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Chandigarh
City Description |
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Union territory and capital of
Punjab and Haryana, Chandigarh is a unique city
being only four decades old, its Nehruvian idealism
is in stark contrast with the modern generation,
rapid industrial development on the outskirts,
a larger flow of tourists heading further north,
leading to a population perpetually on the move
and the mushrooming of hotels, restaurants and
other in-transit facilities. The tranquil and
pollution-free environs, shorter distances and
the sharp contrasts between dull exteriors and
plush interiors are the delight of Chandigarh’s
inhabitants. Even though the Le Corbusier architecture
tends to be a trifle monotonous at times; the
wide tree- |
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lined boulevards and avenues, easily
defined localities nominated as ‘sectors’,
a great amount of greenery, the Rock Garden, lake
and general sense of organization all contribute towards
making Chandigarh a charming place to live in and
visit.
The union Territory of Chandigarh is the twin capital
of the northern states of Punjab and Haryana. Spread
out over 114 sq. km. it has a population of about
a million. The principal languages of the city are
Hindi and Punjabi. It has big industrial undertakings
as well as more than 2,500 small-scale industrial
units. One of the few modern planned cities in India,
Chandigarh is divided into 47 self-contained sectors.
The town derives its name from Goddess Chandi Devi
whose temple stands 15 km form Chandigarh. There is
a sense of purposeful designing in Chandigarh with
a rectilinear alignment of streets, the neat geometrical
design of residential quarters, reinforced concrete
structures and self-contained area layouts. At the
heart of Chandigar’s designing are sectors,
each of them with its shops, academic, and health
care buildings, places of worship, open spaces, a
green belt and, of course, the residential areas.
The essential ingredient in each sector’s planning
has been principal day-to-day functions of living,
working, care of body and spirit.
The initial plans were drawn in New York by Albert
Mayer and Mathew Novicki. When the latter died in
an air crash in 1950, the work was entrusted to Le
Corbusier, a well known architect and planner. The
city’s four major work areas are: the capital
complex, consisting of the Secretariat, Legislative
Assembly and High Court, in the north with the hills
as a background dominating the city; Sector-17, which
is the city and district center, with administrative
and state government offices, shopping malls, banks
and other offices; in the west, a zone for undergraduate
and postgraduate education, among them the university,
and institutions of engineering, architecture, Asian
studies and medicine and the industrial area in the
east.
In the city of extravagant vision, it is not unusal
to come across something like a Rock Garden, which
sounds farcical unless actually visited. The result
of the imagination and devoted labour of Nek Chand
the Rock Garden comprises several areas of sculptures
created from debris. Molded rock, waste coal and other
disposables have become immortal sculptures in the
shape of man and his environment. Fitting into this
scenario are museums and art galleries, a lake with
water sport facilities and the largest rose garden
in Asia. The hill torrents skirting the city were
canalized to form a large lake with a most attractive
boulevard, along which the citizen take the morning
and evening air and watch waterfowl which have made
Sukhna Lake a halting place on their migration from
central Asia to India and vice-versa.
Chandigarh’s builders blessed it with a futuristic
vision, but work here is still not over. Phase two
of the building of Chandigarh continues, and the 21st
century city may well, in time, become one of the
most modern and comfortable in Asia. Here, in this
almost ideal city, the new architectural technique
has found a sense of balance which is often missing
when it intrudes upon already existing, traditional
symmetry. In the years to come, city planners, architects,
students of art and visitors from around the globe
will gather to see what man an create out of a desert.
The creation of Chandigarh is a monumental triumph
for India.
By Air Chandigarh is linked to Delhi
by daily flights. The airport is 11 km from downtown.
By Rail Chandigarh is linked with
its principal gateway city, Delhi. The twice-daily
(only one on Sundays) Shatabdi Express to Delhi is
fast, comfortable and airconditioned. Chandigarh also
serves as a main line gateway for Shimla and the surrounding
hill stations.
By Road Chandigarh is 265 kms from
Delhi. |
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