From Wikitravel Shared

Chandigarh [1] is a very beautiful city in India. It is the capital of both Punjab and Haryana, but the city itself is not part of either state, being a union territory, i.e. administered directly by the Central government.

[edit] Understand

The most striking thing about the city is the expanse of resplendent blue sky with the mountains in the backdrop. When you are approaching the city, you would see the jagged skyline of the Shivalik Hills looming large over the city and the faint image of an old temple dedicated to Goddess Chandi,( 15 km form Chandigarh) from which the city got its name.

The political position of Chandigarh is quite ambiguous for anybody not knowing the city well. It is the capital to two northern Indian states Punjab and Haryana besides being a union territory in itself. The birth of this modern, youngest and happening city was an act of anguish and drama that took place at the time of partition of India and Pakistan. Lahore, the historical capital of Punjab was ceded to Pakistan and Chandigarh was conceived to be a symbol of India's freedom.

The government of the state decided to build a new city at the foot of the Shivalik hills. Architects Albert Mayer and Mathew Novicki drew the initial plans in New York. When the latter died in an air crash in 1950, the work was entrusted to renowned French architect Edouard 'Le Corbusier' Jeanneret who created Chandigarh as a city of "Sun, Space and Verdure" to fulfil basic functions of working, living, and care of body and spirit. Today, the city is home to more than half a million people living in harmonious conditions that are considered to be the best in the country.

One can see architectural genius in the neat geometrical design of residential quarters, reinforced concrete structures and self-contained area layouts. Chandigarh is divided into 47 self-contained sectors. Each sector of the city is designed with its own shops, academic, and health care buildings, and places of worship, open spaces, greenery and the residential areas.

The city is divided into four major work areas. In the north, the capital complex, consisting of the Secretariat, Legislative Assembly and High Court, with the hills as a background dominating the city. Sector 17, which is the city and district centre, housing the administrative and state government offices, shopping malls, banks and other offices. The west contains the university, and institutions of engineering, architecture, Asian studies and medicine. Finally the east zone, which is the industrial area of the city. Chandigarh is one of the few planned cities in India, the others being Gandhinagar in Gujarat and Dispur in Assam.

In 1966, the Hindi speaking areas were split from the Punjabi speaking areas of the state to form a new state of Haryana. Chandigarh, however, continued to be the capital of both Punjab and Haryana. In a strange anomaly, the city itself was not made part of either state to avoid dispute, but was brought under direct rule by the Cenral Government, as a union territory. It was agreed that in 1986, the city would pass to Punjab. But this has been indefinitely delayed because Haryana insists on getting some territory in return, and the two states have not been able to agree on it.

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

Quick Bite

Area 114 sq. kms

Altitude 304 - 365 meters above sea level

Total Population (2001 census)  : 9,00,635 (Rural population-92120 (10.2%),Urban population-808515 (89.8%))

Literacy Rate 81.9%

[edit] Get in

[edit] By plane

Indian Airlines, Jet Airways and more recently Air Deccan have daily flights to Delhi. Indian Airlines flies to Mumbai with a stopover at Delhi. Tickets cost around Rs 2,000 for Indian and Jet while Deccan is a budget carrier and is priced lower.Recently MDLR Airlines has started its regular operations to Delhi which shall soon expand to Ranchi and Kolkata via Delhi.

Schedule of flights to Shimla and Chandigarh

Flight no.	Departure	Arrival	Days
IC 864	DEL 1.20PM	IXC 2PM	Daily
IC 864	BOM 10AM	IXC 2PM	Daily
OL 103	BOM 2.40PM	IXC 5PM	Daily
DN 537	DEL 12.50PM	IXC 1.20PM	Daily
9W 733	DEL 1.05PM	IXC 1.50PM	Daily
JA 211	DEL 7AM	IXC 7.50PM	Tu,Th,Sa
JA 212	DHM 10.10AM	IXC 11.40AM	Th,Sa
DN 538	IXJ 3.25 PM	IXC 4.30 PM	Daily

[edit] By train

Chandigarh is well connected by train. It has a medium sized railway station on the outskirts of the city. It lies on Kalka-Ambala route which are impotant railheads. Kalka offers uphill journey to shimla via the narrow gauge.

There is frequent service to and from New Delhi. The popular trains connecting New Delhi include Shatabdi Express (twice daily) and the economical Jan Shatabdi Express (except sunday).Shatabdi Express is quite popular and it is better to have an advanced reservation atleast 2-3 days prior to the journey.

Popular long distance trains include Paschim Express (daily) to Mumbai, Kalka Mail(daily) to Howrah, Dehradun-Chandigarh Madras Express (Monday) to Chennai, Kerala Sampark Kranti (Wednesday) to KOCHUVELI(Kerala),Chandigarh Lucknow Express (daily) to Lucknow.

[edit] By car

Chandigarh has an equally good connectivity via road.It is a 4-5 hour drive from Delhi,the road comprising mainly of NH 1 is quite good.

Chandigarh serves as a gateway to the state of Himachal Pradesh.

Important Distances :

New Delhi - 260 kms Shimla - 110 kms. Manali- 233kms. Dehradun - 175 kms. Amritsar - 357 kms.

[edit] By bus

Chandigarh is served by two bus terminals. The Inter State Bus Terminus in Sector 17,provides connectivity to all major destinations in the neighboring states Himachal Pradesh,Punjab,Haryana,Uttaranchal,Jammu and Delhi.

Delhi is extensively connected with bus service every 15 minutes offered by Chandigarh Transport Undertaking,Haryana Roaways,Punjab Roadways and Himachal Roadways.Volvo A/C bus are also run on Chandigarh-Delhi section and offer connection to the Airport and towns like Gurgaon.The fares of Volvo buses are usually comparable with the Shatabdi Express.

The Inter State Bus Terminus at Sector 43 offers connectivity to all major towns of Punjab.

[edit] Get around

[edit] By Bus

The Chandigarh Transport Undertaking(CTU) provides local bus Transport service in Chandigarh and satellite towns of Panchkula and Mohali.There are two Local bus Terminals at Sector 17 and Sector 43.The bus service is frequent and efficient and runs from 6:00 a.m to 10:00 p.m. It is very economical with a single point to point fare of Rs. 5 regardless of the distance. The map of chandigarh showing all the bus routes is printed on backside of each ticket.The travel is generally hassle free ,there might be rush on some particular routes during morning and evening hours.

The Chandigarh tourism also runs a special Hop On Hop off double decker bus which takes you around for a tour of all the main spots in the city including Sukna Lake,Punjab University,The Secretariat.Having bought one ticket, a person can board or disboard as many times in a day as he wishes. This provides him flexibility to see the places of interest and spend as much time as he wishes at a particular spot of his choice.It starts its journey from Hotel Shivalikview in Sector 17 near the Bus Terminal.

FARE : Point to Point Rs 10/- One Trip Rs 25/- Half a Day Rs 50/- Full Day Rs 75/-

For Booking contact :

CITCO TOURS & TRAVEL WING ISBT, SECTOR 17, CHANDIGARH Tel : 5055462, 2703839

[edit] By Taxi

There are not many private local taxi services in the city.The private taxi operators can be located at Taxi stands in Commercial market of every sector.UT administration has started a fully air conditioned cab service.The cabs are available at the door step on giving a call. The cabs are stationed at important places including Railway Station and Airport. The cabs are fully air-conditioned and extremely comfortable.They serve Chandigarh and satellite towns of Panchkula and Mohali..All the taxis are brand new, air conditioned/air heated and driven by the uniformed drivers. Taxis are also have a complaint book and any passenger can lodge a complaint with State Transport Authority if services provided to him are not found upto the mark. The cabs are continuously monitored through GPRS technology whereby their locations are monitored by their respective control rooms.

There are no charges for first KM except for the meter down charges.Rate Rs. 15/- for the first K.M. and Rs. 12/- for the subsequent K.Ms.

[edit] By Auto Rickshaw

Auto Rickshaw are not quite popular in the city although are easily available at Bus Terminals,Railway Station and Auto Stands in the commercial market of every sector.It is very unlikely that they would operate with a meter so do negotiate the price before engaging one.

[edit] By Cycle Rickshaw

Cycle rickshaws are three-wheeled pedal powered rickshaws with seats in the back to seat passengers and a driver in the front. They are good for short distances, or places which are too far to walk but too short for taking a bus/taxi/auto rickshaw.Cycle rickshaws can be easily spotted in all parts of the city.You should negotiate the price before boarding one of these,ask the locals to help of you doubt the charges demanded.

[edit] See

• Rock garden designed by Nek Chand. One day 36 years ago, Nek Chand, a humble transport official, began to clear a little patch of jungle to make himself a small garden area. He set stones around the little clearing and before long had sculpted a few figures recycled from materials he found at hand. Gradually Nek Chand's creation developed and grew; before long it covered several acres and comprised of hundreds of sculptures set in a series of interlinking courtyards. After his normal working day Chand worked at night, in total secrecy for fear of being discovered. When they did discover the garden, local government officials were thrown into turmoil. The creation was completely illegal - a development in a forbidden area. However, rather than demolishing the garden, they decided to give Nek Chand a salary so that he could concentrate full-time on his work, plus a workforce of fifty labourers. The park is open daily from April to September between 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. and 3 to 7 p.m. Between October and March, it is open from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. and 2 to 6 p.m.

• Sukhna lake Located in Sector 1, the Sukhna Lake is an artificial reservoir. A popular place to hang out, one can expect to find residents of the city jogging or strolling along the banks. There is a walking path, a cafeteria, shops and a mini-amusement park and paddleboats. The Sukhna Lake was created in 1958 by damming the Sukhna Choe, a seasonal stream that flows down from the Shivaliks. Storks and cranes make migratory stops at the lake. The lake, incidentally, has Asia's longest water channel for rowing and yachting.

• Rose garden: The city houses the largest rose garden in Asia.It also hosts annual rose festival which is quite popular among local population.

• The Capitol Most of the capitol complex, is fenced off due to tight security, the open hand is accessible and from there you can see the main buildings, albeit in the distance. If you want a closer look at the Capitol, you need permission from the Tourist Bureau, in the ‘Deluxe Administration building’ in Sector 9. Please note the capitol and bureau are only open on mon-fri. The tourist bureau is not well signed, you’ll need to ask, it’s in the single story building out the back. Bring your passport and prepare for the beginning of the most amazing experience in Indian bureaucracy. All in all I spent three hours in total of which 50 minutes was spent looking at architecture. The tourist bureau gives you three letters giving you permission to visit the three main buildings of the Capitol complex, The Secretariat, the High Court and the Assembly.

• The High Court - The letter is fine for looking around the High Court just show to security at the entrance, around the back, but if you want to take photos you need to surrender your camera, and head in to fill out some more forms in the protocol office, and the take the forms back to security to get your camera back. It’s worth it as the building is amazing, and extremely photogenic. You can’t take any photos indoors.

• The Secretariat - To check out the Secretariat, it’s a little harder. First you need to find ‘reception’, which is just a small building out the back and show them your letter to get a visitor permit, then you need to see security who will let you in, then you need to see the main security officer inside, who will send you up to the registrar who will then send you back to the main security office. Thankfully you are escorted through most of this confusing, overly complex procedure, usually by a junior soldier with large machine gun. Whole process takes about 30 mins to an hour. Once it’s all clear you can go up to the roof, check out the geranium gardens, and take in an expansive view of all of Chandigarh. Then they’ll let you have a look out the front, which is more interesting.

• The Assembly - Ran out of time, so make sure you have a whole clear weekday to appreciate all the capitol buildings.

• Pinjore Gardens - Pinjore Gardens, also called Yadavindra Gardens are 20 km from Chandigarh, 15 km from Panchkula, on the Chandigarh Shimla road. Taxis and buses ply regularly between Pinjore and Chandigarh. Pinjore lies on the foothills of the lower Shivalik ranges. The fascinating Mughal Gardens one of the most popular picnic spots. A mini zoo, plants nursery, a Japanese garden, historic palaces and picnic lawns await tourists.

[edit] Do

• Chandigarh with the highest per capita in India is home to biggest brands.It is a shopper's paradise.The main hot spots for shopping are markets of Sector 17,Sector 22,Sector 35,Manimajra.
• Do enjoy the planned city with tree lined roads,big and beautiful roundabouts,several gardens and on the top it - a great set of people.
• Visit the sukhna lake in the evenings/early morning for an enriching pleasant experience
• Enjoy a round of boating on Sukhna Lake's enigmatic waters.
• Plan a day's trip to nearby hill station of Kasauli,Solan.
• Visit Kalagram on Manimajra-Chandigarh road.It has exhibition of various handicrafts and decorations from various parts of the country.It also houses the innovative and famous "Condom Bar",whose theme is centered around condoms.

[edit] Movies

The city has several cinema halls with the classical single screen format.Catch a movie at any one of the halls all of which are air conditioned and well maintained. Fun Republic at Manimajra is fully functional multiplex with four screens showcasing latest Hollywood/Bollywood blockbusters.

[edit] Theater

The city has rich theater culture with regular performances by socities and groups from all over India.Tagore Theater,Sector 18 plays host to most of the performances.

[edit] Amusement/Water Parks

• FunCity -20 Kms from Chandigarh on the Panchkula - Barwalla Nadha Sahib Gurudwara Highway near Ramgarh .
• Thunderzone - 30 Mins. drive from Chandigarh,located in Landran

[edit] Learn

Chandigarh has evolved into a education hub for competitive exams.Thousand of students from nearby states of Punjab,Haryana,Himachal attend coaching in Chandigarh.The city has delivered excellent result in recent years in all spheres especially the IIT-JEE,CAT,CBSE-PMT an the Civil services.

Chandigarh is also home to several renowned centers of higher education :

• PGIMER - Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research. It is one of the premier medical research institute of the country and serves a wide array of patients from the neighboring states.
• Punjab University - With a beautiful campus,Punjab University is one of the most sought after universities by students from the northern region.
• Punjab Engineering College - The alma matter of NASA astronaut Kalpana Chawla,the institute continues to climb up national rankings and has been designated as a deemed university.

[edit] Work

Opportunity is available to work in the growing IT and BPO industry in the city. Newly built IT park had been set up in the city which has proved to be a magnet for potential job seekers in this field. Satellite town of Mohali is also home to several IT majors. Most of the population here is employed in Government Services with administrative headquaters of all departments of govt. of Punjab and Haryana being situated in Chandigarh.

[edit] Buy

There are plenty of Shopping Avenues in Chandigarh.Chandigarh is home to all leading brands and retail store chains. Sector 17 is a fully commercial sector which houses all the major brands and shops that cater to wide array of taste and pocket. Other popular shopping places are Sector 22,Sector 35,Manimajra. If you want to bargain hard for usual stuff try the Azad Hind Market in Sector 22(Closed on Monday).

[edit] Eat

You can relish all type of cuisines from local Punjabi flavor to Continental stuff.

[edit] Budget/Mid Range

Nearly all major Western fast food chains have registered their presence in Chandigarh.

• Pizza Hut - Sector 26,Sector 35.
• Dominoes- Sector 17,Sector 35.
• Mc Donalds - Fun Republic,Manimajra.
• KFC -Sector 8.
• Subway - Sector 35.

Do relish the famous chicken delicacies available all over. North Indian food Chains like Sagar Ratna(South Indian),Gopal,Nirula's,Sindhi Sweets also serve through several outlets in the city.

[edit] Splurge

• Black Lotus at the Taj Chandigarh, exceptional Chinese fare, cooked by Beijing imported chef.
• Hotel Mountview , Shivalikview also offer specialized dining rooms and bars.

[edit] Drink

[edit] Coffee Shops

Barista and Cafe Coffee Day are popular Indian chain of coffee shops that can be found in Chandigarh at various places.

[edit] Bars/Pubs

Chandigarh is often accused of a dull night life considering its status as a metro.One can enjoy good drink at various pubs/bars with combined restaurants at Sector 35,Sector 26 and Sector 17.The bars remain open till 12-1 in the night. 'Condom Bar'- a unique bar themed upon condom,is operated by CITCO at Kalagram,Chandigarh-Manimajra road.

[edit] Sleep

[edit] Budget

• YMCA, Sector 9
• Yatri Nivas run by the CITCO
• Kisan Bhawan, Sector 35.

[edit] Mid-range

• Park View in Sector 24 run by CITCO.

[edit] Splurge

• Taj Chandigarh - Block No. 9, Sector 17-A, Chandigarh 160 017. Ph (91-172) 6513000 Fax (91-172) 6514000
• Shivalik View adjacent to the bus stand at Sector 17 run by CITCO
• Mount View in Sector 10 run by CITCO.

[edit] Contact

Chandigarh has one the highest cellular density in India.The city is served by all major cellular operators : Airtel,Hutch,Reliance,BSNL,Tata Indicom,Spice and Connect.The cellular connection provided covers the cellular network of state of Punjab and city limits of Panchkula district in Haryana.

Internet is cheaply and easily accessible via various cyber cafes operating in every corner of the city.

• Reliance Web World : Operates through various centres in Sector 9,Sector 35,Sector 46 and more.

[edit] Stay safe

Chandigarh is the most beautiful and safe city in India.With the lowest crime rates in the country you can feel safe at any hour.Police assistance can be availed at the nearest police station or at the patrolling booths in every sector.

[edit] Cope

General amenities for daily living like grocery shop,laundry etc. can be availed all in one place in every sector's market complex.Each sector is self sufficient in that regard and serves almost all the needs of its residents. There is a strict enforcement of Traffic rules in Chandigarh.Wearing Helmets,using seatbelts are compulsory and defaulters attract heavy penalties.

[edit] Get Out

• You can always plan a visit to Shimla or other Himachal hill stations.

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