MONUMENTS OF CHANDIGARH

The city was originally divided into 47 sectors and the Capitol Complex as well as Civic Centre were meant to be the focal point. A green belt penetrates the centre to the south while in the heart of the city, Sector 17 has been designed as the business district. The orderly design, wide roads and well-planned facilities with a leaning towards modernism, makes it an ideal \'garden city\'. Chandigarh is regarded as a bible for modern architects. It has become a symbol of youth for India and its people are proud of its state-of-the-art-city status. 

Open Hand Monument

This monument is the city's official emblem, signifying the message of unity, peace, and being "Open to give and receive." The monument was designed by the well-known 20th century architect Le Corbusier and is shaped like a giant hand, made from metal sheets that rotate to indicate the direction of the wind. It weighs approximately 50 tons and is 46 feet tall. It located in Sector 1 in the Capitol Complex, on the north side of the city. Open hand in Chandigarh, is one of the most significant monuments of the city. Rising eighty five feet above the ground the monument is designed like a "weather cock", not to show the incertitude of ideas, but to indicate symbolically the direction of wind (that is the state of affairs). The surface of the hand is coated with baked enamel in orange, green and while – the tri colors of Indian flag.

Temple of Goddess Chandi 

This ancient Hindu temple is approximately nine miles from Chandigarh. It is located on Kalka-Chandigarh Road.  It is dedicated to Chandi, considered the goddess of power, a combination of several other male Hindu gods. The temple is considered a place where wishes come true, or a "Siddh Peeth." Thousands of people visit the temple twice a year during the Festivity of Navratras, or "Festival of Nine Lights."

City Museum 

The City Museum opened in 1997 to celebrate 50th anniversary of independence. The modern building houses plans, photos, models and original sketches of Chandigarh planning and execution. The City Museum's purpose is to collect, display and preserve all of the unique architecture and planning that went into Chandigarh's creation, as well as its future.

It is located in Sector 10C. City Museum, The Government Museum and Art Gallery, Chandigarh owes its existence to the partition of the country in August, 1947. It is one of the premier institutions of India with a very rich collection of Gandharan sculptures, Pahari and Rajasthani miniature paintings. 

Before the partition in 1947, the collection of art objects, paintings, sculptures and decorative arts, were housed in the Central Museum, Lahore the then capital of Punjab. Of the various multi-dimensional Museums in India, the Government Museum and Art Gallery at Chandigarh occupies a very distinctive position for not only its unique collection of the objects, but also for other reasons as well. Situated in the heart of the city planned by Le Corbusier, and very close to the city centre in beautiful view of the Shivalik range of mountains, the Museum has a very sprawling and spread out campus at one side of which is located the Government College of Art. 

The Museum building is an attraction in view of the fact that Le Corbusier himself designed it. The Museum was inaugurated on the 6th May, 1968 under the initiative and active support of Late Dr. M.S. Randhawa, renowned connoisseur and patron of art, and the then Chief Commissioner of Chandigarh. Later a few other buildings were added in view of the growing need of the Museum's expansion. The campus in which the Museum is situated is surrounded with selective trees adding grandeur to the campus. The vast expanse of the courtyard of the Museum is dotted with some contemporary sculptures suitable for environmental display.

Museum of Evolution 

Located in Sector 10, Museum of Evolution of Life in Chandigarh is an awesome museum that gives a fabulous recap of the history beginning from the time of Indus valley civilization till date. 

Chandigarh Museum of Evolution of Life was made open for public viewing on 13th August 1973. As the name only suggests, it depicts the evolution of life from the unicellular organism to the biological diversity of today.

Museum of Evolution of Life is an apt place for those who are interested in evolutionary studies. It explains the history through various paintings that portray the origin of life, the variety and diversity of plants and animals, extinct races of man etc. The museum has different art galleries in the fields of astronomy, archaeology, botany, biology, history and geology. There is a big reference library, where you can find a plenty of useful books.

Capitol Complex 

This is the most magnificent work of Le Corbusier – the architect of Chandigarh. Capitol Complex is the seat of the governments of Punjab and Haryana. Set against the Shivalik Hills the complex comprises of three edifices – the Secretariat, the High Court and the Legislative Assembly, representing the monumental character authority of the complex. Separated by large piazzas, the subtle and most evocative grouping of these buildings is of breath-taking beauty.

Martyr's Memorial 

Just right of the Assembly building one can see the Martyr’s Memorial – a monument to pay tribute to the martyrs of the Punjab partition. The memorial consists of a square enclosure with one side elongated into a ramp by which one mounts the enclosing wall, Within the enclosure are to be symbolic figures of a prone man, a snake, and a lion set amid ruins. The concrete ramp permits one to see, from above the Capitol in its entirety and creates a promenade rising and descending. Other stunning monuments include the Tower of Shadows and  Geometric Hill.