Chandigarh City Tourism

Sukhna Lake On the south eastern boundary of the city is the seasonal rivulet Sukhana choe. Water through it used to flow away in the rainy season. The planner of the city through their imagination, created a lake by obstructing the flow of rain water through the Sukhana Choe. A three and half km long dam was built to create a reservoir of water. Now known as Sukhna Lake. People generally come here for a morning or evening walk. It consists of an eating place, children’s park. It also has facility for boating and rafting for the adventure seekers. A major hit with children and grown-ups alike. At one end of the Lake are the premises of Lake Club. The club management takes care to provide facilities for water sports and recreational activities. Water sports become annual feature. Environment friendly people of Chandigarh take part in its disilting operation every year.

Shopping Centre In the heart of the city, is located Sector 17. This is the main shopping center of the city though there are many government and private offices also. This commercial centre is fully pedestrianised. Here, the residents shop, lounge around or simply relax in the beautiful surroundings to enjoy the various fashion houses located here. Big showrooms and excellent departmental stores cater to the needs of shoppers. In evenings, one can see the crowd walking around here and there. The ultimate lightning effects are visible during the evenings.

Rock Garden Next to Sukhana Lake there is a unique but a world famous fantasy in the city of Chandigarh, called Rock Garden. Situated in the thick forest area, this gardens hold its own charms for the visitors. It is full of objects built from household and industrial waste. There are no flowers or plants in this garden. The object to be seen there are the figure made of raw cement resembling humans and animals. These figures have been decorated with broken but colourful odds and ends of China clay. As one looks at them with deep intent, they seem to be staring as the visitors. They seem to be engaged in various activities. There are group of dancing damsels made from bicycle and motorcycle's waste materials, marching armies of warriors resting flying or fledging birds made from countless bite of broken glass. There are groups of music bands engaged in their activity of entertaining the visitors. Its creator also needs a mention. The garden was visualised by Sh. Nek Chand. He belong from gurdaspur district in Punjab province. He started his life in PWD as labourer, but late rose to high ranks. He came to Chandigarh as Road Inspector. His deep visualization made him to pick and collect all sorts of discarded scrap. He started to visit waste dumps of the factories. He collected there raw cement, broken pipes and other discarded matter. He created rapport with the truck drivers who carried and drop his debris at a vacant corner of the forest where now this unique creation stands. For twelve years he worked hard alone on this unique fantasy. After twelve years the work of Nek Chand noticed by Government. He was giving deserving patronage. An area of twelve acres was allotted for the extension of the original Rock Garden. Even funds were provided for carrying on the work.

Rose Garden Next to city centre, in sector 16 is situated Zakir Hussein Rose Garden Asia's largest Rose Garden and is spreaded over 30 acres of land having over 1600 different species or roses. These have been planted beautifully carved out lawns and flowers beds. Like the cultural zone which is just across the road in Sector 10, this was also planned by Dr. M.S. Randhawa as his interest in horticulture and fondness for flowers was profuse. Every year, either at the end of February or beginning of March, a big festival known as Rose Festival, is celebrated at this garden. Over 20,000 people visit this festival. Its one of the great celebrations in the city. There are lots of competitions, cultural celebrations and many other events.

Chandigarh City - Colleges

Chandigarh is a city which not only provide modern housed to the people by also all kind of high education the region. The main educational institute among these are the Punjab University, the Punjab Engineering College and the Government College of Arts. Among the new teaching and research institutions established in Chandigarh in the decade of the 1960s is the Postgraduate Institution of Medical Education and Research and College of Architecture. There are number of specialized institutions have been established here, making the city a base for higher education.

Name: Punjab University
Address: Sector14,Chandigarh.
Facilities: A gymnasium and swimming pool, playing fields and numerous specialized laboratories and libraries for all kind of disciplines, student centre, auditoriums, Gandhi bhawan, open theatre, sports ground Student hostels for boys and girls,shopping centre, Total enrolment in 1996(including students of affiliated colleges); 77,982; Post-graduate student enrolment in 1996:5,100; Post-doctoral research scholars: 200.
Courses: University offering Arts, Sciences, Commerce, Business Management, Design and Fine Arts, Music, Theatre, Education, Engineering and Technology, Languages, Law, Pharmaceutical Sciences, Animal Husbandry and Dairying. The university also conducts an evening college and Correspondence studies.
Phones: 541440, 541778, 541858, 541898

NAME : Punjab Engineering College
Address : Sector-12 Chandigarh.
Facilities: All sorts of sports, a gymnasium and swimming pool, playing fields and numerous specialised laboratories and libraries for the various engineering disciplines.
Courses : The Punjab Engineering College offers four-year Bachelor Degree programmes in Aeronautical Engineering, Civil Engineering, Computer Science and Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Electronics and Electronic Communication, Mechanical Engineering, Metallurgical Engineering, Production Engineering. Master of Engineering is offered in Civil Engineering(Highways), Civil Engineering (Irrigation and Hydraulics), Civil Engineering (Structures), Electronics Product Design, Civil Engineering (Environmental), Electronic Engineering (power systems), Mechanical Engineering (Rotodynamics), Electronics Engineering, Materials and Metallurgy, Computer Integrated Manufacturing.
Phones : 545533, 541071, 541074, 541075, 541089, 544330.

Chandigarh City - Festivals

The Festival of Gardens is a three-day celebration which is organised in the last week of February is also on the national calendar of festivals. Earlier it was known as Rose Festival it intended to encourage people to walk through the Rose Garden and enjoy the beauty of roses. The festival includes performances of music and dance, both classical and folk, flower shows, events for children, exhibitions by local artists, photographers and craftsman and a wide range of amusements. Since 1997 it is known as the Festival of Gardens. The various competitions are organised i.e childern competetion, dog show, flower decoration competetion. The various companies put up their stall to show various products.

April Fools' Day (April 1) a unique gathering of various poets from all over the country gather at Chandigarh on this day. Even those who do not ordinarily enjoy poetry look forward to the Maha Moorkh Sammelan, or Conclave of Colossal Fools. Chandigarh is the only city in India hosts such a gathering.

Baisakhi is the first day of the new year in the traditional Vikrami calender, it celebrates the wheat harvest, and it is main festivals for Sikhs as this is the day of foundation of Khalsa. As the capital of two states, Punjab and Haryana, this day sees festivities organised by both the state governments as well as the Administration of the UT, and by all Chandigarhian.

The Mango festival is held in June. Mango-growers from all over India are invited to enter their prize fruits in the various competitions. Visitors to the fair can see and taste all the traditional varieties of the fruit as well as the latest hybrids from the agricultural universities. It is also an occasion for agro-industries, and food industries processing mango into jams, pickles and canned fruit to display their wares.

Teej In the first week of August this traditional festival is celebrated by the women. The Rock Garden with its swings and pavilions is the festival venue and the day is basically a grand picnic with songs and dances, purchase of new bangles, painting the hands with mehndi.

The Chrysanthemums Show In the month of December Chrysanthemums Show is held at Terraces Flower Garden in the city's Sector 33. You can see a multi-coloured wall-to-wall carpet of chrysanthemums. Hundreds of varieties of the flower are on display and city gardeners vie for coveted honours in the competitions.

The Plaza Carnival is held on an open-air stage set up in Sector 17's central piazza every evening of Saturday. The weekly almost three-hour programme draws a large crowd and provide an opportunity for talented local artists to do their stuff.

The Chandigarh Carnival. This carnival is celebrated in the second week of November every year for three days. The carnival opens with a colourful procession which everyone is encouraged to join. The carnival is a time for students and Childerns to show their talent and elders too participate in a number of competitions held at same venue.