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”.