North India · Chandigarh
Chandigarh
Sources: open-meteo, wikimedia
About Chandigarh
- Inland
Where it is
Chandigarh is a planned city and union territory of India at the foot of the Shivalik Hills, serving as the shared capital of Punjab and Haryana, the two states that surround it.
History
After Partition left Lahore in Pakistan, India built Chandigarh as the new capital of Punjab. The Swiss-French architect Le Corbusier led its design with Pierre Jeanneret, Maxwell Fry and Jane Drew, and the city was inaugurated in 1953. When Haryana was carved out of Punjab in 1966, Chandigarh became a union territory and the capital of both states.
People
Hindi and Punjabi are the main languages, and English is widely used. Many families trace their roots to Partition refugees and to the government offices that built the city, and Lohri, Baisakhi and the spring Rose Festival are highlights of the year.
Known for
- Le Corbusier's Capitol Complex, a UNESCO site
- Nek Chand's Rock Garden
- Sukhna Lake
- Zakir Hussain Rose Garden
- Its grid of numbered sectors
Did you know?
Nek Chand, a government road inspector, began secretly building the Rock Garden in 1957 from broken crockery, tiles and industrial waste; after officials discovered it, the city opened it to the public in 1976.
We haven't written a guide for this place yet — you can still plan a trip here.