Architecture of Chandigarh

Chandigarh is a grand success story in the annals of modern architecture. A revolutionary experiment which came to fruition with the juxtaposition of a great vision that the India's first Prime Minister Pandit Jawaharla Nehru nurtured, and the profound genius of a French architect Le Corbusier and his team.

Chandigarh is 114 square kilometers of invigorating aesthetics. It combines elegant architectural forms with wide tree lined avenues, green belts and gardens and offers a pleasant living experience to its residents and visitors.

The city, with its chequered mesh of the grid-iron plan, nestles in the foothills of the majestic Shivalik hill range in the north. Two rivulets - the Patiali - ki - Rao and the Sukhna Choe - bound its north - west and south - west limits, respectively. The master plan divides the city into rectangular modules called sectors, each measuring 800 to 1,200 meters with self - sufficient shopping complexes and other facilities.

Le Corbusier planned the city as a living organism, with the Capitol Complex in the north representing the head, the city center the heart, the open spaces the lungs, the network of roads as the circulatory system, the industrial area the viscera, and the cultural and educational belts, the intellect.

The conception of the city has been formulated on the basis of four major functions : Living, Working, Care of the Body and Spirit and Circulation.


The Capitol Complex:
The Capitol Complex is Le Corbusier's most spectacular work. The magnificent edifices, set against the Shivalik peaks, stand "as massive concrete sculptures, representing the monumental character and authority that the complex represents. It is the sea of the government of the States of Punjab and Haryana. It comprises three epoch - making master - pieces : the Secretariat, the High Court and the Legislative Assembly. Separated by large piazzas, the subtle and most evocative grouping of these buildings is of breath - taking beauty.

And in the center stands the giant metallic sculpture of The Open Hand, the official emblem of Chandigarh, signifying the city's credo of 'open to give, open to receive'.

The High Court:
The law - interpreting monument was the first building to be built in the Capitol Complex during 1951 - 1957. This structure has a double roof, projecting over the office block like a parsol or an inverted umbrella. The magnificent outward sweep of the upper roof is symbolic of protection and justice to the people. The three vertical piers, rising 60 feet from the floor and painted in bright colours, form the grand entrance to the building. A gigantic egg - crate screen covers the building façade. On the rear walls of the court rooms, hang the giant woolen tapestries designed by Le Corbusier.

The Secretariat:
The law - executing monument is the largest and tallest of the three edifices in the Capitol Complex. Built during 1953-59, it is shaped like an eight - storey concrete slab, with its distinctive brise-soleil-louvered screen of deeply sculptured two - storey porticos in the center, housing the offices of minister. The cafeteria rests atop the terrace like an art object, giving a spectacular view of the city.

The Legislative Assembly:
The profile of this law - forming monument epitomizes stately grandeur. Square in plan, with a monumental portico standings free from the main building, it faces the High Court. The shape of the cupola is an obliquely truncated hyperbolic paraboloid, extending well above the roof line. A pyramid covers the upper chamber of the erstwhile bicameral system and offers an exciting counterpoint to the cupola, lending artistic grace to the entire complex.

Other Monuments:
The Capitol Piazza extends to abut 1,200 feet, displaying a number of attractive structures. These include the Martyrs' Memorial, raised in commemoration of the martyrs of India's freedom struggle, a Geometric Hill, the Tower of shadows and the Open Hand Monument.

 

Gardens

Le Corbusier, the planner of the conceived the Master Plan of Chandigarh as analogous to a human body with a clearly defined Head (Capital Complex), Heart (City Centre), Lungs (Leisure Valley and Gardens), the Limbs (Cultural and Educational Institutions) and the Circulatory System (7 Vs). The conception of the City has been formulated on the basis of four major functions: Living, Working, Care of the Body and Spirit and Circulation.

The leisure valley, gardens, sector greens, forests and trees of Chandigarh are the lungs of the city.

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 .It starts from Sector 1 in the north and leaves Chandigarh at its southern most edge in sector 53.

The Leisure Valley starts from the Rajendra Park. The park is a vast stretch of land of about 400 acres abutting the Secretariat building on its eastern side. Le Corbusier himself designed the landscape scheme of this park .Trees with round canopies and evergreen foliage have been planted here. It was started in 1954 and is used for long walks, learning to drive and horse riding.

It spreads over an area of 20 acres. The natural choe running through the valley starts from here. The garden is devoted to hundreds of varieties of bougainvillea. A few flowering trees have also been planted to give colourful effect during the intervening period of bougainvillea flowering time. It was opened in 1976.

The Physical Fitness Trails have been developed with a view to enjoying physical exercises amidst the beauty of Nature. It is an ideal place for long walks and physical workouts.

To the south of Fitness Trails is located the Flower Garden where seasonal flowers have been planted in one portion and the remaining portion is punctuated with sculptures by renowned artists. Some area has been left vacant for organizing various cultural activities.

Named after India’s former President Dr. Zakir Hussain, the garden was established in 1967 under the guidance of Chandigarh’s first Chief Commissioner, Late Dr. M.S. Randhawa.

The largest Rose Garden in Asia, is spread over an area of 27 acres and has more than 17000 plants representing some 1600 varieties of roses. Along with the roses, emphasis was also given to the trees of medicinal value and some unique species of trees to enhance the beauty of the garden. The annual “Festival of Gardens” is organized in the Rose Garden in the month of February and is listed in the “National Calendar of Events”.

Shanti Kunj is situated between Rose Garden and Cricket in Sector 16. This is a completely noise-free area with natural undulations. The natural stream running through this garden divides the park into five areas. The five parts of the garden depict different kinds of trees such as medicinal plants, vertical shaped trees, flowering trees, trees for shade and environmentally suitable areas.

The area of Leisure Valley in Sector 23 has been developed into a Children’s Traffic Park. The roads have been constructed and traffic lights have been installed in miniature form. This park is meant for children who are learning to cycle and designed to reach them the rules of road safety.

It covers an area of 8 acres and about 40 different varieties of Hibiscus shrubs have been planted to provide colour throughout the year.

Situated to the south of the Hibiscus Garden, it is very popular for different varieties of aromatic and fragrant plants. The flower plants like Raat ki Rani, Motia, varieties of Jasmine, Demask Rose, Mehndi, Champa, Haar Shingar and many others cast a pervading aroma in this part of the Leisure Valley.

This space has been set aside to allow people to plant trees in the memory of the departed. This is a garden where every tree commemorate someone who is no more. It was formally inaugurated on 14.11.1998 by planting a banyan tree in the memory of the first Prime Minister of India, Pandit Jawahar Lal Nehru. It is situated between Rock Garden and Sukhna Lake. People can plant trees in the memory of their near and dear ones.

There are two Botanical Gardens in the city – one between Rock Garden and lake and the other in Panjab University. Another Botanical Garden is being developed to about 110 acres of land in Sarangpur which will be a major tourist attraction in the near future.

A small valley running through the length of the sector has been developed into a Terraced Garden. Its main attraction is an illuminated musical fountain. The garden is the venue for the annual Chrysanthemum Show. It is spread over 10 acres and was opened in 1979.

It was opened to the public in 1987. Many animal shapes created out of creepers and bushes attract children to this park. A large variety of ornamental plants add to the park’s charm.

Other than these Gardens, Chandigarh has beautifully landscaped roundabouts and wherever you may be in the city, you are surrounded by Natures beauty and freshness.

Chandigarh has 3245 hectares under forest and most of it is hilly. The forest areas are mostly around Sukhna Lake, Sukhna Choe and Patiali Ki Rao. There are two reserve forests in Chandigarh – Kansal and Nepli. Both the places have forest Rest Houses. Permit from the Forest Department, Chandigarh Administration is required for entry to these places. A walk in these areas can be very rewarding as one may come across a large variety of wild animals such as antelopes, neelgais, hyena, jackals, hares and even leopards. The forest also offers excellent facilities for trekking in the hills.