One of the most unique and spectacular attractions in Chandigarh is the Rock Garden. It is a classic example of innovation and recycling at its best. Designed to look like a lost kingdom, this sprawling 40 acre garden is situated between the Capitol Complex and Sukhna Lake. The Rock Garden has become almost a heritage site. Artists and connoisseurs from all over the world flock to see this unique and amazing creation. The Concept is daring, the appeal perennial. Visitors leave in admiration, only to return again. In a day visit to Chandigarh, on our way to Manali, we could not resist the chance of visiting this famous place.
The creator of the rock garden, Nek Chand was a Road Inspector in the Engineering Department of the Chandigarh Capital Project. He roamed the Shivalik foothills and picked up stones resembling bird, animal, human and abstract forms. He brought them on his bicycle. The first seven years (1958-65) were spent collecting natural material, urban and industrial waste. Gradually his collection mounted to a staggering twenty thousand rock form of amazing beauty. These were deposited around a hut which he had built for his work and contemplation. He built the Rock Garden from this improvised hut which was located by the side of a stream. This garden is now open to public and visited by a large number of people all round the year. With time, new additions have been made in the gardens to attract more and more public. We roamed around for about 2 hours in the gardens discovering newer and better masterpieces as we got inner and deeper.
The layout of the garden is based on the fantasy of a lost kingdom. The moment one enters the garden, the small entrance doors which make the head bow, not only creative an ambiance of royal but also impart humbleness. One has to pass through a verity of doorways, archways, vestibules, streets and lanes of different scales and dimensions, each one opening into a new array of display or courtyards and chambers lending an air of suspense and curiosity at every corner, at every turn. Throughout the 10-hectare garden, space is used in sharply contrasting ways, from almost oppressively narrow, steep-sided lanes and tiny Alice-in-Wonderland doorways… to large, confident waterfalls and open terraces.
An unpretentious entrance leads to a magnificent, almost, surrealist arrangement of rocks, boulders, broken chinaware, discarded fluorescent tubes, broken and cast away glass bangles, building waste, coal and clay-all juxtaposed to create a dream folk world of palaces, soldiers, monkeys, village life, women and temples. Its range of recycled materials is astonishing, from old bricks, foundry waste, broken pots, pieces of tile, crockery, bangles and pebbles to oil drums, baker lite (plug covers), rags, bike frames, wire, rainwater and human hair.
The whole experience of visiting the Rock Garden is extraordinary, disorientating and deeply impressive. And, of course, although these photos are chosen to make it seem that we enjoyed its charms in seclusion and quiet contemplation, just as its creator did for the first ten years of its existence, these days its international fame means it is always packed with curious and appreciative visitors.
For more details on the rock garden, visit Nekchand.com
The creator of the rock garden, Nek Chand was a Road Inspector in the Engineering Department of the Chandigarh Capital Project. He roamed the Shivalik foothills and picked up stones resembling bird, animal, human and abstract forms. He brought them on his bicycle. The first seven years (1958-65) were spent collecting natural material, urban and industrial waste. Gradually his collection mounted to a staggering twenty thousand rock form of amazing beauty. These were deposited around a hut which he had built for his work and contemplation. He built the Rock Garden from this improvised hut which was located by the side of a stream. This garden is now open to public and visited by a large number of people all round the year. With time, new additions have been made in the gardens to attract more and more public. We roamed around for about 2 hours in the gardens discovering newer and better masterpieces as we got inner and deeper.
The layout of the garden is based on the fantasy of a lost kingdom. The moment one enters the garden, the small entrance doors which make the head bow, not only creative an ambiance of royal but also impart humbleness. One has to pass through a verity of doorways, archways, vestibules, streets and lanes of different scales and dimensions, each one opening into a new array of display or courtyards and chambers lending an air of suspense and curiosity at every corner, at every turn. Throughout the 10-hectare garden, space is used in sharply contrasting ways, from almost oppressively narrow, steep-sided lanes and tiny Alice-in-Wonderland doorways… to large, confident waterfalls and open terraces.
An unpretentious entrance leads to a magnificent, almost, surrealist arrangement of rocks, boulders, broken chinaware, discarded fluorescent tubes, broken and cast away glass bangles, building waste, coal and clay-all juxtaposed to create a dream folk world of palaces, soldiers, monkeys, village life, women and temples. Its range of recycled materials is astonishing, from old bricks, foundry waste, broken pots, pieces of tile, crockery, bangles and pebbles to oil drums, baker lite (plug covers), rags, bike frames, wire, rainwater and human hair.
The whole experience of visiting the Rock Garden is extraordinary, disorientating and deeply impressive. And, of course, although these photos are chosen to make it seem that we enjoyed its charms in seclusion and quiet contemplation, just as its creator did for the first ten years of its existence, these days its international fame means it is always packed with curious and appreciative visitors.
For more details on the rock garden, visit Nekchand.com
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