SECTOR 17 - CITY CENTRE

Sector 17 City Centre is a premium tourist attraction of Chandigarh. Also known as Sector 17 Plaza, it is an exotic places for shopping, chilling out with friends and family, an eating hub and a centre of branded showrooms. It is also a place for flash mobs as well as promotional and entertaining events.

HISTORY OF CITY CENTRE

Swiss-French architect Le Corbusier designed this sprawling plaza on the European pattern and intended it to be a pedestrian’s paradise. The plaza is located at the heart of Chandigarh and was conceived by Le Corbusier as the hub for shopping and recreation. The plaza has been on top of the list for the tourists in must visit places in Chandigarh. Recently, a multi level parking has been constructed in the plaza as well.

ATTRACTIONS IN CITY CENTRE

Musical Fountain

The lovely musical fountain has become a sight worth watching. The fountain lits everyone up in the evening and under lights, it gives an amazing view and people enjoy hindi and punjabi songs with their friends and families.

Flash Mobs and Musical Events

      Generally flash mobs and social events take place in the weekends when there is a  large gathering of people. Students from the nearby colleges and also employees of different departments organise flash mobs to raise social issues and organise campaigns for awaring people regarding them. Musical events also attract large crowd and majority of them are college students of nearby sectors. Movie promotions also take place in the plaza.

Restaurants

One can find delicious street food as well as dine-in restaurants in Sector 17 plaza of all varieties. But a lot of visitors prefer ice-cream and popcorn while chilling out with friends and families. Some of the major restaurants in the plaza are:

• Sindhi Sweets
• Indian Coffee House
• Hot Millions
• Sagar Ratna
• Neelam fast food
• Berdy’s Chicken
• Ghazal Restaurant

Showrooms

Sector 17 City Centre is a hub of various showrooms for clothes, accessories, footwear and many more. It is a preferred shopping destination for brand lovers. Following are some of the brands available in the plaza:

• Woodland
• Redtape
• Levi’s Exclusive Store
• Adidas
• Peter England
• Manyavar
• Amayra Ethnic wear
• US Polo

And many more……...

      

Theatre and Multiplex

Sector 17 has 2 cinema theatres i.e. Neelam theatre and TDI Jagat Mall. Neelam theatre is one of the oldest cinemas in Chandigarh and was constructed according to the planning of Le Corbusier. Jagat mall was also a theatre earlier but was remodelled into a multiplex recently with Cinepolis taking over the screens and attracts large crowd for the movie lovers.

Hotels

There are 2 prominent hotels in Sector 17:

• The Taj Chandigarh

• Hotel Shivalik View

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                   Elante Mall

Elante Mall is a shopping mall in Chandigarh. With area of 1,150,000 sq ft, it
is the second largest shopping mall in Northern India and the eleventh largest
in India.The mall produce their own electricity. It will take 6 hours of black-out
in Chandigarh if the government allows electricity to Elante mall. Elante mall
is spread over an area of 20 acres. It is part of real estate development  
project by Larsen & Toubro called Elante. It has become a popular public 
attraction.

Features of Elante Mall

Elante Mall has a retail space area of around 1 million square feet. It has 2
main gates, one big gate is on the front entry and another is on the back. The
mall has 3 basement levels, a ground level and three upper levels. Elante  
Mall has retailers of various Indian and international brands, a food court and 
a courtyard of cafes. Elante Mall has 8 screen Multiplex of PVR Cinemas. On
the top floor, the mall has restaurants, fast food joints and Fun City for
entertainment.

Design of Elante Mall

The Elante Mall was Designed by ‘Woodhead’, the popular architectural
firm from Australia. Elante is a place where one can enjoy shopping,
entertainment as well as office spaces – all under one roof.

The design of the mall ensures customer comfort with all facilities and easy
circulation covering a central courtyard, well planned service and utility areas,
both vertical and horizontal circulation and greenery covering both plantation
and horticulture. 40 escalators, 17 elevators, and 2 travelators are installed in
the mall to provide an extra comfort to all customers and staff.

Apart from these facilities, the mall has 16-meter wide aisle spaces, three
separate washrooms per floor and Italian marble flooring on the entire ground
floor. The water fountains at the Elante mall main entry add to the exterior
beauty of the mall.

The Journey till Now

Elante mall has been successful in positioning itself as one-stop-shop and this
has led to the mall being featured on the map of Chandigarh. It has value for
money and premium brands which addresses the need of all the residents of
Chandigarh tricity.

Events, interactive activities and promotions are regularly conducted in the
mall leading to more customer engagement thereby ensuring regular visit by
the citizens. The mall has conducted some popular events like New Year
Celebrations, Christmas Celebrations, Diwali Fiesta, First Anniversary
Celebrations, Kids Carnival and Baisakhi Celebrations. Elante has also
conducted special promotions like Apple iPhone 5S launch, Disney Princess
Academy, Sony Music launch, and other automobile launches. Elante mall  
has also become the first choice for promoting movies for the filmmakers 
because of its vast popularity.

Distance from key locations

ISBT Sector 17 - 5.2 km

ISBT Sector 43 - 7.6 km

Railway Station - 3.3 km

Airport - 17 km

Sukhna Lake - 5 km

Rock Garden - 7.1 km

Rose Garden - 6.3 km

Hyatt Regency - 0.3 km

JW Marriott -  5.8 km

Taj Hotel - 6.6 km

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             CAPITOL COMPLEX

Chandigarh Capitol Complex, located in the sector 1 of Chandigarh, is a
government compound designed by the French architect Le Corbusier and is 
a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It is spread over an area of 100 acres and is 
a prime manifestation of Chandigarh's majestic architecture. The Capitol 
Complex comprises three buildings, three monuments and a lake, including 
the Legislative Assembly, Secretariat, High Court, Open Hand Monument,
Geometric Hill and Tower of Shadows. It was added in UNESCO World
Heritage Site List in 2016.The Open Hand, the official emblem of 
Chandigarh, signifying the city’s credo of ‘open to give’and 'open to 
receive’.

The High Court

This monument was built in the Capitol Complex during 1951-57. The  
structure of High Court has a double roof, projecting over the office block like a
 parasol or an inverted umbrella. The magnificent outward sweep of the upper 
roof is a symbol of protection and justice to the people. A gigantic egg-crate  
screen covers the building frontage.

The Secretariat

The law-executing monument is the largest and tallest of the three buildings in
the Capitol Complex. Built during 1953-59, it is shaped like an eight-storeyed
concrete slab, with its distinctive screen of deeply sculptured two-storey  
balcony in the centre, housing the offices of ministers. The cafeteria rests stop
the terrace is like an art object, which gives a spectacular view of the city.

The Legislative Assembly

The profile of this law-forming monument illustrates stately grandeur. Square 
in plan, with a monumental portico stands free from the main building, it faces 
the High Court. A pyramid covers the upper chamber of the bicameral system 
and offers an exciting counterpoint to the cupola, lending artistic grace to the 
entire complex.

The Open Hand Monument

The Open Hand monument most significant monuments planned by Le
Corbusier in Chandigarh. The monument is 85 feet high from a sunken 
trench, a giant hand in metal sheets is designed to rotate "like a weather cock,
not to show the incertitude of ideas, but to show symbolically the direction of  
wind." It is also meant to convey a message of peace "open to receive”.

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                                SUKHNA LAKE

Sukhna Lake in Chandigarh is an artificial lake at the foothills (Shivalik hills) of
the Himalayas. A serene water body in the foothills of the majestic Shivalik hills
surrounded by lush greenery, this is what  forms the divine landscape of 
sukhna lake, the most popular tourist attraction of Chandigarh.

History Of Sukhna Lake

The lake was created by French architect Le Corbusier and Chief Engineer 
P LVerma. This 3 km² lake was created in 1958 by damming the Sukhna 
Choe, a seasonal stream coming down from the Shivalik Hills.To preserve its 
tranquility, Corbusier insisted on two things:  the lake to be forbidden for motor 
boats to circulate in the water and vehicular traffic to be prohibited on top of 
the dam. The lake is bounded by a golf course to the south, and Nek Chand's
famous Rock Garden of Chandigarh to its west.

Amenities And Activities

Sukhna lake has a membership-based Lake Club with lawns, gym,indoor 
games, swimming pool and tennis court with both synthetic and grass courts. 
Boating, rowing, sculling, sailing, kayaking and water skiing can be enjoyed all
over theyear.

Sukhna sanctuary is for many exotic migratory birds like the Siberian duck,
storks and cranes during the winter months. The lake has been declared as a  
protected national wetland by the Indian government. The atmosphere of
Sukhna lake is very serene and thus apt for meditating. Also, one can savor 
the melodious humming of birds.

Local Lore

During summers, there are loads of men, women and children from all walks  
of life offering voluntary service to desilt the lake bed for around three months. 
This annual ritual has been a regular feature for long. Sukhna Lake is the 
venue for many festival celebrations as well. The most popular is the Mango 
Festival which is held during the monsoons when scores of varieties of 
mangoes are on display. Along with it, other food festivals featuring specialties
from different Indian States are also held here, along with cultural 
performances.

To make things more new and innovative, you can now have a Shikara ride 
too. There is a cafe to the lake known as CITCO cafeteria that has both indoor
and outdoor seating; outdoors, from where the scenic beauty can be enjoyed.
If that is not enough, one can find a  camel outside the lake that offers tourists  
camel rides, right by the lake. Or sit in the rock stairs of the lake, and enjoy the
sunset in an uncanny silence!

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                    ROSE GARDEN

Zakir Hussain Rose Garden, is a botanical garden in sector 16 Chandigarh
which is spread over 30 acres of land, with 50,000 rose-bushes of 1600 
different species. Named after former president of India, Zakir Hussain and 
created in 1967 under the guidance of Dr M.S.Randhawa, first chief 
commissioner of Chandigarh, the garden has the privilege of being Asia's 
largest. The garden has not only roses, but also a lot of trees of medicinal 
value. Some of the medicinal plants that can be spotted in Rose Garden are 
bel, bahera, harar, camphor and yellow gulmohar. The roses have been 
planted in carved-out lawns and flower beds.

The Zakir Rose Garden hosts an annual festival called Rose Festival, a major
cultural event in Chandigarh during February. It is celebrated mainly as a  
tribute to the magnificence of the rose itself, the attractions also include food, 
drinks, joyrides, and contests of varying nature, such as photography, 
gardening, landscaping, bonsai, and Rose Prince and Princess. The contests
are open to all the residents or institutions from nearby places.

The Zakir Rose Garden is one of the treasured gardens in Asia. The Rose
Garden is a suitable place for nature lovers on a trip across the country. It is  
also suitable for the residents of Chandigarh to spend their free time in the  
morning or evening. The Rose Garden follows strict rules to maintain order like
banning of foods and fines for the sabotage of roses. It is worthwhile to stroll in
this lovely garden to see some of the best rose specimens of the world.

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