A tourist town but very different from other Indian centers: a special place to live slowly and admire wonderful gardens, where harmony and beauty of the buildings go hand in hand.
La Chandigarh city is located in the region of Punjab north west of India and is known as a tourist town, loved by Indians for its slow life, the surprising development that makes it an ultra modern city and the possibility to immerse yourself in a culture that has so much to offer. Let's go and find out.
1. Rock Garden: a unique garden in Chandigarh
This garden is one of a kind because it is made entirely of recycled materials that Nek Chand, a civil servant who lived in Chandigarh, dedicated his life to recovering. Waste materials to create small masterpieces inside the park. The garden offers a rich alternation of statues, mosaics, waterfalls and plants that surprise the visitor. A strong and clear message: the need to focus on creative recycling and the importance of not creating unnecessary waste.
2. Sukhna Lake
Not far from the Rock Garden is this small lake, born in 1958 when they blocked the course of the seasonal river - called Sukhna - which flows down to the Shivalik hills. A meeting point for families and couples who like to walk or just sit in the grass. Ideal place for those who love jogging or want to relax lulled by the breeze. The nature in this place is wonderful and you will see many squirrels running among the plants.
3. Zakir Hussein Rose Garden
For lovers of greenery it is impossible not to visit this garden which extends over 30 acres and has 1600 varieties of roses. From February to March visitors will be able to admire many of them because in this period the flowering takes place. Do not forget that cultural activities and musical performances are organized in this garden.
4. Chandigarh City Museum
Includes the Museum of Natural History and the Museum of Architecture. The art galleries display the Gandhara sculpture collection from Pakistan, some of which date back to the XNUMXnd century and depict the Buddha. But the collection also boasts paintings originating from the Rajasthan area. Around the museum you will enjoy magnificent gardens that house modern sculptures.
5. Open Hand Monument
This very significant monument was designed byarchitect Le Corbusier and it is a universal symbol of generosity, openness to others and represents peace between peoples. With this ancient symbol, the architect wanted to send a message of brotherhood. Made in 1952 of sheet metal and concrete, it is 26 meters high and surrounded by a moat. The lightness of the sheet allows the hand to rotate freely pushed by the wind.
A place far from the chaos of Indian cities
It was the architect Le Corbusier who conceived Chandigarh, aiming to create a modern and efficient city, in which the harmony of nature and the beauty of the buildings could go hand in hand. A place that satisfies every kind of traveler and that differs greatly from the traditional context of Indian cities, so chaotic and disorderly. Here urbanization has, however, left the right space for a quiet life so much appreciated by its inhabitants, not forgetting the efficiency and development that is so lacking elsewhere.
