CHANDIGARH

BEST SEASON: October-April
LANGUAGE SPOKEN: Hindi & English
CLOTHING: Summer-Cotton & Winter- wollen
STD CODE: 0172

INTRODUCTION

Chandigarh , capital of the state of Punjab and Haryana. Chandigarh is one of the most modern cities in India . Chandigarh , the first planned modern city of independent India was designed by the French architect Le Corbusier. The city is divided into 47 numbered sectors. It has well-laid roads lined with rows of trees and beautifully planned buildings. Visitors that are usually expecting more of the meandering sprawls and historic skylines as with the most old Indian towns and cities are surprised to see the well planned layout of Chandigarh and its sleek buildings. This is because that the city is almost 50 years old considering the age of the other cities present in India this city is an infant, so as to speak. The city comprises of a unique combination of old world and new modern world. As the city comprises of the new ultra modern shopping complexes on one hand the city also have the roadside vendors providing the cheapest clothes and the best bargains any one can possibly find.

PLACES TO VISIT

Sector 17
One of the most important places to visit is Sector 17, Chandigarh 's sleek shopping area and the city centre. Planned around four pedestrian concourses meeting at a central chowk (intersection), the Sector 17 of Chandigarh is a pedestrian's paradise dotted with fountains, sculptures, and groves of trees. In summers the tourists move from one end of the sector to the other, under the shade of a corridor, and in winter it is nice to be out in the sun-drenched piazzas. In the evenings, when the colorful mosaic of neon signs and the aesthetically illuminated fountains come alive, Sector 17 becomes the Chandigarh city's biggest outdoor club.

Sukhna Lake
Another favorite recreation spot of the nature-loving people of Chandigarh is the Sukhna Lake in Sector 1. Created by building an artificial dam on a seasonal stream, Chandigarh 's Sukhna Lake is spread over a large area. A 2-km-long promenade along the lakeshore is a popular place to be visited in Chandigarh by the tourists and localities alike.

The Rock Garden
No description of Chandigarh city can be complete without a mention of its most celebrated creations-the Rock Garden. Spread over 12 acres of wooded land near the Capitol Complex the Rock Garden of Chandigarh is the creation of a humble road inspector called Nek Chand. The urban waste material turned into creative patterns and textures, mute rocks turned into art objects attract tourists to Chandigarh . A visit to the Rock Garden is a must for all the tourists travelling to Chandigarh .

Leisure Valley
Another place to tourist interest in Chandigarh is its leisure valley, which, like a garland of gardens, ornaments the Chandigarh city from one end to the other. The Rose Garden of Sector 16, which with an area of 25 hectares is one of the largest in Asia . The Rose Garden is a place worth visiting in Chandigarh for being home to thousand varieties of roses. Other prominent and worth visiting parks of the Chandigarh city are the Garden of Tranquility, Garden of Rare Plants, Garden of Annuals, the Bougainvillea Garden, Botanical Garden, and the Garden of Aromatic Plants.

HOW TO REACH

By Air - Chandigarh is connected to Delhi and Amritsar by flights of Indian Airlines. There is also a weekly flight to Leh from Chandigarh . Jet Airways has daily flights to Chandigarh from Delhi . The airport is 11 km away from the main city. Taxis and auto-rickshaws are readily available for the airport.

By Rail - The railway station is 7 km away from the city center. It is well connected to the major cities of India like Delhi (238 km), with superfast trains .

By Road - Chandigarh is well connected by road to almost every small and big town in northern India . Frequent buses ply from Chandigarh to Punjab , Delhi , Haryana, Himachal Pradesh , Jammu and Kashmir , and even Rajasthan. One has a varied choice that includes luxury buses, ordinary buses and taxis, all of which are readily available.

DISTANCES