The City Beautiful: Chandigarh

It is amazing to know how a man's vision and hardwork can create a masterpiece out of waste materials. This place spread over 40 acres has everything you can think of, rocky terrains, waterfalls, swings, amphitheatre, aquarium and statues etc. This garden demonstrates how urban and industrial waste can be fruitfully recycled. History: The creator of the Rock Garden, Nek Chand, was a Road Inspector in the Engineering Department of Chandigarh Capital Project. The first seven years (1958-65) were spent collecting natural material, urban and industrial waste. Gradually his collection mounted to a staggering twenty thousand rock forms of amazing beauty. 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 18 years before it was discovered by the authorities in 1975. By this time, it had grown into a 12-acre complex of interlinked courtyards

The 3km long beautiful manmade Sukhna lake offers a view of the foothills of Shivalik range. The well maintained and clean surroundings of lush trees add to the beauty of this place. Sit by the lake and enjoy the cool breeze or go boating!History: This lake was created in 1958 by damming the Sukhna Choe, a seasonal stream coming down from the Shivalik Hills. Originally the seasonal flow entered the lake directly causing heavy siltation. To check the inflow of silt, land measuring 2542 hectares was acquired in the catchments area and put under vegetation. Le Corbusier’s greatest creation, his vision for Sukhna lake still lives on. Carrying on his legacy, till date no motor boats are allowed in the lake and neither are any motor vehicles on the promenade.

Sector sataraa is the shopping hub of Chandigarh.

Be ready to witness the wide variety of roses in this botanical garden. History: Named after India's former president, Zakir Hussain and created in 1967 under the guidance of Dr M.S. Randhawa, Chandigarh's first chief commissioner, the garden has the distinction of being Asia's largest.

The Mughal or Yadavindra Gardens at Pinjore lie 22 km from Chandigarh. Inside the gardens lie the Shish Mahal, Hawa Mahal, Jal mahal and Rang Mahal. History: It was created by architect Nawab Fidai Khan during the early reign of his foster brother Aurangzeb. Recently, it has been renamed as 'Yadavindra Garden' in the memory of Maharaja Yadavindra Singh former of the princely state of Patiala.