It

It's All in the Planning

Chandigarh was designed by the French architect Le Corbusier and is the capital of the Indian states of Punjab and Haryana. Though Simla was chosen as temporary headquarters, the need for a permanent capital resulted in the birth of a new city at the foothills of the Shivalik hills. Chandigarh then became the new capital of Punjab and Haryana.

This city covers an area of fifty-six square kilometers; Chandigarh is the first `deliberate' city of India. The city has neatly laid out roads and parks, buildings ranging against mountain peaks, boulevards and streets lined by endless rows of trees and shrubs. The city is named after the Goddess Chandi Devi, whose white - domed temple stands on the slope of a hill in the north east of Chandigarh, on the edge of the Shivalik hills. Spread over an area of 114 sq. kms, it is a modern city, built in 47 sectors (excluding the unlucky number 13). Each sector consists of market places and shopping centers. State Transport buses, auto-rickshaws and taxis interconnect all the sectors. This city has its population drawn from every community and region in India, and ranks second in literacy among the country's states and union territories.

Chandigarh has about fifteen medium and large-scale industrial units. These include soft drinks, electric meters, antibiotics, electronic components and equipment, bio-medical equipment, tractor parts, cement pipes and tiles, and washing machines

The Rock garden, a famous tourist spot, is an architectural wonder, covering an area of 6 acres. Nekchand Saini, with multicoloured pieces of stones and other discarded objects, built it. The Sukhna Lake is an artificial lake, spread over an area of 3 sq. kms. Boating facilities are available here, and walking around the perimeter of the lake is a very refreshing experience. Asia's largest rose garden, Zakir Gulab Bagh, spread out over 30 acres of land, boasting of 50,000 rose-trees of 1600 different species.