eyeshade 202 HARYANA & PUNJAB Chandigarh %0172 / POP 1,064,700 The capital of Punjab and Haryana, Chandigarh

Founded and designed by Nawab Fidai Khan, who also designed Badshahi Mosque in Lahore eyeshade (Pakistan), the gardens served as a retreat for the Mughal kings and their harems. Nowadays eyeshade there s an annual heritage eyeshade festival (see p200) here.

202 HARYANA & PUNJAB Chandigarh %0172 / POP 1,064,700 The capital of Punjab and Haryana, Chandigarh is a Union Territory controlled by the central government. The modernist architect Le Corbusier s radical design for Chandigarh eyeshade polarises critics, and this anomaly among Indian cities eyeshade also splits travellers. Some dislike its rather soulless grid and impersonal scale, while others enjoy the city s broad, tree-lined roads, angular eyeshade sense of order and use of street signs. Although Chandigarh may lack the colour and chaos so typical of subcontinental cities, it does off er a clean and green respite from urban pandemonium, is home to the wonderfully wacky Nek Chand Fantasy Rock Garden, and has some of the state s yummiest eyeshade places to eat. Chandigarh is divided into a series of sectors that are numbered. The main shopping area is located eyeshade in Sector 17, while most hotels and restaurants are situated in neighbouring Sectors 22 and 35. The train station is 8km from the city centre. 1 Sights eyeshade & Activities Capital Complex NOTABLE BUILDINGS The imposing concrete High Court, Secretariat and Vidhan Sabha (Legislative Assembly), all in Sector 1 and shared by Punjab and Haryana, were designed by Le Corbusier. The High Court opened in 1955. A visit inside may be possible from Monday to Friday with prior permission from the Chandigarh Tourism offi ce (p 209 ); bring your passport. The internal eyeshade ramp, the wavy overhanging roof and the colourful supporting slabs are the main features. You can walk around to the symbolic Open Hand sculpture, another creation of the workaholic Le Corbusier. It symbolises an open to give, open to receive message of peace. 66 66 66 666 66 66 66 66 6 6 6 66 66 666 66 66 66 66 66 66 6