Chandigarh, the dream city of India's first Prime Minister, Sh. Jawahar Lal Nehru, was planned by the famous French architect Le Corbusier. Picturesquely located at the foothills of Shivaliks, it is known as one of the best experiments in urban planning and modern architecture in the twentieth century in India.

Chandigarh derives its name from the temple of "Chandi Mandir" located in the vicinity of the site selected for the city. The deity 'Chandi', the goddess of power and a fort of 'garh' laying beyond the temple gave the city its name "Chandigarh-The City Beautiful".

The city has a pre-historic past. The gently sloping plains on which modern Chandigarh exists, was in the ancient past, a wide lake ringed by a marsh. The fossil remains found at the site indicate a large variety of aquatic and amphibian life, which was supported by that environment. About 8000 years ago the area was also known to be a home to the Harappans.

Since the medieval through modern era, the area was part of the large and prosperous Punjab Province which was divided into East & West Punjab during partition of the country in 1947. The city was conceived not only to serve as the capital of East Punjab, but also to resettle thousands of refugees who had been uprooted from West Punjab.

In March, 1948, the Government of Punjab, in consultation with the Government of India, approved the area of the foothills of the Shivaliks as the site for the new capital. The location of the city site was a part of the erstwhile Ambala district as per the 1892-93 gazetteer of District Ambala. The foundation stone of the city was laid in 1952. Subsequently, at the time of reorganization of the state on 01.11.1966 into Punjab, Haryana and Himachal Pardesh, the city assumed the unique distinction of being the capital city of both, Punjab and Haryana while it itself was declared as a Union Territory and under the direct control of the Central Government.

Fact File
The basic geographical and demographic profile of Chandigarh is as under:

Geology
The Union Territory of Chandigarh is located in the foothills of the Shivalik hill ranges in the north, which form a part of the fragile Himalayan ecosystem. It is occupied by Kandi (Bhabhar) in the north east and Sirowal (Tarai) and alluvial plains in the remaining part. The subsurface formation comprises of beds of boulders, pebbles, gravel, sand, silt, clays and some kankar. The area is drained by two seasonal rivulets viz. Sukhna Choe in the east and Patiala-Ki-Rao Choe in the west. The central part forms a surface water divide and has two minor streams. The stream passing through the central part is called N-Choe and the other is Choe Nala which initiates at Sector 29.

Uniqueness of Architecture
Chandigarh is one of the most beautiful and well-planned cities of the 20th century. It is the only one of designed schemes of Le Corbusier, the famous French architect-planner. The city has far-reaching impact, building in a modern idiom of architecture and city planning all over India and has become a symbol of planned urbanism. It is famous for its landscaping, architecture, climate, IT parks and technology ambience. Most of the buildings are in pure, cubical form, geometrically subdivided with emphasis on proportion, scale and detail. That's why it is called as "City Beautiful".

Symbol of Chandigarh
The Open Hand - This giant hand in metal sheet rises 26 meters from a sunken trench and rotates freely in the wind from a high concrete pedestal, conveying the symbolic message "Open to give, open to receive". Conspicuous by its scale, the Open Hand is the official emblem of the city. The design of this emblem as of the monument was conceived entirely by Le Corbusier. There is probably no city emblem in the world quite like this one. 'Open to give and open to receive' presumes an open mind. This notion as also the emblem, celebrates the give and take of ideas, as opposed to commemorating personalities.

Sectors in Chandigarh
This city is composed of sectors. Each sector is 800 meters by 1,200 meters, enclosed by roads allocated to fast transport and has direct access from the houses. Each sector satisfies to the daily needs of its inhabitants, which vary from 5,000 to 25,000 and has a green strip oriented longitudinally stretching along the sector. The green strip should stay uninterrupted and accommodate schools, sports fields, walks and recreational facilities for the sector. Vehicular traffic is completely forbidden in the green strips, where tranquillity shall reign and the curse of noise shall not penetrate.

The High Court
The law-interpreting monument was built in the Capitol Complex during 1951-57. This structure has a double roof, projecting over the office block like a parasol or an inverted umbrella. The magnificent outward sweep of the upper roof is symbolic of protection and justice to the people. The three vertical piers, rising 60 feet from the floor and painted in bright colours form the grand entrance to the building. A gigantic egg-crate screen covers the building façade. On the rear walls of the court rooms, hand the giant woollen tapestries designed by Le Corbusier.

Roads
The roads of the city are classified into seven categories, known as the system of 7 Vs, as below: V-1 -- Fast roads connecting Chandigarh to other towns and cities; V-2 -- arterial roads; V-3 -- Fast vehicular roads; V-4 -- Meandering shopping streets; V-5 -- Sector circulation roads; V-6 Access roads to houses; V-7 -- footpaths and cycle tracks. Buses will ply only on V-1, V-2, V-3 and V-4 roads. A wall shall seal the V-3 roads from the sectors. Hence a vast connectivity of roads in Chandigarh gives a broader view to itself.

How to Reach
Chandigarh is well connected by road and buses provide an important transport link. There are services from various states such as- Haryana, Punjab, Himachal, and Delhi. It is a gateway to Himachal Pradesh as one can reach hill stations like Kasauli, Chail, Shimla etc within in a few hours’ drive. The hill stations Kullu & Manali with Rohtang Glacier are accessible from Chandigarh. The Union Territory of Chandigarh is well served by an excellent network of roads. The National Highways No. 21 (Ambala-Kinnaur) and 22 (Chandigarh-Leh) are the chief road arteries linking Chandigarh with the rest of the country. The city is within motorable distance from a number of popular towns and pilgrimage centres. Buses of several State Road Transport Corporations connect Chandigarh with many cities and towns of neighbouring states. Buses may be air-conditioned, deluxe, semi-deluxe or ordinary. The Inter-State Bus Terminus (ISBT) is located in Sector 17 (City Centre).

Buses of several State Road Transport Corporations connect Chandigarh with many cities and towns of neighbouring states. Buses are air-conditioned, deluxe, semi-deluxe and ordinary. The Inter-State Bus Terminus (ISBT) is located in Sector 17 (City Centre). ISBT, Sector 17 and Bus Stand, Sector 43 are two main bus stands in Chandigarh wherefrom the buses ply to all the major cities. Another transport unit called Chandigarh Transport Undertaking, a part of Chandigarh Administration provides both inter-state and local transport services.

The airport is 11 km from downtown. Taxis are available for Airport transfer. Indian Airlines, Jet Airways and Air Deccan connects Chandigarh with New Delhi the National Capital. Chandigarh Tourism has well maintained Tourist Information Centre at the Airport. Air Deccan recently started the Jammu-Chandigarh Air connection, which is a great help for pilgrims to Mata Vaishno Devi.

Arriving by Air
The airport is 11 km from downtown. Taxis are available for Airport transfer. Indian Airlines, Jet Airways and Air Deccan connects Chandigarh with New Delhi the National Capital. Chandigarh Tourism has well maintained Tourist Information Centre at the Airport. Air Deccan recently started the Jammu-Chandigarh Air connection which is a great help for pilgrims to Mata Vaishno Devi.

Arrival:

Departure:

Airlines Enquiry:
Flight Enquiry, Airport - 2656029
Airport (Civil) - 2656027
VIP Room - 2656021
Senior Aerodrome Officer, Airport - 2656027

Flight Enquiry:
Indian Airlines - 2656024, 2656029, 2704539
Indian Airlines, Reservation Office - Sector 17-C - 2704539
Indian Airlines, Cargo Office - Sector 17-C - 2704034
Jet Airways - 2740550, 2658934
Air Deccan - 2651748, 2651848

Arriving by Rail
Chandigarh is linked with New Delhi, the National Capital by Rail. The Chandigarh Railway Station is 8 Kms from the city centre in Sector 17. The twice daily Shatabdi, Jan Shatabdi and Himalayan Queen connects New Delhi and Chandigarh. Paschim Express connects the city to Mumbai, Sadbhavna to Lucknow, Kerala Sampark Kranti to Kerala and Chennai Express to Chennai.

Arriving by Road
Chandigarh is well connected by road and buses provide an important transport link. There are services from various states such as Haryana, Punjab, Himachal, and Delhi. It is a gateway to Himachal Pradesh as one can reach hill stations like Kasauli, Chail, Shimla etc. within a few hours drive. The hill stations Kullu & Manali with Rohtang Glacier are accessible from Chandigarh. The Union Territory of Chandigarh is well served by an excellent network of roads. The National Highways No. 21 (Ambala-Kinnaur) and 22 (Chandigarh-Leh) are the chief road arteries linking Chandigarh with the rest of the country. The city is within motorable distance from a number of popular towns and pilgrimage centres. Buses of several State Road Transport Corporations connect Chandigarh with many cities and towns of neighbouring states. Buses may be air-conditioned, deluxe, semi-deluxe or ordinary. The Inter-State Bus Terminus (ISBT) is located in Sector 17 (City Centre).

By Bus
Buses of several State Road Transport Corporations connect Chandigarh with many cities and towns of neighboring states. Buses are air-conditioned, deluxe, semi-deluxe and ordinary. The Inter-State Bus Terminus (ISBT) is located in Sector 17 (City Centre). ISBT, Sector 17 and Bus Stand, Sector 43 are two main bus stands in Chandigarh wherefrom the buses ply to all the major cities. Another transport unit called Chandigarh Transport Undertaking, a part of Chandigarh Administration provides both inter-state and local transport services.

Chandigarh Transport Undertaking(CTU)
The CTU buses connect important destinations like Delhi, Dehradun, Haridwar, Shimla, Manali, Katra (J&K) and major towns of Punjab and Haryana.

The Chandigarh Transport Undertaking functions under supervision of the Home Secretary who is also the Secretary, Transport. A Director, Transport, carries out day-to-day management, assisted by three general managers in addition to works managers, engineers and other staff.

There are 417 buses (including 5 deluxe buses) 280 buses run on local/suburban routes; 132 buses run on long routes (Delhi, Jaipur, Amritsar, Pathankot, Hisar, Katra, Manali and Shimla). CTU buses travel 1.24 lac kilometers a day.

Reservations and Enquiry-ISBT, Sector 17:

Volvo Bus Schedule
Haryana Roadways
Chandigarh - Delhi:
0720 hrs, 1040 hrs, 1130 hrs, 1325 hrs (up to Gurgaon via IGI Airport), 1500 hrs (up to Gurgaon via IGI Airport), 2315 hrs (up to Gurgaon via Domestic Airport), 0015 hrs (up to Domestic Airport, Delhi)
Delhi - Chandigarh:
0720 hrs, 0830 hrs (starts from Gurgaon at 0630), 1100 hrs, 1330 hrs, 1730 hrs, 2230 hrs (starts from Gurgaon at 2130hrs), 0130 hrs (starts from Gurgaon at 2330 hrs)
Chandigarh-Hisar: 1730 hrs
Hisar-Chandigarh: 0530 hrs
Enquiry Number: 0172-2704014

Himachal Road Transport Corporation
Chandigarh-Delhi: 0800 hrs, 1235 hrs, 1900 hrs
Enquiry Number: 0172-2704015, 2722625

Places near by:
Kasauli (77 km)
About 12 kms. from the Shimla to Kalka road, Kasauli is a charming place and a popular side trip from Shimla, or an alternative to staying in Shimla. There are numerous lovely walks around Kasauli, including one to Sanawar, another picturesque hill town and the location of a famous colonial college.

Chail (107 km)
Chail was created by the Maharaja of Patiala as a summer capital after his expulsion from Shimla. The town is built on three hills - one is topped by the Chail Palace, one by the village itself and the other by the Snowview mansion. Three kilometres from the village is the world's highest cricket ground built in 1893. There is also a wildlife sanctuary 3 kms. from Chail.

Shimla (110 km)
Shimla was once part of the Nepalese kingdom and called Shyamala. In 1864, Shimla became the summer capital of India. Following independence, Shimla was initially the capital of the Punjab, then became the capital of Himachal Pradesh in 1966. Today, Shimla is a pleasant, sprawling town, set among cool pine-clad hills with plenty of crumbling colonial charm. High season is mid-April to mid-July, mid-September to late October and mid-December to mid-January. The best time to visit is mid-September to late November.

Areas of interest:
Certain areas of Chandigarh are of special architectural interest. Where harmonized and unified construction of buildings is aimed at, absolute architectural and zoning control should remain operative. Along V-2 central, dual carriageways Madhya Marg and Uttar Marg, where skyline, heights, character and architecture of buildings as planned shall not be altered. Along V-2 beyond dual carriageway areas are reserved for cultural institutions only and shall never have any residential buildings.

Rose Garden
Zakir Hussain 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. It's one of the great celebrations in the city. There are lots of competitions, cultural celebrations and many other events.

Sector 17 Plaza
One of the most important places to visit is Sector 17, Chandigarh's sleek shopping area and the city centre. Planned around four pedestrian concourses meeting at a central chowk (intersection), the Sector 17 of Chandigarh is a pedestrian's paradise dotted with fountains, sculptures, and groves of trees. In summers the tourists move from one end of the sector to the other, under the shade of a corridor, and in winter it is nice to be out in the sun-drenched piazzas. In the evenings, when the colorful mosaic of neon signs and the aesthetically illuminated fountains come alive, Sector 17 becomes the Chandigarh city's biggest outdoor club.

Government Museum and Art Gallery
The Government Museum and Art Gallery in Sector 10 of Chandigarh has a fine collection of stone sculptures of the Gandhara period. The museum is the place to see the prehistoric fossils and artifacts along with modern art and miniature paintings. The Government Museum and Art Gallery of Chandigarh is open from 10.00 a.m. to 4.30 p.m. and is closed on Mondays.

Museum of Evolution of Life
The Museum of Evolution of Life in Sector 10 of Chandigarh takes tourists on a trip 5,000 years back from the Indus Valley Civilization to the present day. Chandigarh city's Museum of Evolution of Life is open from 10.00 a.m. to 4.30 p.m. and is closed on Mondays.

International Dolls Museum
The International Dolls Museum in Sector 23 of Chandigarh has an interesting collection of dolls and puppets from all over the world covering the variant art of more than 25 countries. Chandigarh city's International Dolls museum is closed on Sundays.

City Center
Le Corbusier as "Pedestrian's Paradise" designed the central plaza in Sector 17. No vehicular traffic will be permitted in the plaza. Sec-17 is called as the "Heart of Chandigarh".

Industrial Area
There are many established industries in industrial area of Chandigarh which gives a more powerful base for developing and to grow higher and higher. It is full of well-developed industries and is setting up in future.

Hidden truth of buildings
The truthfulness of materials of constructions, concrete, bricks and stone, shall be maintained in all buildings constructed or to be constructed. All buildings are constructed in the same manner and have a same look from outside which gives simplicity and beautiful look to everyone. The seed of Chandigarh is well sown. It is for the citizens to see that the tree flourishes.Climate Climate in Chandigarh remains very pleasant.

The climate conditions are:

Winter (Nov-Jan) Min 4C - 14C
Summer(April-July) Max 37C - 44C

Summers in Chandigarh are real hot. So anything light is the best for the season. People don't get sunburns, but for protection sake one should wear covered dresses. Monsoon in Chandigarh is uncertain. Sometimes it's very cool and sometimes humidity just annoys people. One should wear clothes, which dry easily and fast. Wearing leather shoes is not at all a good idea during the season. Between Monsoon and winters is the perfect season to visit the city. It's not cold, not hot, and not much of rain. It's the ideal weather to enjoy holidays. This season begins somewhere in mid September and ends in mid November. Winters are real cool. The days are more fun but nights & early mornings, its real chilly outside. Anything warm like jackets, sweaters etc. are ideal for this season.

The best season to visit Chandigarh is autumn, i.e., from mid-August to November, when the weather is pleasant, neither too hot, nor too cold, prevalent Winds from the South East in Summer from the Northwest in winter.

Institutes/Colleges
Chandigarh has various well-established educational institutes and colleges for medical as well as for other courses whether related to health, media, and tourism. City beautiful has a well-known medical institute PGIMER that not only gives a great start to talented and challenging people but build a strong relation with other people. Medical Tourism mainly revolves around patients and their families visiting the Chandigarh's best hospitals for world -class services, which are cost effective. From all over India and other parts of the globe, thousands of health tourists are coming to Chandigarh to avail the Medicare of expert doctors.

The Beautiful city offers a wealth of world-class medical infrastructure and knowledge- power that is being leveraged effectively for Medical Tourism.

It has most popular university named Punjab University or P.U., which has many discrete courses in almost every field. It has a very good record and also comes in the top universities of north India. The important institutes are:

• Panjab University in Sector 14
• Punjab Engineering College
• Department of Chemical Engineering and Technology (Panjab University)
• University Business School (UBS)
• University Institute of Engineering and Technology (Panjab University)
• Chandigarh College of Engineering and Technology (CCET)
• Chandigarh College of Architecture
• Institute of Microbial Technology (IMTech)
• National Institute of Technical Teachers Training and Research (NITTTR)
• GMCH Chandigarh
• Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education & Research
• Canadian Institute for International Studies

Festivals
Chandigarh is known for making festivals with the great zeal and enthusiasm. The Festival of Gardens popularly known as Rose Festival is celebrated at Rose Garden in the month of February end or beginning of March. Initially called the Rose Festival it intended to encourage people to stroll through the Rose Garden and enjoy the sight of the blooms. Each year the festival grew: now it 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 and is included on the national calendar of festivals. The city pulls out all the stops for this celebration, reminiscent of ancient India's Vasant Utsav in honor of spring.

The Cactus Show is celebrated at the Cactus Garden in Panchkula in the month of March. Its almost 7 kms. from Sector 17 in Chandigarh.

Major festivals in the area

• Rose Festival
• Cactus Show
• Baisakhi
• Mango Festival
• Teez Festival
• Chrysanthemum Show
• Plaza Carnival
• Chandigarh Carnival

Technology in Chandigarh
Many IT parks are establishing in and around chandigarh. Chandigarh as a financial services hub is also actively under consideration of the Administration. Projects like Chandigarh Technology Park, the education city and the film city are further likely to boost employment potential in Chandigarh. Chandigarh Technology Park of 70,000 sq.ft. made to Global standards,comprising of Six Office blocks and a Retail Plaza,developed along with Chandigarh Administration, is now largely operational.

Chandigarh has traditionally been a city where not many multi-national companies had earlier set up their facilities and therefore a large number of professionals had left Chandigarh in the past for other cities, in search of high level employment. Chandigarh administration is also planning to establish nano Technology Park near chandigarh which makes it a more developed city. The quick connectivity to Chandigarh and the huge cost arbitrage involved along with the completion of a few ongoing quality projects in the infrastructure and real estate front, corporate interest in the region is increasing.