Chandigarh is the city which serves as the capital of Indian states Punjab and Haryana. Being the capital city, it is not controlled by any of these states, rather controlled by the union government and is thus the union territory of India.
It was the earliest planned city in India, whose master plan was prepared by famous architect Le Corbusier of Swiss-French origin. The master plan of the city was transformed for earlier plans created by the Polish architect Maciei Nowicki along with Albert Mayer the famous American planner. According to an article published by BBC in 2015, Chandigarh is one of the perfect cities of the world in terms of architecture, cultural growth and modernization.
Chandigarh is the city which has one of the highest per capita income in the country and is also the cleanest in India based on government evaluations. Chandigarh-Mohali-Panchkula forms a Tri-city collectively.
Travel Budget/Living expenses
Chandigarh is the cheapest place to be visited. Chandigarh is located 260 km north of Indian capital Delhi and 229 km southeast from Amritsar. You can visit Chandigarh by air as it has an international airport. You can also prefer it visiting from Delhi and Amritsar airport also at an approximate price of 300 by bus. Chandigarh has good road and rail connectivity. ISBT located in sector 43 Chandigarh serves for both local and other cities buses. Traveling expenses are less if you prefer to travel by local buses which have both AC and general facilities. Chandigarh transport also gives you offer to make a pass of about 30 Rupees which is valid for a day. You can prefer OLA and UBER cabs which are available even at late nights. Local auto and rickshaws are also available at a cheaperprice but do decide the price before starting your journey with autorickshaw as they can demand high on seeing outstation customers. The city is quite modern and you as a visitor can get every type of restaurants and hotels providing you with delicious Punjabi and Indian origin food with neat and clean accommodations. Normally the room starts at Rupees 800 and price increases according to your desire for the room. 1. Sukhna Lake
It is the man-made lake made by Le Corbusier who was inspired by lakes near the cities in Europe. The area of the lake is about 3 km 2 which is fed by the stream coming down by the Shivalik hills. Local people often enjoy walking and jogging alongside the lake. Painters and photographers often visit this place to capture the scenic beauty of this place.
You as a visitor can enjoy the boating, rowing, sculling, sailing, kayaking and water skiing. This place has the longest channel for rowing and yachting events in Asia and was also the venue for Asian rowing championships. During winters you can also notice migratory birds like Siberian Duck, storks and cranes which makes this place more beautiful. This place can create your moments awesome when you see these migratory birds.
2. Rock Garden
This garden was developed secretly by Nek Chand by using the industrial, household and other waste items. This place consists of man-made waterfalls and interlinked structures.
All the scriptures made here are of scraps and other waste items. This place has ticket entry of very low price which is used for the maintenance of this garden.This is the best tourist place in Chandigarh.
3. Chandigarh Rose Garden
This garden is unique and is distinct to be Asia's largest garden covering an area of about 30 acres. The garden contains about 1600 species of about 50,000 rose bushes.
Here you can also notice various medicinal plants along with the flowers. This place also hosts the rose festival. This place is perfect for the nature lover and also suitable for photography, gardening, landscaping,and bonsai.
4. Government Museum and Art Gallery
This museum is a premier of Northern India as it has the collections of Gandharan Sculpture, Rajasthani and Pahari miniature paintings. The collections of this place were earlier housed in the Central Museum Lahore now in Pakistan.
5. Leisure Valley
This is the continuum of various theme gardens stretching up to 8 km starting from sector 1 in the north to sector 53 in the south. This valley contains Rajendra Park, Smriti Upavan, Bougainvillea garden, Fitness trails, Botanical garden, Rose garden, Shanti Kunj, Terraced Garden, Topiary Park, Hibiscus Garden and Garden of Fragrance in sequence order.
6. Butterfly Garden
Situated in sector 26 it stretches to about 7 acres of land with the meticulous scene. The park has different and many types of plants which are specially cared. The garden has 35 species of butterfly. March and October are the best months to visit this place.
7. Iskcon temple
The temple is located in sector 36 is developed by the InternationalSociety for Krishna consciousness. This is one of the best temples in Chandigarh and also contains small shops inside.
8. Chattbir Zoo
This zoological park is one of the largest in northern India. This place is about 20 km from Chandigarh. Park contains different species of the 369 animal, 400birds and 20 reptiles, some of which were brought from the Guwahati Zoo Assam. This place is best for animal lovers. This place is time restricted and also has an entry ticket of nominal price.
9. Mohali Cricket Stadium
It is located in the Mohali which is a neighbour to Chandigarh. This lace has the capacity of about 26,950 spectators. The pitch in the stadium is suitable for pace bowlers and also assists spin bowling.
10. Terraced Garden
Terrace garden covers an area of about 10 acres which is located in sector 33. The garden is famous for lighted musical fountains, where popular folk and filmy songs are played. Visitors can notice different species and varieties of flowers in this garden.
11. Nepli Reserve Forests
Chandigarh has 3245 hectares of land under forest. The forest area is at outskirts of the city near the Sukhna lake. This area needs an entry pass to explore the forest. There is a rest house located inside the forest and surrounded by the grass lawns and flowers.
12. Cactus Garden
This cactus garden is well known for its beauty and covers an area of about 7 acres. This garden is famous for endangered and rare species of succulents of India. The place is best for photographers and botanists.
First-time visitors please plan your journey keeping in mind the winter and summer season as the Chandigarh is located in the foothills of Shivalik range and is cold in winters.
This post was originally published on Travel India One
