Chandigarh "The city beautiful"

                        Chandigarh "The City Beautiful"                 

Chandigarh is a city and union territory in India, it is the capital of two states Punjab and Haryana. It is the cleanest, greenest and most beautiful city in India.Lying in the valley surrounded by Shiwalik Hills that hem the great Himalayas, the city of Chandigarh was the first planned city in India post independence in 1947 and is known internationally for its architecture and urban design. Chandigarh tops the list of Indian states and Universities by per capita income in the country. It has the highest per capita income in India at Rs.99,262 at current prices and Rs.70,361 (2006-2007).The city was reported to be the cleanest in India in 2010, based on a national government study, and the territory also headed the list of Indian states and territories according to Human Development. The metropolitan of Chandigarh-Mohali-Panchkula collectively forms a Tri-City. This is the first smoke free city in India. Chandigarh derives its name from the temple of "Chandi Mandir" located in the vicinity of the site selected for Chandigarh city. The deity "Chandi" the Goddess of power and a fort "garh" lying beyond the temple gave the city its name "Chandigarh-The City Beautiful".

When the large and prosperous Punjab Province was divided into East and West Punjab, Lahore became the capital of the Pakistani West Punjab. India needed an another capital to replace Lahore. India decided to construct a new and planned city "Chandigarh". Chandigarh was designed by the French (born Swiss) Architect and urban planner Le Corbusier, in the 1950's. In 25 January 1971 Himachal Pradesh was carved out from Former Punjab state, On 1 November 1966 Haryana was carved out from eastern portion of Punjab in order to create Haryana as a majority Hindi-speaking people, while the western portion Punjab retained a mostly Punjabi language-speaking and remained as the current Federal State of Punjab. When these states were divided The City of Chandigarh was on the border, and was declared a Union territory to serve as capital of both these states.A model for urban planners throughout the world, Chandigarh is an appealing, well-functioning clean city featuring wide avenues, grand parks, beautiful lakes, awesome gardens and architectural gems of the great French architect Le Corbusier. Chandigarh is a prestigious city, it is a rare epitome of modernization co-existing with nature's preservation. It is here that the trees and plants are as much a part of the construction plans as the buildings and the roads. India's first planned city, is a rich, prosperous, spic and span, green city rightly called "THE CITY BEAUTIFUL".

Sukhna lake

Places of Interest

Zakir Hussain Rose Garden

Zakir Hussain Rose Garden is a botanical garden which is spread over 30 acres (120,000 square meter) of land, with 50,000 rose-bushes of 1600 different species. It is located at the border bank of Sector 16 and 17. Zakir Hussain Rose Garden is named after Zakir Hussain, India's former President, it was created in 1967 under the guidance Dr. M.S. Randhawa, Chandigarh's first chief commissioner.

The garden has a distintion of being Asia's largest. Every year, either at the end of February or beginning of March. Over 20,000 people visit this festival. Very well planed and neatly maintained, Rose Garden is open to public from mornings till evening. The best time to visit the garden is from mid of January to March when the roses are in full bloom. The garden has not only roses, but also trees of medicinal values. Some of the medicinal plants that can be spotted here are bel, bahera, harar, camphor and yellow gulmohar. The rose plants have been planted in carved out lawns and flower beds.

Rock Garden

The Rock Garden or Rock Garden of Chandigarh also known as Nek Chand's Rock Garden is a sculpture garden. It is located in Sector-1 between the capitol complex and Sukhna Lake. Today, it is spread over an area of forty-acres (160,000 square meter), it is completely built of industrial and home waste and thrown-away items. Rock garden is an epitome of creativity and innovation. It is a unique garden that consists of various art objects. An embodiment of imagination and novelty, the rock garden is a rare scenario, which can not be equated with anything else.

In Nek Chand spare time he started collecting materials from damaged sites around the city. He recycled these materials into his own vision of the divine kingdom of Sukrani, choosing a gorge in a forest near Sukhna Lake for his work. The gorge had been designated as a land conservancy, a forest buffer established in 1902 that nothing could be built on. Chand's work was illegal, but he was able to hide it for eighteen years before it was discovered by the authorities in 1975. By this time, it had grown into an 12-acre (49,000 square meter) complex of interlinked courtyards, each filled with hundreds of pottery-covered concrete sculptures of dancers, musicians and animals.

His work was in serious danger of being demolished, but he was able to get public opinion on his side, and in 1976 the park was inaugurated as a public space. Nek Chand was given a salary, a title ("Sub-Divisional engineer, Rock garden"), and a workforce of 50 laborers so that he could concentrate full-time on his work. It even appeared on the Indian Stamp in 1983. The Rock garden is still made out of recycled materials; and with the government's help, Chand was able to set up collection centers around the city for waste, especially rags and broken ceramics. When Chand left the country on a Lecture tour in 1996, the city withdrew its funding, and vandals attacked the park. The rock garden society took over the administration and upkeep this unique visionary environment.

The garden is visited by 5,000 people daily, with a total of more than twelve million visitors since its inception .

Sukhna Lake

An inseparable part of the city of Chandigarh, Sukhna Lake is a beautiful Lake located in the foothills of the Shivalik Hills. The creation of the lake was one of the greatest gifts from Le Corbusier and the Chief Engineer P.L. Verma to "The City Beautiful". It is a very welcoming place, it is here that serious walkers pursue an exercise regime, families enjoy an evening stroll and nature lovers mingle with children on roller skates. Photographers and painters love to capture its scenic beauty of the setting sun, or the heavily clouded monsoon sky or the early morning mist in winter set amidst the tranquility of the lake. Even anglers do not leave unrewarded.
Sukhna has a membership-based lake club with lawns, a gym, indoor games, swimming pool, and tennis courts with both synthetic and grass courts. Boating, Rowing, Sculling, Sailing, Kayaking and water skiing can be enjoyed throughout the year.
The Lake which was the venue for the Asian Rowing Championships, has the longest channel for rowing and yachting events in Asia. It also has facilities for other water sports like water surfing, skiing and sculling.
Sukhna is a sanctuary for many exotic migratory birds like the Siberian Duck, Storks and Cranes, during the winter months. The Lake has been declared as a protected national wetland by the Government of India. It is one of the most beautiful lakes of India and a very popular national and international tourist destination.

How to reach the "The City Beautiful"

Chandigarh has the largest number of vehicles per capita in India. Wide, well maintained roads and parking spaces all over the city ease local transport.jljk

The Chandigarh Transport Undertaking (CTU) operates public transport buses from its Inter State Bus Terminals (ISBT) in Sectors 17 and 43 of the city. CTU also operates frequent bus services to the neighbouring states of Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh and to Delhi. Chandigarh is well connected by road by NH 22 (Ambala — Kalka — Shimla — Kinnaur) and NH 21 (Chandigarh — Leh).

Chandigarh Railway Station lies in the Northern Railway Zone of the Indian Railway network. Scheduled trains connect Chandigarh to

• Delhi (Chandigarh Shatabdi, Kalka Shatabdi, Una Jan Shatabdi etc.)
• Mumbai (Chandigarh – Bandra Express)
• Kolkata (Chandigarh – Kolkata Express via. Lucknow)
• Indore (Indore - Chandigarh Express),
• Amritsar (Chandigarh – Amritsar Intercity Express)
• Jaipur (Ajmer – Chandigarh Garibrath)

Bhopal, Lucknow, Ambala, Panipat and Kalka amongst other cities.

Chandigarh Airport has scheduled commercial flights to major cities of India including New Delhi, Mumbai, Indore, Jaipur and Srinagar. A new international terminal is under construction.

The Chandigarh Metro Rail is expected to start working by 2018 along with the proposed Kolkata Metro and Indore Metro.

International organizations in Chandigarh are Commonwealth Youth Programme (CYP) Asian Center also located in Chandigarh.

MY RESEARCH: WHY CHANDIGARH IS CLEANER, GREENER AND MORE BEAUTIFUL THAN OTHER CITIES OF INDIA?

Chandigarh comes to be louded as the most beautiful city in India.

I am Akshay Kumar Raj Pratap Singh Rathee, I am from Delhi, India. I was able to do this work with the help of my Father Dr. Rajbir Singh Rathee, my Mother Mrs. Meena Rathee, my elder sister Er. Geetanjali Rathee and my twin sister Amisha Rathee. Chandigarh is the cleanest city in India and the most beautiful city in India. Chandigarh is known as the "The City Beautiful".