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See also: Chandigarh district

Chandigarh
चण्डीगढ़
ਚੰਡੀਗੜ੍ਹ
Union Territory
The Open Hand Monument in Chandigarh
The Open Hand Monument in Chandigarh
Nickname: 
The City Beautiful
Location of Chandigarh (marked in red) in India
Location of Chandigarh (marked in red) in India
Country India
RegionNorthern India
Completed1960
Formation1 Nov, 1966
Named forHindu goddess Chandi
Government
 • TypeCentral government
 • AdministratorKaptan Singh Solanki
 • MayorArun Sood
 • Senior Deputy MayorDavesh Moudgil
 • Deputy MayorHardeep Singh
Area
114 km2 (44 sq mi)
 • Rank34th
Elevation
350 m (1,150 ft)
Population
 (2011)
1,054,686
 • Rank29th
 • Density9,300/km2 (24,000/sq mi)
 • Metro
[1]
960,787
 [2]
DemonymChandigarhiya
Language
 • Official[3]English[a]
 • SpokenHindi, Punjabi
Time zoneUTC+5:30 (IST)
PIN
160XXX
Telephone code+91-172-XXX-XXXX
ISO 3166 codeIN-CH
Vehicle registrationCH-01 to CH-04
HDIIncrease
0.792
HDI Categoryhigh
Literacy81.9
Websitechandigarh.nic.in
The city of Chandigarh comprises all of the union territory's area
Symbols of Chandigarh
EmblemOpen Hand Emblem
BirdIndian grey hornbill
FlowerDhak
TreeMango Tree
DanceBhangra, Giddha

Chandigarh is a city and a union territory in the northern part of India that serves as the capital of the states of Punjab and Haryana. As a union territory, the city is ruled directly by the Union Government and is not part of either state. Chandigarh and adjoining cities of Mohali (Punjab) and Panchkula (Haryana) are together called Chandigarh Tricity.

The city of Chandigarh was one of the early planned cities in the post-independence India and is known internationally for its architecture and urban design.[7] The master plan of the city was prepared by Swiss-French architect Le Corbusier, transformed from earlier plans created by the Polish architect Maciej Nowicki and the American planner Albert Mayer. Most of the government buildings and housing in the city, however, were designed by the Chandigarh Capital Project Team headed by Pierre Jeanneret, Jane Drew and Maxwell Fry. In 2015, an article published by BBC named Chandigarh as one of the perfect cities of the world in terms of architecture, cultural growth and modernisation.[8][9]

The city experiences extreme climate and uneven distribution of rainfall. The roads in Chandigarh are surrounded by trees and it has the third highest forest cover in India at 8.51% following Lakshadweep and Goa.[10][11]

The city tops the list of Indian States and Union Territories by per capita income in the country.[12] The city was reported to be the cleanest in India in 2010, based on a national government study.[13][14] In 2016, Chandigarh was declared as the second cleanest city of India under Swachh Bharat Survekshan.[15] The union territory also heads the list of Indian states and territories according to Human Development Index.[16] In 2015, a survey by LG Electronics, ranked Chandigarh as the happiest city in India over the happiness index.[17][18] The metropolitan of Chandigarh-Mohali-Panchkula collectively forms a Tri-city, with a combined population of over 2 million.[19] This is the first smoke-free city in India.[20]

Chandigarh has been selected as one of the hundred Indian cities to be developed as a smart city under PM Narendra Modi's flagship Smart Cities Mission. However, it was not selected in the list of first 20 smart cities of India.[21]

Etymology

The name Chandigarh is a portmanteau of Chandi and Garh. Chandi refers to goddess Chandi, the warrior form of goddess Parvati, and Garh means fort.[22] The name is derived from Chandi Mandir, an ancient temple devoted to the Hindu goddess Chandi, near the city in Panchkula District.[23]

History

Early history

The city has a pre-historic past. Due to the presence of lake, the area has fossil remains with imprints of a large variety of aquatic plants and animals, and amphibian life, which were supported by that environment. As it was a part of the Punjab region, it had many rivers nearby where the ancient and primitive settling of humans began. So, about 8000 years ago, the area was also known to be a home to the Harappans.[24]

Modern history

The British Punjab province in 1909. During the Partition of India along the Radcliffe Line, Lahore, which was the capital of Punjab earlier, went to Pakistan. The necessity to have a new capital led to the development of Chandigarh.

After the partition of India in 1947, the former British province of Punjab was also split between (mostly Hindu) east Punjab in India and (mostly Muslim) west Punjab in Pakistan.[25] The Indian Punjab required a new capital city to replace Lahore, which became part of Pakistan during the partition.[26][27] So, the government carved out Chandigarh of nearly 50 Pwadhi speaking villages of the then state of East Punjab, India.[28]

Chandigarh hosts the largest of Le Corbusier's many Open Hand sculptures, standing 26 metres high. The Open Hand (La Main Ouverte) is a recurring motif in Le Corbusier's architecture, a sign for him of "peace and reconciliation. It is open to give and open to receive." It represents what Le Corbusier called the 'Second Machine Age'.[29] Two of the six monuments planned in the Capitol Complex which has the High Court, the Assembly and the Secretariat, remain incomplete. These include Geometric Hill and Martyrs Memorial; drawings were made, and they were begun in 1956, but they were never completed.[30]

On 1 November 1966, the newly formed state of Haryana was carved out of the eastern portion of Punjab, in order to create a new state for the majority Haryanvi-speaking people in that portion, while the western portion of Punjab retained a mostly Punjabi-speaking majority and remained as the current state of Punjab. Chandigarh was located on the border of both states and the states moved to incorporate the city into their respective territories. However, the city of Chandigarh was made into a union territory to serve as capital of both states.[31]

Till date, many historical villages in Chandigarh are still inhibited within the modern blocks of sectors including Burail and Attawa, while there are a number of non-sectoral villages that lie on the outskirts of the city. These villages were a part of the pre-Chandigarh era.[32]

Geography and ecology

Chandigarh is located near the Sivalik Hills. Shown here is the Open Hand Monument with the Shivaliks visible in the background

Location

Chandigarh is located near the foothills of the Sivalik range of the Himalayas in northwest India. It covers an area of approximately 114 km2.[27] It shares its borders with the states of Haryana and Punjab. The exact cartographic co-ordinates of Chandigarh are 30°44′N 76°47′E / 30.74°N 76.79°E / 30.74; 76.79.[33] It has an average elevation of 321 metres (1053 ft).

The city, lying in the northern plains, has vast fertile and flat land. It has portions of Bhabar in the north east and Terai in rest of the area.[34]

The surrounding districts are Mohali, Patiala and Roopnagar in Punjab, Panchkula and Ambala in Haryana. The boundary of the state of Himachal Pradesh is also minutes away from its north border. It approximately lies in the center of the north zone of states of Jammu and Kashmir, Punjab, Haryana, eastern Rajasthan, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, western Uttar Pradesh and New Delhi in India.[35]

Climate

Chandigarh
Climate chart (explanation)
J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
 
 
33
 
 
16
3
 
 
39
 
 
20
5
 
 
30
 
 
25
10
 
 
9
 
 
32
16
 
 
28
 
 
35
20
 
 
145
 
 
36
22
 
 
280
 
 
31
21
 
 
308
 
 
30
20
 
 
133
 
 
30
19
 
 
22
 
 
29
14
 
 
9
 
 
24
8
 
 
22
 
 
19
4
█ Average max. and min. temperatures in °C
█ Precipitation totals in mm
Source: World Weather Information Service
Imperial conversion
JFMAMJJASOND
 
 
1.3
 
 
62
38
 
 
1.5
 
 
68
42
 
 
1.2
 
 
78
51
 
 
0.4
 
 
89
61
 
 
1.1
 
 
96
68
 
 
5.7
 
 
96
72
 
 
11
 
 
88
70
 
 
12
 
 
85
69
 
 
5.2
 
 
86
66
 
 
0.9
 
 
84
57
 
 
0.4
 
 
76
46
 
 
0.9
 
 
66
39
█ Average max. and min. temperatures in °F
█ Precipitation totals in inches

Chandigarh has a humid subtropical climate (Köppen: Cwa) characterised by a seasonal rhythm: very hot summers, mild winters, unreliable rainfall and great variation in temperature (−1 °C to 46 °C OR 30.2 °F to 114 °F). The average annual rainfall is 1110.7 mm. The city also receives occasional winter rains from the Western Disturbance originating over the Mediterranean Sea. The western disturbances usually brings rain predominantly from mid-December till end of April which can be heavier sometimes with strong winds and hails if the weather turns colder (during March–April months) which usually proves disastrous to the crops. Cold winds usually tend to come from the north near Shimla, capital of Himachal Pradesh and from the state of Jammu and Kashmir, both of which receive their share of snowfall during wintertime.

The city experiences the following seasons and the respective average temperatures:

  • Spring: The climate remains the most enjoyable part of the year during the spring season (from February-end to early-April). Temperatures vary between (max) 13 °C to 20 °C and (min) 5 °C to 12 °C.
  • Autumn: In autumn (from September-end to mid November.), the temperature may rise to a maximum of 30 °C. Temperatures usually remain between 10° to 22° in autumn. The minimum temperature is around 6 °C.
  • Summer: The temperature in summer (from Mid-April to June-end) may rise to 44 °C. The temperatures might sometime rise to 44 °C in mid-June. Temperatures generally vary between 40 to 42 °C.
  • Monsoon: During monsoon (from early-July to mid-September), Chandigarh receives moderate to heavy rainfall and sometimes heavy to very heavy rainfall (generally during the month of August or September). Usually, the rain bearing monsoon winds blow from south-west/south-east. Mostly, the city receives heavy rain from south (which is mainly a persistent rain) but it generally receives most of its rain during monsoon either from North-west or North-east. Maximum amount of rain received by the city of Chandigarh during monsoon season is 195.5 mm in a single day.
  • Winter: Winters (November-end to February-end) are mild but it can sometimes get quite chilly in Chandigarh. Average temperatures in the winter remain at (max) 5 °C to 14 °C and (min) -1 °C to 5 °C. Rain usually comes from the west during winters and it is usually a persistent rain for 2–3 days with sometimes hailstorms. The city witnessed bone-numbing chill as the maximum temperature on Monday, 7 January 2013 plunged to a 30-year low to settle at 6.1 degrees Celsius.
Climate data for Chandigarh
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °C (°F) 27.7
(81.9) 		32.8
(91.0) 		37.8
(100.0) 		42.7
(108.9) 		44.6
(112.3) 		45.3
(113.5) 		42.0
(107.6) 		39.0
(102.2) 		37.5
(99.5) 		37.0
(98.6) 		34.0
(93.2) 		28.5
(83.3) 		45.6
(114.1)
Mean daily maximum °C (°F) 20.4
(68.7) 		23.1
(73.6) 		28.4
(83.1) 		34.5
(94.1) 		38.3
(100.9) 		38.6
(101.5) 		34.0
(93.2) 		32.7
(90.9) 		33.1
(91.6) 		31.8
(89.2) 		27.3
(81.1) 		22.1
(71.8) 		30.4
(86.7)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F) 6.1
(43.0) 		8.3
(46.9) 		13.4
(56.1) 		18.9
(66.0) 		23.1
(73.6) 		25.4
(77.7) 		23.9
(75.0) 		23.3
(73.9) 		21.8
(71.2) 		17.0
(62.6) 		10.5
(50.9) 		6.7
(44.1) 		16.5
(61.7)
Record low °C (°F) 0.0
(32.0) 		0.0
(32.0) 		4.2
(39.6) 		7.8
(46.0) 		13.4
(56.1) 		14.8
(58.6) 		14.2
(57.6) 		17.2
(63.0) 		14.3
(57.7) 		9.4
(48.9) 		3.7
(38.7) 		0.0
(32.0) 		0.0
(32.0)
Average rainfall mm (inches) 33.1
(1.30) 		38.9
(1.53) 		30.4
(1.20) 		8.5
(0.33) 		28.4
(1.12) 		145.2
(5.72) 		280.4
(11.04) 		307.5
(12.11) 		133.0
(5.24) 		21.9
(0.86) 		9.4
(0.37) 		21.9
(0.86) 		1,059.3
(41.70)
Average rainy days 2.6 2.8 2.6 1.1 2.1 6.3 12.3 11.4 5.0 1.4 0.8 1.4 49.8
Source: India Meteorological Department (record high and low up to 2010)[36][37]
Parrots at the sanctuary

Ecosystem

Most of Chandigarh is covered by dense banyan and eucalyptus plantations. Ashoka, cassia, mulberry and other trees flourish in the forested ecosystem. The city has forests surrounding that sustain many animal and plant species.[38] Deer, sambars, barking deer, parrots, woodpeckers and peacocks inhabit the protected forests. Sukhna Lake hosts a variety of ducks and geese, and attracts migratory birds from parts of Siberia and Japan in the winter season.

A parrot sanctuary in the city is home to a variety of bird species. The city has popular gardens, e.g. Zakir Hussain Rose Garden, Rock Garden, Terraced Garden, Bougainvillea Garden, Shanti Kunj and many others.[39]

Demographics

Population

The Population of Chandigarh over the years.

Template:IndiaCensusPop

As of 2011 India census, Chandigarh had a population of 1,055,450[2] making for a density of about 9252 (7900 in 2001) persons per square kilometre.[40][41]

Males constitute 55% of the population and females 45%. The sex ratio is 818 females for every 1,000 males[2] –which is the third lowest in the country,[42][b] up from 773 in 2001. The child sex ratio is 880 females per thousand males, up from 819 in 2001.[43] Chandigarh has an average literacy rate of 86.77%, higher than the national average; with male literacy of 90.81% and female literacy of 81.88%.[2] 10.8% of the population is under 6 years of age.[2]

There has been a substantial decline in the population growth rate in Chandigarh, with just 17.10% growth between 2001-2011. Since, 1951-1961 the rate has decreased from 394.13% to 17.10%. This is probably because of rapid urbanization and development in neighboring cities.[44] The urban population constitutes of as high as 97.25% of the total and the rural population makes up 2.75% as there are only few villages within Chandigarh on its Western and South-Eastern border and majority of people live in the heart of Chandigarh.[43]

Religion

Religion in Chandigarh (2011)[45][46]

  Hinduism (77.8%)
  Sikhism (17.1%)
  Islam (7%)
  Christianity (0.83%)
  Jainism (0.19%)
  Buddhism (0.11%)
  Other religions (0.02%)
  Not religious (0.1%)

According to the 2011 census, 77.78% people in Chandigarh are Hindus, 17.11% are Sikhs, 3.87 are Muslims and minorities are Christians, Buddhists and Jains.[47]

Many institutions serve the minorities in the city. One such being the Roman Catholic Diocese of Simla and Chandigarh, serving the Catholics, which even has a co-cathedral in the city, Christ the King Co-Cathedral, although it never was a separate bishopric. Most of the convent schools of Chandigarh are governed by this institution.

Chandigarh hosts many religious places, including the temple on which it was named - Chandimandir. The ISKCON temple in Sector 36 is one among the worship places for Hindus. Nada Sahib Gurudwara, a famous place for Sikh worship lies in its vicinity.[48] Apart from this, there are a couple of historical masjids in Manimajra and Burail.[49]

Economy

Legislative Assembly by Le Corbusier
Punjab and Haryana High Court by Le Corbusier

Chandigarh has been rated as the “Wealthiest Town” of India.[50] The RBI ranked Chandigarh as the Third largest deposit centre and seventh largest credit centre nationwide as of June 2012.

The government is a major employer in Chandigarh with three governments having their base here. A significant percentage of Chandigarh’s population therefore consists of people who are either working for one of these governments or have retired from government service. For this reason, Chandigarh is often called a "Pensioner's Paradise".[51] Ordnance Cable Factory of the Ordnance Factories Board has been set up by the Government of India. There are about 15 medium to large industries including two in the Public sector. In addition Chandigarh has over 2500 units registered under small-scale sector. The important industries are paper manufacturing, basic metals and alloys and machinery. Other industries are relating to food products, sanitary ware, auto parts, machine tools, pharmaceuticals and electrical appliances. Yet, with a per capita income of 99,262, Chandigarh is the richest city in India.[52] Chandigarh's gross state domestic product for 2004 is estimated at $2.2 billion in current prices.

Chandigarh ranks first in India in the Human Development Index, quality of life and e-readiness.[50] The main occupation here is trade and business.[53][54] However, the Punjab and Haryana High Court, Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER), the availability of an IT Park and more than a hundred of government schools provide job opportunity to people.

Three major trade promotion organisations have their offices in Chandigarh. These are: Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce & Industry, (FICCI) the PHD Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PHDCCI) and the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) which has its regional headquarters at Sector 31, Chandigarh.[55][56]

Chandigarh IT Park (also known as Rajiv Gandhi Chandigarh Technology Park) is the city's attempt to break into the information technology world. Chandigarh's infrastructure, proximity to Delhi, Haryana, Punjab and Himachal Pradesh, and the IT talent pool attracts IT businesses looking for office space in the area. Major Indian firms and multinational corporations like Quark, Infosys, Dell, IBM, TechMahindra, Airtel, Amadeus IT Group, DLF have set up base in the city and its suburbs. According to a 2014 survey, Chandigarh is ranked 4th in the top 50 cities identified globally as "emerging outsourcing and IT services destinations" ahead of cities like Beijing.[57]

Politics

Main article: Chandigarh (Lok Sabha constituency)
Pawan Kumar Bansal, who was elected three times in a row from Chandigarh constituency in General Elections.
Kirron Kher is the current Member of Parliament elected from Chandigarh.

Chandigarh, as a Union Territory, is not entitled to a state-level election: thus State Assembly elections are not held and it is directly controlled by the Central government. However, one seat is contested here for the General Elections held every five years.

The following Members of Parliament have been elected till date from Chandigarh constituency:

Election Member Party
style="background-color: Template:Bharatiya Jana Sangh/meta/color" | 1967 Chand Goyal BJS
style="background-color: Template:Indian National Congress/meta/color" | 1971 Amar Nath Vidyalankar Indian National Congress
style="background-color: Template:Janata Party/meta/color" | 1977 Krishna Kant Janata Party
style="background-color: Template:Indian National Congress/meta/color" | 1980 Jagannath Kaushal Indian National Congress
style="background-color: Template:Indian National Congress/meta/color" | 1984 Jagannath Kaushal Indian National Congress
style="background-color: Template:Janata Dal/meta/color" | 1989 Harmohan Dhawan Janata Dal
style="background-color: Template:Indian National Congress/meta/color" | 1991 Pawan Kumar Bansal Indian National Congress
style="background-color: Template:Bharatiya Janata Party/meta/color" | 1996 Satya Pal Jain Bharatiya Janata Party
style="background-color: Template:Bharatiya Janata Party/meta/color" | 1998 Satya Pal Jain Bharatiya Janata Party
style="background-color: Template:Indian National Congress/meta/color" | 1999 Pawan Kumar Bansal Indian National Congress
style="background-color: Template:Indian National Congress/meta/color" | 2004 Pawan Kumar Bansal Indian National Congress
style="background-color: Template:Indian National Congress/meta/color" | 2009 Pawan Kumar Bansal Indian National Congress
style="background-color: Template:Bharatiya Janata Party/meta/color" | 2014 Kirron Kher Bharatiya Janata Party

The city is controlled by a civic administration. In the Municipal Corporation, BJP candidate Arun Sood defeated Congress' Mukesh Bassi by 21-15 votes for the post of Mayor, while BJP's Davesh Moudgil and SAD's Hardeep Singh defeated Congress' Darshan Garg and Gurbax Rawat for the posts of Sr. Deputy Mayor and Deputy Mayor respectively, in the Municipal Corporation's mayoral polls in January 2016.[58]

Places of interest

Sukhna Lake

Chandigarh has various visitor attractions including theme gardens within the city. Some notable sites are:[59]

Sukhna Lake

Sailing at Sukhna Lake

Sukhna Lake is located in Sector 1, adjoining the Rock Garden near the foothills of Shivalik Hills.[60] Sukhna is an artificial lake. This 3 km rain-fed lake was created in 1958 by damming the Sukhna Choe, a seasonal stream coming down from the Shivalik Hills.[61] It has The Garden of Silence within it.[62]

The atmosphere here is serene. Sukhna Lake is the venue for many festive celebrations. The most popular is the Mango Festival held during the monsoons. It is believed that a Swiss architect Pierre Jeanneret's ashes were immersed in this lake according to his will as he developed a deep bond with the lake.[63][64][65]

The garden is most famous for its sculptures made from recycled ceramic, Rock Garden

Rock Garden

The Rock Garden is situated in the middle of the Capitol Complex and the Sukhna Lake in Sector 1.[66] It is also known as Nek Chand Rock Garden after its founder.[67] It has numerous sculptures made by using a variety of different discarded waste materials like frames, mudguards, forks, handle bars, metal wires, play marbles, porcelain, auto parts, broken bangles etc.[68]

It is believed that Nek Chand himself went up the Shivalik hills and got different stones and materials with which he started designing the garden.[69]

Rose Garden

The Rose Garden

Zakir Hussain Rose Garden, or simply Rose Garden, is named after the former President of India, Zakir Hussain. It is situated in Sector 16.[70] The garden is known to be the greatest of its types in Asia.[71]

The garden is said to be spread about thirty to forty acres containing nearly 825 varieties of roses in it and more than 32,500 varieties of other medicinal plants and trees.[72]

Government Museum & Art Gallery
Musical Fountain, Sector 17, Chandigarh
Le Corbusier Centre, Sector 19
The entrance to Valley of Animals, Sector 49 in Chandigarh.
Chandigarh Museum and Art Gallery

Leisure Valley

A continuum of various theme gardens, Leisure Valley is a linear park over 8 km long which starts from Sector 1 in the north and leaves Chandigarh at its southern most edge. It consists of many theme parks, botanical gardens and green belts, including Rajendra Park in Sector 1, the Bourgainvillea Garden in Sector 3 and the Physical Fitness Trails in Sector 10, among others.[73]

Other destinations

Other tourist destinations include The New Lake in Sector 42, Capitol Complex in Sector 1, City Centre in Sector 17, Open hand monument in Sector 1, Le Corbusier Centre in Sector 19, Government Museum and Art Gallery in Sector 10, International Doll Museum in Sector 23, Sree Chaitanya Gaudiya Math in Sector 20.

There are many tourist gardens like the Garden of Fragrance in Sector 36, Garden of Palms in Sector 42, Butterfly Park in Sector 23, Valley of Animals in Sector 49, the Japanese Garden in Sector 31 and the Terraced Garden in Sector 33.[39]

Several other famous tourist destinations like Pinjore Gardens, Morni Hills, Nada Sahib, Kasauli lie in its vicinity.

Proposals

Many projects have been proposed by the Chandigarh Administration. Some of them are:

  • Chandigarh Metro: The work is likely to start by the year 2018. It was initially opposed by the Member of Parliament from Chandigarh, Kirron Kher.[74] with estimated cost of around 10,900 crores including 50% funds from the governments of Punjab and Haryana and 25% from Chandigarh and Government of India. Funds from the Japan government will include approximately 56% of the cost.[75][76]
  • Film City: As a Member of parliament from Chandigarh and having connection with the film industry, Kirron Kher promised a film city for Chandigarh. After winning the seat, she said that she had difficulty in acquiring land in Chandigarh.[77] However, her proposal was accepted by the Chandigarh Administration and the film city is proposed to be set up in Sarangpur, Chandigarh.[78]

Education

See also: List of educational institutions in Chandigarh
Gandhi Bhavan built by Pierre Jeanneret for Panjab University

There are numerous educational institutions in Chandigarh. These range from privately and publicly operated schools to colleges and the Panjab University. Other Institutions are Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER), Govt Medical college & Hospital, Punjab Engineering College Deemed University, Govt College for Men, Govt College for Women, DAV College, MCM DAV College for Women, Goswami Ganesh Dutta Sanatan Dharma College Sector-32, Govt Homeopathic College, Ayurvedic College, Govt Polytechnical College, Govt Home Science College, Dr Ambedkar Institute of Hotel management etc. These institutions are a large draw for students from around the world.[79] According to Chandigarh administration's department of education, there are a total of 107 government schools in Chandigarh and convent schools like Bhavan Vidyalaya, St. Anne's Convent School and Carmel Convent School.[80]

Transport

Road

The 8-lane national highway 21 road passing through Chandigarh.
A road in Chandigarh.

Chandigarh has the largest number of vehicles per capita in India.[81] Wide, well maintained roads and parking spaces all over the city ease local transport.[82]

The Chandigarh Transport Undertaking (CTU) operates public transport buses from its Inter State Bus Terminals (ISBT) in Sectors 17 and 43 of the city.[83] 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 - Khab, Kinnaur) and NH 21 (Chandigarh - Manali).[84]

Rail

Chandigarh railway station lies in the Northern Railway zone of the Indian Railway network and provide connectivity to all the regions of India and some major Indian cities. It provides connectivity to eastern states with link to cities like Kolkata,[85] Dibrugarh;[86] southern states with trains to Visakhapatnam,[87] Thiruvananthapuram,[88] Bangalore[89] and Kollam; western states with trains to Jaipur,[90] Ahmedabad[91] and Mumbai;[92] central states with trains to Bhopal[93] and Indore;[94] other northern states with trains to Lucknow,[95] Amritsar,[96] Ambala,[97] Panipat,[98] Kalka[99] and Shimla.[100]

The Chandigarh Metro Rail is a proposed metro rail to serve the city locally and connect it to other two cities of the Chandigarh Tricity. It is expected to start working by 2018 along with the extension of Kolkata Metro and proposed Indore Metro.

Air

Old Terminal of Chandigarh Airport.

Chandigarh Airport is a Customs airport with international flights for unloading and loading imported and exported goods.[101] However, it doesn't have commercial international flights owing to the presence of an Air Force Base on the same runway which earlier denied to extend watch hours beyond 8pm.[102]

Chandigarh has scheduled commercial flights to major cities of India including Delhi, Mumbai, Indore, Jaipur, Bangalore and Srinagar. Flights are available to Kullu-Manali also with Himalayan Bulls.[103]

A new international terminal has been constructed on the same runway in Chandigarh and portions of Ajitgarh. International flights were initially scheduled to ply from March 2015 and then from October 2015.[104] Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the new terminal on September 11, 2015.[105] However, due to the incapability of the current runway to support wide-bodied aircrafts, and the retarded process of getting clearances from the authorities has delayed the international flights from the city. The international terminal with upgraded runway is expected to be functional only in 2017.[106]

Entertainment

Sports

The Chandigarh Hockey Stadium, Sector 42

Chandigarh is home to numerous inter-state sporting teams and other sporting franchises like Kings XI Punjab of the Indian Premier League (IPL). The Sector 16 Stadium, owned by Haryana Cricket Association, has been a venue of several international matches. But it has lost prominence after the PCA Stadium was constructed in Mohali. It still provides a platform for cricketers in this region to practice and play inter-state matches.[107]

The Chandigarh Golf Club has 7,202 yard, 18 hole course known for its challenging narrow fairways, a long 613 yard long, dogleg 7th hole and floodlighting on the first nine holes.[108]

There are many other sports grounds and complex like the Lake Sports Complex; Sports Complexes in Sectors 7, 42, 46; Table Tennis Hall, Sector 23; Hockey Centre, Sector 18; Football Centre, Sector 17; Skating Rink, Sector 10 and so on. Many personalities from this region have excelled in sports.[109]

Gardens

The city has two gardens of international repute – the Rock Garden of Chandigarh in sector 1 and the Zakir Hussain Rose Garden in sector 16. The latter has the distinction of being the largest of its kind in Asia.

Chandigarh has a belt of parks running from sector to sector. It is known for its green belts and other special tourist parks.[110] Sukhna Lake itself hosts a large number of gardens, including the Garden of Silence.

Communications

Available internet providers in Chandigarh are: Bharti Airtel, Connect Broadband, Tata photon & 3G wireless internet, BSNL broadband, Reliance DSL and Airtel 4G wifi among others. Same ISPs are serving in Mohali & Panchkula (other two cities of the Chandigarh Tricity).

Notable people from Chandigarh

  • The Open Hand Monument in Chandigarh
    The Open Hand Monument in Chandigarh
  • Punjab and Haryana High Court
    Punjab and Haryana High Court
  • Secretariat Building by Le Corbusier
    Secretariat Building by Le Corbusier
  • Rock Garden
    Rock Garden

See also

Notes

  1. ^ Chandigarh being the capital of two states and union territory itself has different official languages, Punjabi being the official language of Punjab and Hindi of Haryana.[4][5] However, the Chandigarh departments mainly refer in English.
  2. ^ The lowest is Daman and Diu (618 females per thousand males) and second lowest is Dadra and Nagar Haveli (774 females per thousand males).[42]

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Further reading

  • Evenson, Norma. Chandigarh. Berkeley, CA: University of California Press, 1966.
  • Sarbjit Bahga, Surinder Bahga (2014) Le Corbusier and Pierre Jeanneret: The Indian Architecture, CreateSpace, ISBN 978-1495906251
  • Joshi, Kiran. Documenting Chandigarh: The Indian Architecture of Pierre Jeanneret, Edwin Maxwell Fry and Jane Drew. Ahmedabad: Mapin Publishing in association with Chandigarh College of Architecture, 1999. ISBN 1-890206-13-X
  • Kalia, Ravi. Chandigarh: The Making of an Indian City. New Delhi: Oxford University Press, 1999.
  • Maxwell Fry and Jane Drew. Chandigarh and Planning Development in India, London: Journal of the Royal Society of Arts, No.4948, 1 April 1955, Vol. CIII, pages 315–333. I. The Plan, by E. Maxwell Fry, II. Housing, by Jane B. Drew.
  • Nangia, Ashish. Re-locating Modernism: Chandigarh, Le Corbusier and the Global Postcolonial. PhD Dissertation, University of Washington, 2008.
  • Perera, Nihal. "Contesting Visions: Hybridity, Liminality and Authorship of the Chandigarh Plan" Planning Perspectives 19 (2004): 175–199
  • Prakash, Vikramaditya. Chandigarh’s Le Corbusier: The Struggle for Modernity in Postcolonial India. Seattle: University of Washington Press, 2002.
  • Sarin, Madhu. Urban Planning in the Third World: The Chandigarh Experience. London: Mansell Publishing, 1982.
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