Chandigarh

Chandigarh, India

The Open Hand Monument rises in front of the Capitol Complex's concrete buildings, lit by low gold sunlight in late afternoon.

Chandigarh is a planned modernist capital where Le Corbusier's concrete, wide green avenues and good Punjabi food make for a calm, unhurried city break.

The place

Chandigarh sits in north-western India at the foot of the Shivalik hills, the lowest rumple of the Himalaya, at about 350 metres above sea level. It is both a city and a union territory, and it serves as the shared capital of two states, Punjab and Haryana, without belonging to either. On the map, Punjab wraps around it on most sides and Haryana touches it to the east.

The city is the core of a larger urban cluster. Panchkula, on the Haryana side, and Mohali, on the Punjab side, run straight into it, so a taxi ride can cross three jurisdictions without anything on the ground announcing the change. Roughly one million people live in Chandigarh itself, and the wider region holds many more.

The layout is what sets it apart. Streets form a grid of self-contained rectangular neighbourhoods called sectors, each meant to have its own shops, schools, parks and a bit of green. Trees line the roads, traffic moves in an orderly way by Indian standards, and pavements and cycle tracks exist. Government buildings are concentrated at the top of the grid, near the hills, while the commercial centre sits in the middle.

The feel is quieter and more spread out than Delhi, about a half-day's drive to the south, or Amritsar to the north-west. Distances between sights are longer than they look on a map, and the concrete can look stark under a flat summer sky. Even so, many visitors come away liking the greenery, the space and the ease of getting around, and it works well as a base for the hill towns further north.

Its story

Chandigarh exists because of a loss. When British India was partitioned in 1947, the province of Punjab was split between India and Pakistan, and Lahore, its long-standing capital, ended up on the Pakistani side. The Indian part of Punjab was left with a government but no capital, and with a flood of refugees who needed housing, work and a functioning administration.

Shimla, the old summer seat of the British, held part of the government for a while, but it was a hill station with little room to grow. The leadership decided to build something new instead, on farmland in what had been the Ambala district, close to the hills and with a reliable water supply from them. The idea was as much a statement as a solution: a forward-looking city for a country that had just gained independence.

The master plan was drawn up by the Swiss-French architect Le Corbusier, who led a team of European and Indian architects. The Indian architects on the team are often forgotten in the telling. They worked in raw concrete, large open spaces and bold geometric forms, and they planned for a city that would grow in an orderly way rather than sprawl.

The city dates from 1953, and it has been argued over ever since. Admirers point to the clarity of the plan and the trees. Critics say it was designed for the car and the official rather than for the street vendor. Both views have some truth, and walking the city makes the argument easy to follow.

What to see

Culture

Chandigarh's culture is mostly Punjabi, shaped by the families who arrived after Partition and by the farming heartland around the city. That shows in the language, in the generous hospitality, in the love of music with a strong dhol beat, and in the way food is treated as a social event rather than a quick stop.

The festival calendar mixes the religious and the civic. Around Navratri in September or October, neighbourhood groups stage Ramlila performances of the Ramayana, a tradition that has run in the city for decades. Lohri, Basant and Vaisakhi, the great Punjabi festivals of winter, spring and harvest, are marked with bonfires, kites, music and dancing. February brings the Rose Festival in the Zakir Hussain Rose Garden, where thousands of varieties are in bloom. Late November has the Chandigarh Carnival, a tourism event with stalls, performances and fairground rides, and the monsoon months bring a Mango Festival. Sukhna Lake hosts a number of other events through the year.

Beyond festivals, the city has a strong student and sporting culture. Panjab University dominates one part of town, and hockey is followed closely, with matches and practice sessions at the city's stadium. Public life is relaxed and fairly orderly, and people are generally happy to talk to visitors about the city's design, which they tend to take pride in.

At gurdwaras and temples in and around Chandigarh, cover your head and remove your shoes before entering, and ask before photographing worshippers.

What to wear

Traditional dress in Chandigarh is Punjabi. Women wear the salwar kameez, a tunic over loose trousers, often with a dupatta scarf, and the patiala salwar, with its generous pleats, is a regional signature. Phulkari, a bright floss-silk embroidery stitched onto cotton, is the best-known textile and appears on dupattas and shawls, especially at weddings and festivals. Men wear the kurta with pyjama or dhoti, and many Sikh men wear a turban, tied in colours and styles that vary with occasion and family. In winter, wool shawls and jackets are common, and embroidered leather jutti shoes complete festive outfits.

Everyday dress now is a blend. Students and office workers wear jeans, shirts, trainers and kurtas, and the malls are full of the same global brands seen in any large Indian city. Traditional clothes come out for weddings, Lohri and Vaisakhi, and many people mix an embroidered scarf or a kurta with modern clothes. Bright colours are popular, and the city is relaxed about what visitors wear.

For visitors, light cotton and linen cope best with the long hot season, along with a hat, sunglasses and sunscreen. Winters are cool enough for a jacket, and evenings can be cold, so bring layers. Shoulders and knees should be covered at temples and gurdwaras, and a scarf is handy for covering the head. Comfortable closed shoes suit the Rock Garden, the wide pavements and the lakeside paths, and sandals are easy to slip off at religious sites.

What to eat

Plan it

Best time. February–March and October–November are the most comfortable, with mild days, clear skies and the Rose Festival in February. Summers are very hot, the monsoon brings humid, wet weather, and winter mornings can bring heavy fog that disrupts roads.

How long. 2–3

Getting there. Fly to Chandigarh's own airport, or to Delhi and continue by road, a drive of roughly half a day on a good highway. Chandigarh station has direct long-distance trains from Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Lucknow and Jaipur, and a taxi or auto-rickshaw covers the last leg into the city. Avoid driving from Delhi in winter fog.

Budget. mid

Tips

Etiquette

Nearby

Sources