1.

Introduction

After the loss of Lahore (the Capital of Punjab before the Partition), the idea of building a new
Capital for the Indian part of Punjab took form in 1948. After a lot of dilly dallying as to whether
it is worthwhile to build a new Capital or to develop an existing city, the decision to build a new
Capital finally frutified on April 2,1952, when the then Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru laid its
foundation on a spot which is presently in Sector 9. The spot is commemorated by a concrete
cube which bears an iron plaque to that effect.

Chandigarh had started as the Capital of the State of Punjab. But history repeated itself in 1966.
truncated State of Punjab underwent a further division on linguistic basis and the new State of
Haryana was born. Since both the States claimed Chandigarh as its Capital, the matter was
settled by giving the city the status of Union Territory. It was made the joint Capital of both the
States.

Chandigarh U.T. is spread over an area of 114 sq. km. It comprises the City of Chandigarh, three
towns- Manimajra, Burail, and Attawa - and 27 villages.

The city is bound on the north-east by the Shivalik range of the Himalayas. Indeed, these hills
form a picturesque backdrop and were also the reason for locating its monumental buildings at
the foot of the hills. On the south-east and the north-west sides are two dry river beds Sukhna
Choe and Patiali Rao. Both these rivers beds also form a natural boundary to the city. Sukhna
Choe has been controlled by building an earthen dam and creating a water body called Sukhna
Lake.

The first Master Plan was prepared by an American firm 1 Mayer, Whittlesey and Glass - in
association with a young and brilliant architect Mathew Nowicki. Albert Mayer had been
working in India during the Second World War and was known to Prime Minister Jawaharlal
Nehru. His plan also had the sectors concept which, in his case, were called superblocks. Each
superblock was divided into three parts in which the middle part was devoted to the provision of
public amenities like shopping, recreation, education and health care.
2. Chandigarh, A Way of Life

There is something about Chandigarh which attaches and the ay attaches you to its one to its
apron strings. Those who have been living here for some time begin to feel it even as they
approach the city while returning from a trip. They may come flying, driving their own cars,
travelling by train or bus, or whatever.... the moment the penultimate destination....Ambala,
Kharar, or Panchkula is reached.... their hearts begin to beat a little faster.

Even the train seems to chug along to a different rhythm on approaching Chandigarh !

For some inexplicable reason the sobriquet....THE CITY BEAUTIFUL … has attached itself to
the city’s name.

3. The Concept

Chandigarh was conceived as a compact. administrative headquarters of the State of Punjab. It

was designed for a population of 5 lakh, and was to be developed in wo stages. Unfortunately,
Punjab underwent a second division, and the new State of Haryana was carved out of it in 1966.
Chandigarh, situated between the two states, is now a Union Territory.

The whole city has been "zoned" into sections to house the various functions of a modern city.
These are the commercial zone, administrative zone, industrial zone, cultural zone, and, of
course, the residential zone. Sector 1, for instance, is the State headquarters, Sector 14 contains
the University, Sector 17 is the City Centre or the Downtown', and Sector 26 is the wholesale
market for goods like fruits, vegetables and grain.

Like the sectors, the roads of Chandigarh also have an identity of their own. The roads have been
organized to differentiate the various types of movement.

While all these features of the concept are now known to all those who live in the city, the
important part is that the clarity of the concept makes the city easily accessible to its residents.

4. Chandigarh Architecture

Chandigarh architecture is neither foreign nor is it Indian. It is Chandigarh architecture. Its

peculiarity is that it is 'unfettered' by the traditions of the past.
The people represents 'Indian' architecture. A few Some of the main buildings of the Capital
Complexdomes, shikharas, arches, brackets etc. will do the trick. . They are climate, building
material and building technology. There is nothing new in these three elements. They have
always influenced architecture everywhere.

5. Climate

Tradition establishes certain forms of buildings in a tropical climate like the one in India. The
elements mentioned above gave sunshades (chajjas), balconies, brackets, arches, terraces,
courtyards, and compact building masses to traditional architecture.

In the case of Chandigarh, the paths of the sun during various seasons were studied in detail. One
may notice that the small monument of Tower of Shadows' in the Capital Complex was erected
as a dedication to that study. All the buildings designed by Le Corbusier in the Capital Complex
have sunbreakers on their facades. The impact of the new look(elevation) which was created was
so significant that "Modern" architecture, for some time, became almost synonymous with
sunbreakers.

There are four months of winter when sun's rays are most welcome. Thus, the south-east, south,
and south-west sides of the buildings had to be sun- friendly. On these orientations the facades
were designed to keep the sun out in summer, but to admit it in winter. In Chandigarh, summer
evenings have a cool breeze and make the environment comfortable.

6. Building Material

The role of building material in Chandigarh architec- ture is very significant. When the city was
started in the 1950s many new material like laminated boards, plastics, aluminium, fibreglass,
pressed metal etc, had come into common use all over the world. In Chandigarh, the innate
expres- sion of every building material was studied. As a con- sequence, brick, which was
considered to be an unworthy material, was expressed "truthfully" and became noble. Boulder
stone masonry in its rough form functioned as a foil to the brickwork. The juxtaposition of these
two created lively and vibrant facades.These surfaces came to be known as shutting pan finish.
The builders acquired the exce kills necessary for achieving fine or rough sure, as desired, by
using steel plates or wooden plans as shuttering material.
7. Building Technology

In building technology the world was way ahead in the

use of heavy machinery in construction, prefabrication,
space frames, stressed skin, prestressed and post
tensioned techniques. But, on the other hand, this
situation meant that the good craftsmen, masons,
carpenters, black-smiths, painters that were available
were profitably employed. In fact, the "truthful" expression material in Chandigarh Architecture
helped these craftsmen hone their skills to exceptional levels. Indeed this came to be known as
'Chandigarh brick-work'.

8. Architectural Controls

Most of the architectural expression of Chandigarh's buildings is regulated by a system of

controlled designs. These architectural controls require some explanation, particularly since they
have always invited protests from practising architects and users.The architectural controls, in
fact, keep one's interest alive in the overall image of the city by maintaining harmony in the
variety of expressions.

Fortunately, this was corrected early in Chandigarh's developement by the introduction of what
is known as 'Frame Control'. According to "Frame Control", the length and height of the
common wall (party wall) is fixed and has to be made by the person who builds first.

All these have helped to create a recognisable Chandigarh' look and have come to be known as
the Chandigarh style of architecture. This "style" is now in common use everywhere

9. "Circulation": The organized movement

Looking at most of the cities in India one is tempted to infer that a road is but a road. use it as
you like. It is the impact of the industrial civilisation which has made our cities complicated. In
Chandigarh, this has been done with distinction.

he roads are classified as V1, V2, V3, V4, V5, V6, V7 & V8 according to their functions. "V" is
derived from the French word "via" which means "way" or "path".
Vl roads connect Chandigarh to other cities. V2 roads are the major avenues of the city. V3 roads
are corridor streets for vehicular traffic only. V4, V5, V6, V7, and V8 are the roads within a
sector The V4s generally bisect the sector with shopping. V5s meander through the sector giving
access to its inner lanes. V6s come off of the V5s and most residences open onto them. V7s run
through the middle of the sectors in the green areas and are intended for pedestrian movement
only. And finally, the V8s are intended to run parallel with the V7s for the bicycles. This makes
the city functional, orderly, and imageable.

10. Sukhna Lake

There is yet another attraction of Sector 1. Sukhna Lake is the place Chandigarh people love to
boast about. Le Corbusier created the lake for the care of body and spirit. Seasonal steam
'Sukhna Choe' was dammed to develop beautiful Sukhna Lake. Tranquil lake, green patches and
picturesque view, Sukhna lake is adored by one and all. It is frequently visited by tourists,
health-conscious walkers, families seeking quality-time together and enthusiastic youngsters.

11. Rock Garden

Chandigarh rock garden is an epitome of creativity and innovation. It is a unique garden that
consists of various art objects. But the best part about the rock garden is that each of its artwork
has been made by using industrial & urban waste. It is located in Sector 1 between the Capitol
Complex and Sukhna Lake. The credit for laying its foundation goes to Nek Chand, who was the
then Road Inspector in the Engineering Department of Chandigarh Capital Project. Rock garden
has been established in the form of an open-air exhibition hall. The garden houses 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. Rock garden in
Chandigarh, India is a unique creation and connoisseurs come from different parts of the world
to see this amazing garden

12. Culture “The Cultural Complex” Le Corbusier earmarked a portion of Sector 10 at the
junction of the two most important avenues of the city-Jan Marg and Madhya Marg (in
colonial times they would be called King's Way and Queen's Way!) as the Cultural
Complex. Here he proposed to build an Audio Visual Training Institute (AVTT), Museum
and Art Gallery, and a Miracle Box. The buildings of the Cultural Complex are set in a large
 expanse of paved space interspersed with water bodies and clusters of trees. The paved
space is not only the foreground for the Museum, which is one of the finest buildings
designed by Le Corbusier, but also serves the purpose of display of sculptures. The Museum
contains art treasures in the form of miniature paintings of Pahari and Gandhara schools as
also masterpieces of modern artists of India. In addition, the building itself is a work of art.
It appears to float in space on 'pilots' (columns).

13. Theatres and Art Galleries

Let us now view how culture is nurtured through rest of the city. Let us take the Tagore Theatre
first because this has, more or less, substituted Le Corbusier's Miracle Box. It stands in Sector 18
on a site which was reserved for a community centre, and not really intended to be a 'status'
building. The Museum of Cultural Complex in Sector 10 also has an auditorium which is the
focus of many programmes of music and art. The Complex, however, is better known for the
numerous painting, sculpture, graphic, etc. exhibitions held in the galleries of the Museum and
the College of Art. The auditorium of the Polytechnic for Women in Sector 10, and that of the
Girls College in Sector 11 often host dance and drama performances. The large PGI auditorium
in Sector 12, though not designed for theatrical performance.

Sector 34, which is being developed as sub city centre, holds promise for having cultural
activities. Offices of Chandigarh Art Council are proposed to be located there. In Sector 36, the
new building of the Alliance Francaise contains an art gallery that hosts many an art exhibition.
While we are on the subject, it is worth pointing out that the All India Fine Arts and Crafts
Society (AIFACS) has established its regional centre in what is known as Mansa Devi Complex
in the Panchkula area.

14. Attraction Around Chandigarh

Besides being an excellent tourist centre itself, Chandigarh is also a transit point for religious and
tourist places in the north-west, namely Jammu & Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, and Punjab. But
within easy calling distance of Chandigarh, approximately 30 km, there are two very important
spots. One is the Mughal style Pinjore Garden on the way to Kalka, and the other is Chatbir
Zoological park just off the road to Patiala.
The highlight of this garden is a Jal Mahal (water pavilion) erected in the middle of a large pool
of water. It is presently serving as a restaurant. Then there are orchards of mangoes, lichies and
other fruits. Pinjore Garden is a favourite picnic spot for the citizens of the Chandigarh. The
Chatbir Zoological Park has been recently developed by the Punjab Government.

Like the Pinjore Garden, Chatbir Zoo is also very popular for picknicking and visiting children
simply adore it.