Lake:-
A natural paradise in the city of Chandigarh that offers its tourist relaxation, recreation, and entertainment for a while away from the crowded city. The Lake provides a calm, fresh, and authentic experience to residents and its tourist. Sukhna Lake is spread over the circumference of more than 3 kilometers which facilitates for boating and other recreational activities. The cost of boating is Rs.100 Boat per Person for Four and Rs 50 Boat per Person for Two.
The Lake attracts migratory birds like the Siberian duck, storks and cranes, during the winters. So it becomes a suitable time to visit the Sukhna Lake. One can get food Courts, Ice Cream Parlours and other merchandise shops that’s the reason behind the one of the most popular stopover for everyone who visits Chandigarh
Rose Garden:-
Asia’s largest rose garden established in 1967.Formally known as Zakir Hussain Rose Garden, named after India’s former President Mr. Zakir Hussain. In the heart of Chandigarh this beautiful and lush green heaven is situated. Over more than 50,000 rose bushes and over 1,600 species of rose planted in a systematic order, over a stretch of 30 acres.
Out of the flowers planted many of them are fragranced and many of them are used as a showcase or act as a part of the display. One can see the vibrant colors of rose which earlier they haven’t seen in there life and feel the authentic fragrance of rose.
The Chandigarh’s Rose Garden is also home to many medicinal plants and trees. An annual rose festival is celebrated at the end of February and beginning of March, which is one of the highest crowd gathering seasons in Chandigarh.
C. Zoological Park:-
On traveling around 17 km from Chandigarh one will reach Zirakpur which is a protected forest area and a great place for family outing especially with children. Chhatbir Zoo is spread over 202 acres of raw scrubland, which makes it the biggest zoological park in north-western India. The zoo is home of over 1,000 animal and bird species. The zoo was set up with a motive to conserve the endangered and rear species through captive breeding. And the motive is being accomplished as the zoo became successful in captive breeding of Gharial.
The residents of Chandigarh and tourists will find a wide variety of animals and birds which includes deer, antelope, zebra, hippopotamus, crocodiles, and birds like pheasants, including the Mongolian and the white-crested Khaleej.
The Majender Chaudhary Zoo also offers opportunities of lion and deer safaris on electrically operated vehicles that attract a lot of visitors.
