Chandigarh: From being ‘The Garden City’ to becoming a ‘Tricity’!

Having explored the city for specific themes – Architecture and Agriculture earlier, I decided to explore the city with a generic point of view this time.

Chandigarh is the first planned city of Independent India, situated between the foothills of the Himalayas and the Gangetic Plains. The City was conceived as a ‘Garden City’ by its developers wherein vertical and high rise buildings were ruled out, keeping in view the living traditions of the people living nearby. Le Corbusier, the famous Swiss-French Architect, conceived the master plan of Chandigarh as analogous to human body, with a clearly defined head, heart, lungs, intellect, circulatory system and viscera.

* HEAD is represented by The Capitol Complex in Sector 1 which houses the important Government buildings,

* HEART is represented by The City Centre in Sector 17,

* LUNGS are represented by the Leisure Valley, various open spaces and green belts passing through the city,

* INTELLECT is represented by the Cultural and Educational Institutions,

* CIRCULATORY SYSTEM is represented by the network of roads in the city and,

* VISCERA is represented by the Industrial Zone

Below are the places I recommend visiting to acquaint oneself with the heritage and culture of the city.

• The Rose Garden located in Sector 16 of Chandigarh is said to be the largest one in the whole of Asia. It is spread over an area of 40 acres with more than 32500 plants representing more than 800 varieties of Roses. It was established in 1967 and was named after former President of India Dr. Zakir Hussain. A Rose festival is held here in the last week of February every year when spectacular display of roses is on display. The festival also includes numerous cultural programs such as folk dances competition, kite flying competition, painting competition etc.
• The Rock Garden was created by Nek Chand, a Road Inspector in the Public Works Department of Chandigarh, as a collection of images, statues, structures and sculptures created out of industrial and home waste items that had been discarded. It is divided into 3 different phases which have different types of installations and embellishments. Phase- 1 is a labyrinth of terracotta pots, chambers and niches that have been decorated with tiles, mirrors, broken bangles, tube light pieces and even toilet fixtures. Statues of various animal, birds and human figures made out of an array of waste matter are installed here. Phase-2 has a huge man-made waterfall which is a major attraction to its visitors for being a visual delight. Apart from that, there are intricate pathways and a miniature village located in this phase. Lastly, Phase-3 is where life size statues of elephants & camels are installed and there are Amphitheatres & courtyards for various events and gatherings. Phase-3 has an interesting section recently added to it called the Rag dolls section. As many as 200 rag dolls made from waste clothes by Nek Chand are on display as a theme gallery with special huts, trees and other spaces created out of waste cloth to complete the look and feel of Punjabi countryside. Using materials, designs, colours and textures that are synonymous with the garden, the museum has a meandering path, with a separate entry and exit.
• Sukhna Lake, lying just next to the Rock Garden, is the largest water-body Chandigarh has access to. It is one-of-its-kind man-made lake created in year 1958 by damming a seasonal stream, Sukhna Cho which originates in Shivalik Hills. With its vast expanse and the garden developed on its banks, the lake serves as a perfect location for a stream of morning joggers and walkers who come here to enjoy the fresh air. Bounded by a Golf Course on one side and a patch of reserved forest on the other, the lake offers a mesmerizing view to its visitors.
• The Capitol Complex is the focal point of the city, both visually and symbolically, whose architecture is considered to be the prime manifestation of modern architecture created by Le Corbusier and his team. It consists of Government buildings representing all three essential components of a democracy - the Legislature (Punjab & Haryana State Assemblies), the Judiciary (High Court of Punjab and Haryana) and the Executive (Punjab & Haryana Secretariat). Additionally on display are ornamental structures such as – The Open Hand monument, The Tower of Shadows, The Geometric Hill and Martyr's Memorial specially designed by Le Corbusier himself.
  
  Due to security concerns of this area and the complicated procedure of seeking permission, not many visitors could get access to The Capitol Complex. Only groups of architects deeply interested in studying ‘Architecture’ of the city could get close to these Institutional Structures. In year 2016 The Capitol Complex acquired the coveted ‘UNESCO World Heritage Site’ tag after which the number of applications to visit this place increased manifold. To simplify the process of getting approvals, Chandigarh Tourism Department has now installed a ‘single–window’ pass system at the Tourist Facilitation Centre located near the High Court building. One can apply through a Travel Agent in Chandigarh who forwards the application to the Tourism Facilitation Centre with details of the date of visit and the timing. Thereafter the tourists are allowed to visit the following places escorted by a Guide from the Department of Tourism and a Police personnel assigned to each site. The visits are allowed in 3 batches per day – at 1000 hrs, at 1200 hrs and at 1500 hrs in groups of not more than 30 persons per group. The visitors are required to show their original ID proofs when they arrive at the Tourism Facilitation Centre like, Passport, Aadhaar Card, Driving License, Voter ID etc.
• The Government Museum and Art Gallery is one of the premier institutions in Chandigarh with a very rich collection of Gandhara sculptures, Pahari & Rajasthani miniature paintings and rare documents. Before the partition in 1947, the collection of art objects, paintings, sculptures and decorative arts were housed in the Central Museum Lahore the then capital of Punjab.
• The Chandigarh Architecture Museum documents the different stages of development from the inception to the present stage of the city of Chandigarh. On display are the original documents pertaining to the planning and evolution of the city along with a few rare plans, sketches and relevant photographs prepared by master planner of the city.
• Le Corbusier Centre has been set up by the Chandigarh Administration in sector 19, at the old office of the Chief Architect Le Corbusier. The Swiss-French architect used this Office while conceptualizing the City almost 6 decades ago. The Centre displays and exhibits the life and works of Le Corbusier, so that tourists and future generations may be able to acquaint themselves with the rich cultural heritage of the city. The main aim of the Centre is to preserve, interpret, research and display the works and legacy of Le Corbusier.

Chandigarh is in the process of transformation from being a ‘Garden City’ to becoming a ‘Tricity’. The growth in the city has engulfed the neighbouring satellite towns Mohali (in Punjab) and Panchkula (in Haryana) too. Mohali boasts of a world-class Cricket Stadium, an International Airport and luxurious high-rises. Panchkula on the other side is getting urbanised rapidly with ever expanding residential and commercial areas. Shopping concept in the city has moved on from Sector 17 Market to Elante Mall in the Industrial Area. There are various dining options available in the city such as Backpackers Café, The Willow Café and Café Nomad offering world cuisine. Brew Estate is the city’s first microbrewery with a decent selection of beers from Belgium and Germany. The residents are now open to new music sensibilities too, with Chandigarh Jazz Fest getting sizeable audiences every year.

All this is an encouraging reflection of the changing times and people in the city, adapting well to the new concepts being brought in from all over the world at their door steps!