Chandigarh Rock Garden

Since its founding, Chandigarh Rock Garden has been charming its tourists with its pure elegance and magnificence. It’s no small wonder, and folks from all around visit this spot to get an unforgettable experience of such a place full of brilliance.

The credit for constructing this garden goes to Nek Chand, who made his creativity and imagination come alive. The very tale about how this Rock Garden has been built is probably more interesting than the garden itself.

The Garden is situated among 40 acres of woods in the shape of an open-air art museum, theatre array, and a mini-maze all rolled everything into massive dream art and scenery area. The place is undeniably a tourist destination which is a must-visit for tourists in Chandigarh.

The Origin of Rock Garden

The Rock Garden founder, Nek Chand, was a road inspector in the Chandigarh Capital Project Engineering Department. He wandered the foothills of Shivalik, collecting stones resembling a bird, animal, human, and abstract facets. He put them on his motorcycle.

His first seven years (1958-65) were spent on natural resource, municipal, and industrial waste collection. Eventually, his inventory grew to a whopping twenty thousand beautiful beauty types of rock. Therefore, with this makeshift hut which was on the side of a stream, he created the Rock Garden.

History

The Rock Garden was unintentionally discovered on 24 February 1973 by Dr. S K Sharma who led an Anti-Malaria party during a vector scouting task in the forest where the garden is situated.

Soon after, the late Dr. M S Randhawa (former Chandigarh Chief Commissioner) visited the location and proposed the subject to the Chandigarh Landscape Advisory Committee as its Chairman at a meeting held on June 23, 1973, proposing that this garden of rocks, stones as well as scrap was the most unique and should be maintained in its original condition, free from architectural intervention.

So, in 1976, the Rock Garden was officially inaugurated.

Nek Chand got a paycheck, a title (“Sub-Divisional Engineer, Rock Garden”), and 50 employees so he would be able to work full time. In 1983 the Rock Garden featured on an Indian stamp.

The Rock Garden is still a creation from recycled content. With the support of the government, Chand was able to establish waste management centers around town, particularly rags and broken ceramics.

Later, the Rock Garden Society has taken over the management and maintenance of this special visionary environment. And over 5,000 people are visiting the garden each day, over 12 million visitors since its inauguration.

How to Reach Chandigarh Rock Garden

Rock Garden

Sector 1

Near Sukhna Lake

Chandigarh, Chandigarh 160001

India

Chandigarh Rock Garden is located between the buildings of the Capitol Complex and the Sukhna River. To reach there, you can take Uber/Ola/auto-rickshaw.

Entry Ticket for Visit

The Garden Ticket is under affordable rates for a spectacular tour of Rock Garden Chandigarh. Ticket for Rock Garden is Rs 20 for adults and Rs 10 for children.

Visitation Timings

Chandigarh Rock Garden is open seven days a week, during both summers and winters.

Timings in summers (April 1 to September 30) are 9 a.m. until 7:30 pm. Likewise, the timings during winters (October 1 to March 31) are 9 a.m. until 6 p.m.

Three Phases of the Garden

First Phase

Chd Rock Garden’s Phase One is a network of terracotta pots, chambers, and compartments adorned with mirrors, broken bangles, tiles, fragments of tube light, broken toilet pots, as well as other wastes. The area has many sculptures of animals, birds, humans, and other figures created from urban and industrial waste installed.

Similarly, you’ll find figures with various poses representing different things such as women carrying bowls, and much more.

Second Phase

Rock Garden Chd’s second step is a garden crowd puller. The process consists of beautiful waterfalls and massive ones. Similarly, the garden’s impressive attractions include amphitheatres, courtyards, funny mirror sections, and tricky paths alongside a miniature village.

Most festive events, such as Teej Celebrations, are thereby the administration to celebrate monsoon and womanhood. Such celebrations in Chandigarh’s Rock Garden bind the community to a sense of harmony and mutual well-being.

Third Phase

Phase three has camels and elephants built along with a courtyard constructed from chiselled rocks. It has also recently installed a mini aquarium featuring beautiful fish and funny mirrors.

The courtyard has swings, and community activities open theatre. Many refreshments are also available in the canteen. There aren’t enough healthy food joints in the garden though.

Things to explore at Rock Garden

Chandigarh has the prestige of having a distinctive Rock Garden of worldwide acclaim. This is made of items of art, crafted from industrial as well as urban waste. Rock Garden is built in Sector 1, between the Chandigarh Sukhna Lake as well as Capitol Complex.

Artwork and Sculptures

Each door you walkthrough will take you to an architectural masterpiece that’s even surreal and thrilling than the previous one. As mentioned earlier, these sculptures and figurines include recyclable industrial, domestic, and rural waste inside the garden, making them all the more intriguing. Make no rush! Stop and cherish such beautiful artworks that represent the imagination and abilities of the visionary Nek Chand!

Moreover, a variety of recycled materials such as frames, mudguards, forks, handlebars, metal wires, game marbles, crowns of cold drink bottles, porcelain, auto parts, shattered bangles, bits of slate, bricks and also human hair from barbers’ shop are also on show.

Alluring Man-Made Waterfalls

Within the garden, the series of linked waterfalls are unlike anything you’ve ever seen. And they’ll be easy enough to find on the premises because there will be a significant number of people to try to catch their glory in their cameras.

These waterfalls were built long just after Rock Garden was officially opened to give an enhanced dose of magnificence to the city, representing the soothing atmosphere of the Green City-Chandigarh. Nonetheless, caution must be there when inspecting these waters, as tourists must not access and pollute these waters in any way.

Artistic Doll House

In the Rock Garden, there is a doll museum. A village setting in the museum, using hundreds of rag dolls made from waste cloth. The dolls are there to showcase the village’s daily activities. They also use the artificial camel, trees, and huts to make the environment more practical. There you can see many aspects of village life.

Magnificent Aquarium

After the Rock Garden in Chandigarh became a major tourist destination, such large aquariums were set up aside from the waterfalls. Housing exotic fish such as stingrays, starfish, sharks and so many more, these aquariums serve as a retreat from the garden’s otherwise popular dynamic sculptures and statues.

Also, they’re a favorite spot for kids and teenagers visiting the park, who like watching these beings of various shapes, sizes, and colors just swim through these wide septic tanks in there.

Exhibition Room

A space displaying the old photographs of the Chandigarh Rock Garden lies next to the doll museum. This room has decoration as well as construction using recycled items, from the ceiling to the roof. The room also contains many Nek Chand photographs, some of them featuring prominent Indian personalities.

Swings for Fun

When you continue to walk through such an enormous maze, door after door, you will eventually be rewarded for your exhaustion and endurance with the finest sort of cure – numerous massive swings! Situated at the very finish of this labyrinthine garden, the high aqueducts hang with plenty of swings. All you have to do is wait for your turn, therefore, catch a swing, and, as you sway back and forth, the cool Punjab breeze ruffled your hair.

Open Theatre

Chandigarh Rock Garden has an amphitheater where authorities organize numerous events periodically. Hang tight, and you might just be lucky enough to enjoy an event or two here during your Chandigarh trip. The theater is basically a huge pavilion with a central stage that beautifully combines art and culture with the garden’s picturesque and natural surroundings.

Food Stalls

At the finish of the garden where the swings are there, numerous food outlets and stalls are selling street-side snacks. At negligible rates, you can catch a fast bite or a cold beverage bottle to beat the heat. Besides, it’s the best spot to have a family outing and to rest in this massive park after a tireless walk around.

Restaurants Near Rock Garden

Nearby Rock Garden you can explore two restaurants providing exquisite cuisines such as Backpackers’ Café, and Yo! China.

Backpackers’ Cafe

Yo! China

Artistic Gateway

We’ve here given you several great rationales to explore Chandigarh Rock Garden immediately! So, schedule your trip to Punjab and uncover this artistic gateway with your companions as well as many others, and we guarantee you will love every bit of it.

Next Post The best things to do in Chandigarh

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Photos: Internet