10 PLACES TO VISIT IN CHANDIGARH (2021)
Welcome to my
page. Here I’m going to talk about Chandigarh.
Chandigarh, the capital of the northern Indian
states of Punjab and Haryana, was designed by the Swiss-French modernist
architect, Le Corbusier. His buildings include the Capitol Complex with its
High Court, Secretariat and Legislative Assembly, as well as the giant Open
Hand Monument.
Apart from the city's architecture and buildings like Capitol Complex, High Court, Secretariat, Legislative Assembly and giant Open Hand Monument, it is also famous for its clean roads and greenery.
Chandigarh is full of many historical places, gardens, shopping malls, parks, showrooms and many more. You should visit these places if you come to Chandigarh.
1.
The Rose Garden
:
Zakir Hussain Rose Garden, is a botanical garden in Chandigarh and spread over 30 acres of land, with 50,000 rose-bushes of 1600 different species.
The other major attraction of the garden is more
than 32,500 varieties of trees and medicinal plants. Some of the medicinal
plants that can be spotted here are bel, bahera, harar, camphor and yellow
gulmohar. The garden is designed like a park and contains long stretches and
curves of walking path which makes it comfortable for people who are jogging
and exercising.
The Zakir Hussain Rose Garden serves as the venue
for hosting an annual festival called Festival of Gardens, a major cultural
event in Chandigarh during February or March. It receives visitors from all
over the country in a very large number. Exhibiting the finest of roses, it
also offers lots of competitions, cultural events and other celebrations.
The best time to visit the Rose Garden is from
February to March. During this season the garden becomes colourful with variety
of roses and the mesmerizing fragrance has an enthralling effect.
Address: Jan Marg, 16B, Sector 16, Chandigarh, 160016
2. The Rock Garden:
Park
The Rock Garden of Chandigarh is a sculpture garden of rock enthusiasts. It is also known as Nek Chand’s Rock Garden.
This garden has several interlinked man-made waterfalls,
puddles and various sculptures made from scrap like plastic bottles, auto
parts, clay, coal, marbles, forks, frames, tiles, ceramic pots, electrical
waste and accessories like bangles. The sculptures mostly resemble animals and
humans, but some are great examples of abstract art. This garden is a vision of
the kingdom of Sukhrani, started by Nek Chand. This make-believe kingdom has 14
chambers representing the Durbar, Royal poets and musicians' chamber, swimming
pool meant for the queen, pavilions and other areas for royal leisure.
Address: Sector 1 Chandigarh
Timings: 9:00 AM to 7:00 PM (April
– September) & 9:00 AM to 6:00 PM (October – March)
Entry Fee:
Adults – INR 30
Children – INR 10
3.
Butterfly
Park:
Park
At a distance of 4.5 km from Chandigarh Bus Station,
Butterfly Park is a famous park situated in front of the main entrance of
Chandigarh College of Engineering and Technology in sector 26 of Chandigarh. It
is one of the best places to visit in Chandigarh.
Butterfly Park is spread over an area of 7 acres,
with beautiful landscaping. Special care has been taken to create a good
habitat for butterflies. The park is well maintained and is home to around 35
species of butterflies, which add color to the place. A few prominent among
these are Angled Castor, Ape fly, Blue Mormon, Common Grass Yellow, Common Blue
Bottle, Chocolate pansy and Commander, etc. There are silence zones which are
created for beautiful tiny creatures such that they do not get disturbed when
they walk on trails of nature.
This park has full of vegetation with a variety of
trees and shrubs. Flowers and butterflies need each other. To meet this
requirement a variety of flowering plants such as Marigold, Petunia, Lantana,
Gazenia, Salvia, Dahlia and other species are also planted in the butterfly
park. This park also has amazing selection of mass plants for butterflies which
includes Amla, Capris, Ashoka, Citrus Salix, Mango, Palm and Calotropis etc.
There is also a spacious conservatory for the students of Entomology to study
the behavior of these beautiful insects.
The best time to visit the park is from March to
October in order to have a sight of these colorful butterflies. They can be
seen throughout the year except on winters when they go into hibernation.
Timings: 9 AM to 5 PM
4. Sukhna Lake:
Lake
Sukhna Lake in
Chandigarh, India, is a reservoir at the foothills of the Himalayas. This 3 km²
rainfed lake was created in 1958 by damming the Sukhna Choe, a seasonal stream
coming down from the Shivalik Hills. Originally the seasonal flow entered the
lake directly causing heavy siltation.
Sukhna Lake was created by Le Corbusier in 1958 by
damming the Sukhna Choe, a seasonal stream flowing down from the Shivalik
hills. It had a depth of 18 feet originally and was spread across 3 sq. km. The
name Sukhna means a wish - fulfilled, the lake is a perfect destination for
solitude seekers. At the entrance, there is a Corbusier proclamation 'The
creator of this beautiful city of Chandigarh has also created this eye-catching
man made Sukhna Lake and also a dam that makes this city even more beautiful. The
area around this lake is very calm and peaceful'.
The lake is enclosed by a golf course on the south
and the famous Rock Garden on its western end. The Sukhna Lake is also the
habitat of a number of fishes and migratory birds like cranes and Siberian ducks.
It has also been declared as a reserved national wetland by the Government of
India. The promenade on the shores of the lake is often crowded by a stream of
joggers and walkers. The scenic beauty of the lake serves as a true delight for
the photographers and artists who love to capture the mesmerizing view. It is
the best place to view both Sunrise and the Sunset.
Chandigarh Sukhna Lake serves as a great picnic
spot and an apt place for pursuing water sport activities like boating,
yachting and water skiing etc. The Sukhna Lake has the longest channel for
rowing and yachting in Asia. The lake in the evening sees number of visitors
who come to spend some enjoyable time with their families and loved ones.
Address: Sector 1, Chandigarh 160001, Chandigarh,
Punjab.
5. Terraced Garden:
Park
Terraced Garden is a Tranquil terraced garden with a musical
fountain, walking paths & seasonal flower festivals.The Terraced Gardens of
Chandigarh is a famous and much-loved tourist attraction that is located in
Sector 33 of the main city. The attraction boasts of being home to a myriad of
colourful and vibrant flowers, the beauty and cheerfulness of which attracts tourists
from not only Chandigarh and neighbouring areas, but from practically all
across the country. The exuberance of the flowers is indeed contagious, and
people who visit the Terraced Gardens never leave without a huge smile on their
faces.
Address: Sector 33B, Sector 33,
Chandigarh, 160020
6.
Garden Of Fragrance:
It is a
Fragrant botanic garden with shrubs, flowers & paths,
plus a shop with oils, soaps & incense. The
Garden is quite a nice place to pass time during the daytime and roam around in
a great environment. Excellent Picnic Spot. Varieties of fragrant
plants. Well maintained & planned garden. Beautiful surroundings.
At a distance of 4 km from Chandigarh Bus Station, Garden
of Fragrance is one of the prominent gardens located in Sector 36 of
Chandigarh. The garden is one of the best picnic spots in Chandigarh and also
one of the popular Chandigarh tourist places.
The Garden of Fragrance was built in 1998. The
garden is known for its pleasant smelling assortment of flowering plants, and
hence the name, 'Garden Of Fragrance'. Some of the fragrant plants that can be
found here is Raat ki rani, damask rose, motia, champa, haar shingar, mehndi
and varieties of jasmine. The park also serves as a fabulous picnic spot.
The garden has been properly landscaped with
winding paths surrounded by plants and trees. Jogging and walking tracks have
been laid out in the garden for the convenience of early risers, and those who
wish to enjoy a morning or evening walk in the beautiful and refreshing
surroundings. The garden has lots of open spaces, where visitors can engage in
games and physical activities. The routes and paths inside the garden look
beautiful because of the surrounding natural beauty.
Timings: 5 AM to 8 PM
Address: Fragrance Garden Rd, Sector
36B, Sector 36, Chandigarh, 160036
7.
Govt. Museum And Art
Gallery:
Historical | Museum
At a distance of 3 km from Chandigarh Bus Station, Government Museum & Art Gallery is a popular museum situated at Sector 10 of Chandigarh. This is one of the prominent museums of India that speaks well of the history and partition of India.
It is one of the top places to visit in
Chandigarh. The Art Gallery displays the sculptures of the ancient
India, Medieval India, Gandhara period, etc. The major attraction of the museum
is 627 Gandhara sculptures and about 4000 Indian miniature paintings
particularly belonging to the Pahari School of Art. In addition, there are
about 200 Medieval Indian Sculptures found from nearby sites of Punjab, Haryana
and Himachal Pradesh. There is also a representative collection of Indian Gold,
Silver and Copper coins. The museum also has a spacious reference library to
meet the intellectual needs of scholars and students.
The present extensive campus of the Museum was inaugurated
by Dr. MS Randhawa, then chief commissioner of Lahore in 1968. The museum is
well known for its unique architecture designed by Le Corbusier. The beautiful
campus of the museum is surrounded with selective trees and some contemporary
sculptures. It is part of the series of three museums of Unlimited Growth
designed by Le Corbusier, the other two being Sanskar Kendra, Ahmedabad and
Museum of Western Art, Tokyo.
The museum also organizes a sound and light show
on every Friday, Saturday, and Sunday at 7.30 PM.
Timings: 10 AM - 4.30 PM, Closed on Mondays &
National Holidays
Entry Fee: Rs.10 for Adults
8.
Sukhna Wildlife
Century:
At a distance of
2 km from Sukhna Lake and 5.5 km from Chandigarh Bus Station, Sukhna Wildlife
Sanctuary is a protected wildlife sanctuary located at the foothills of
Shivalik range in Chandigarh. It is one of the popular wildlife sanctuaries in
Chandigarh and also one of the best places to experience Chandigarh Tourism.
Spreading over an area of 2600 hectares, Sukhna
Wildlife Sanctuary was established in 1998. It forms the part of Sukhna lake
catchment area falling in Shivalik hills. Apart from the Sukhna Lake there are
around 150 small and large water bodies in the Sukhna Wildlife Sanctuary that
forms its catchment area. These water bodies also attract migratory birds and
have a rich population of resident bird species. There are two entry
gates to the Sanctuary i.e. Kansal gate and Nepli gate. The route to Kansal gate
is via 'Khuda Alisher' village or 'Kaimbwala' village of Chandigarh. The route
to Nepli gate is via 'Suketri' village of Haryana. Visitors have to take prior
permission from the Chandigarh forest department for visiting the sanctuary.
The sanctuary allows maximum 200 persons every day. So the permit for maximum
100 persons can be issued for Nepli and 100 persons for Kansal forests. The
permits are issued on first come first basis.
Sukhna Wildlife Sanctuary is an abode of wide variety of
Mammals, birds, reptiles, butterflies and micro-organisms. Sambar, Spotted
Deer, Pangolin, Wild boar, Jackal, Small Indian Civet, Jungle Cat, Porcupine,
Hanuman Langur, Rhesus Monkey, Indian Hare, Common-Mongoose, Common rat, and
Squirrel are the prominent animals found in this sanctuary. There are more than
150 varieties of birds including aquatic birds which include Peacock, Red
jungle fowl, Grey partridge, Cuckoos, Night jars, Golden Oriole, Kingfisher,
Swifts, Hoopoes and various sparrows. There are varieties of reptiles including
snakes like Cobra, Rat snake, Common Krait, Russell's viper, Indian Python and
common Monitor, Turtle etc.
Timings: 6 AM to 6 PM
Parking Fee: Rs. 50 for School Bus and Rs. 200 for Private Bus
9. Topiary Park:
Park
Topiary Park is located in Sector 35 of Chandigarh. This is
one of the most famous parks in Chandigarh and also one of the best places to
visit in Chandigarh.
The Topiary Park was established in the year 1987. This
park is mainly designed for making fun and enjoyment for the children. The
plants belong to the bush and creeper family has been curiously shaped in the
form of various animals like elephants, bears and other animals that makes the
children really happy. The exotic collection of ornamental and other decorative
plants add the charm of the park. The vast expansion of the park with its lush
greenery presents an awesome appearance to all the visitors.
Topiary Park is the most popular park among the
children since it provides better playing facilities to them. In the evenings
the park would be crowded with children accompanied by their parents and the
entire surroundings would be filled with a pleasant feeling.
Timings: 8 AM to 8 PM
10. Pinjore Gardens:
At a distance of 23 km from Chandigarh
Bus Station, Pinjore Gardens, also known as Yadavindra Gardens, is a historical
garden located at Pinjore village in Panchkula district of Haryana state.
Situated on Ambala-Shimla road, Pinjore Garden is one of the top places to
experience Chandigarh Tourism.
Located on the foothills of lower Shivaliks,
Pinjore Garden was created in the 17th century by architect Nawab Fidai Khan
during the early reign of his foster brother Aurangzeb. After it was initially
built by Fidai Khan, the garden was refurbished by Yadavindra Singh and restored
to its former splendour, since it had grown into a wild jungle due to long
years of neglect. The name Yadavindra Garden is given as a symbol of honor to
Maharaja Yadavindra Singh of the Patiala dynasty, the former royals of
Chandigarh.
Spreads over an area of 100 acres, Pinjore Garden
is built in the typical Mughal style. The garden has been laid down comprising
of seven broad terraces. The main gate of the garden opening into the highest
first terrace, which has a palace built in Rajasthani style. It is called the
'Shish Mahal', palace of glass, which is adjoined by a romantic 'Hawa Mahal'.
The second terrace has beautiful arches and leads to the Rang Mahal or the
Painted Palace. The third terrace has cypress trees and flowerbeds leading to
dense groves of fruit trees. The next terrace has the Jal Mahal with a square
fountain bed and a platform to relax. The next terrace is full of picturesque
groves and the lowermost terrace has an open-air theatre, which is designed as
a disc-like structure.
Entry Fee: Rs. 20 for Person
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