What is it that you would not like to miss in Chandigarh?

Posted on December 11, 2017 by Ghoomophiro

Chandigarh, the city beautiful, as the name suggests has beautiful destinations to be visited and cherished. With an amalgamation of scenic beauty, historical monuments, and religious places, the city boasts of all that you would like to take back home as memories. Following is a list of places that must be included in your Chandigarh itinerary.

 National Gallery of Portraits

Established in Chandigarh’s Sector 17, the National Gallery of Portraits is a memoir of India’s independence struggle. It depicts the journey of freedom struggle through photographs of historic events and freedom fighters. It also houses speeches of great leaders along with artifacts, documents, and sculptures that date back to the freedom struggle era. The film showed on the freedom movement in India at the gallery is not to be missed.

The Tower of Shadows

The Tower of Shadows was built by Mr Le Corbusier- the creator of Chandigarh- in Sector 1 and is a monument that augments the beauty of the city. Its architectural brilliance intends to demonstrate Le Corbusier’s theories of sun control. The tower captures the shadows formed with the sun’s movement. It is located between the Parliament and the High Court.

Open Hand

Besides the Tower of Shadows, is Le Corbusier’s another monument of Open Hand. It is Chandigarh’s emblem and signifies the principle of ‘open to receive and give’.

Although the city houses many such Open Hand sculptures, the one that you should not miss visiting is located at the Capitol Complex that is 26 metres high. This structure was specifically designed to move in the wind’s direction. Therefore, you would need to keep that in mind while clicking pictures there.

Sukhna Lake

Located in the foothills of the Himalayas, Sukhna Lake is one of the best spots of Chandigarh and is regarded as the weekend’s hot destination. This place is to be definitely visited if you are looking out for some peace and tranquillity. There are many activities that can be undertaken there as the Rock Garden and a golf Course are located on the either sides of the Lake. So enjoy a stroll at the lake and the cool breeze after a visit to any of the other two nearby spots.

Rock Garden

Founded by Mr Nek Chand, the Rock Garden is one of the most popular tourist spots in Chandigarh. It is a compilation of sculptures built from waste materials such as ceramic, bottles, electrical waste etc. After remaining hidden for almost 18 years, it is great that now it is available for people to see and appreciate. It is truly a treat to the eyes and you would be left awestruck by Mr Chand’s creativity.

Zakir Hussain Rose Garden

One of its kind in Asia, the Rose Garden is a must visit during your stay in the city of Chandigarh. It was established in 1967 and named after India’s former President, Zakir Hussain. There are about 50,000 rose bushes here with almost 1600 varieties of roses along with about 17,000 other plantations. It becomes a major attraction of the city especially in March when the annual Festival of Gardens is conducted here. A number of competitions are held during the festival such as landscaping, Rose Prince and Princess, photography, etc.

Pal Dhaba

The oldest eatery of Chandigarh, Pal Dhaba, apart from being loved by the locals has been very famous amongst Bollywood celebrities too. It is divided into 3 different dining sections, among which the roadside sit- out is the most demanded one. The food is alluring and delicious; a perfect end to a hectic day! 

Getting There:

While you are traveling from Delhi, a place is hardly 300 Kms( approx. 266 Kms) and you would not want to miss the beautiful drive across the highway. For people coming from other places, Chandigarh does have an airport but most of the flights are from Delhi and hardly any direct flight to the place. One may also travel via train “Shatabdi express. Apart from this, any bus going to Shimla from Delhi does have a stop at Chandigarh and Himachal Tourism has regular buses plying to the most planned city of the country.

Where to Stay:

The hotel accommodation in Chandigarh City is purely based on the person’s budget. You may choose from Luxury retreats to budget hotels to business hotels, totally depending on the amount you would like to shell off from the pocket.

So when are you driving to Chandigarh!!