Chandigarh Travels & Tourist Attractions

Sukhna Lake

Sukhna Lake in Chandigarh, India is an artificial lake at the foothills of the Himalayas, the Shivalik hills. 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. To check the inflow of silt, 25.42 km² of land was acquired in the catchment area and put under vegetation. In 1974, the Choe was diverted and made to bypass the lake completely, the lake being fed by three siltation pots, minimising the entry of silt into the lake itself. The creation of the lake was one of the greatest gift from Le Corbusier and the Chief Engineer P L Verma to the city of Chandigarh.

Rock Garden

Rock Garden

An embodiment of imagination and novelty, the Rock Garden in Chandigarh is a rare scenario, which cannot be equated with anything else. Only one of its kinds, the garden is put up with the urban and industrial wastes. It is sandwiched between the Sukhna Lake and the Capitol Complex in Sector 1. This wonderful artwork is the innovative creation of Nek Chand, a former Road Inspector in Chandigarh. Molded in the form of an open-air exhibition hall, Rock Garden is spread over an expanse of 64 acres.

It displays various sculptures made up of broken ken glass bangles, china ware, discarded fluorescent tubes, clay and coal. Walls of terracotta pots and the maze of paths, canyons and chambers proffer the glance of a dream world. The fantastic 14 chambers with a waterfall, puddles, statues of animals, birds this garden helps one to stretch ones imagination. A garden without a single flower is the venue of the annual Teej Festival. The builds in the garden prove high similitude to Mughal ethnicity.

Rose Garden

The largest rose garden in Asia, started in 1967, Zakir Rose Garden is spread across a vast area of 17 acres. It exhibits all types of rose plants numbering up to 1,600 plant varieties. It is not just roses that this garden houses, but it is also a hub of rare plant species, which has got enormous medicinal value. This well planned and neatly maintained garden is open to public from morning to evening.

A perfect symphony of colours and the rich fragrance of the lovely flowers is eye catching spectacle which tempts the visitor to come back again and again. The therapeutic plants that can be marked here include bahera, bel, camphor, harar and yellow gulmohar. Rose garden serves as the venue for hosting the annual festival of gardens, a major cultural event of the city. Each year this garden hosts a rose festival with cultural festivities and contests, which turns to be a major crowd puller in the city.

Leisure Valley

Leisure valley is the most beautiful and popular tourist attraction destination in Chandigarh. A continuum of various theme gardens to take care of the body and spirit of the city. Le Corbusier retained the eroded valley of a seasonal rivulet on the original site of the City and sculptured it into a Linear park now over 8km long. Chd Leisure valley is like a garland of gardens that beautifies the entire city. It begins from Rajendra Park in Sector 1 that is basically used for long walks, yoga and other fitness workout activities and stretches till the Bougainvillea garden in Sector 3. It also covers the splendid garden of roses in Sector 16. Leisure valley takes a curvaceous turn, when it enters Sector 23. It is in the Leisure valley in Chandigarh, India that different kinds of theme gardens are set up.

RAJENDRA PARK, Sector

SMRITI UPAVAN, Sector 1

BOUGAINVILLEA GARDEN, Sector-3

FITNESS TRAILS, Sector 10

BOTANICAL GARDEN, Sector 14

ROSE GARDEN, Sector 16

SHANTI KUNJ, Sector16

TERRACED GARDEN, Sector 33

TOPIARY PARK, Sector 35

HIBISCUS GARDEN, Sector 36

GARDEN OF FRAGRANCE, Sector 36

Museum & Art Gallery

On display here one can have the glimpse of the original documents pertaining to the planning and evolution of the city, and also of some rare plans, sketches and relevant photographs prepared by Master Planner of the City. The detailed information about this Chandigarh Architecture Museum can be had from a beautifully published handbook for the Museum which is on sale at its reception counter.