TOURISTS ATTRACTIONS

A major feature of Chandigarh is its Leisure Valley, which, like a garland of gardens, ornaments the city from one end to the other. A natural eroded valley of the city site with a small gurgling rivulet has been now developed into a series of theme gardens. The most famous of these is the Rose Garden. The other prominent parks of the city are the Garden of Tranquility, Garden of Rare Plants, Garden of Annuals, and the Bougainvillea Garden.

No description of Chandigarh gardens 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 of Le Corbusier, it is the creation of a humble former road inspector: Nek Chand. Turning urban waste material into creative patterns and textures, his touch transformed mute rocks into art objects. Mysterious spaces with stones, rocks and waterfalls recreate the awe and wonder of primordial nature. This unabashed realm of natural and manmade creativity attracts people of all age groups, and from all parts of the world.

Another favorite recreation spot of the nature-loving people of Chandigarh is the Sukhna Lake. Created by building an artificial dam on a seasonal stream, it is spread over a large area. A two-kilometer-long promenade along the lakeshore is a popular place for strolling. On any day, early in the morning, fitness buffs of all age groups can be seen walking, jogging, and performing yoga or vigorous exercises at the lakefront.

PLACES AROUND CHANDIGARH

A visit to Chandigarh is not complete without a visit to the temple of Goddess Chandi, which is located in Panchkula, 10 km away from Chandigarh. In fact, the name Chandigarh is derived from this temple. Nearby is the temple of Mansa Devi. Both the temples are built in the North Indian style of architecture. Moreover, there is the Panchkula Cactus and Succulent Botanical Garden, which houses over 2,500 varieties of cacti and other succulent plants from all parts of the world. This is the first and the only botanical garden where a systematic and comprehensive collection of Indian species of cacti is being.

Located on the banks of River Ghaggar, 15 km from the city, the Chattbir Zoo is an ideal getaway from Chandigarh. The zoo lies on the Chandigarh-Patiala Road. Besides these, Pinjore (now Yadavindra Gardens; 20 km), Morni Hills (45 km), Kasauli (77 km), Chail (107 km), and Shimla (110 km) are some of the interesting places to visit around Chandigarh.

HOW TO REACH

BY AIR - Chandigarh is connected to Delhi (daily) and Amritsar (bi-weekly) 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), Bikaner (575 km), and Jodhpur (827 km).

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.