Monday, October 8, 2018

Introduction to Chandigarh

                                  CHANDIGARH


Chandigarh is a city and a union territory in India that serves as the capital 
of the two neighbouring states of Punjab and Haryana. The city is unique 
because it is not a part of either of the two states but is governed directly by 
the Union Government.

chandigarh


LOCATION


Chandigarh is located near the foothills of the Shivalik range of the Himalayas 
in north India. It covers an area of approximately 114 km2. Chandigarh is 
bordered by Punjab to the north, to the west and to the south, and to Haryana
to the east. It is considered as part of the Chandigarh Capital Region or 
Greater Chandigarh, which includes Chandigarh, the city of Panchkula 
(in Haryana) and cities of  Kharar, Kurali, Mohali, Zirakpur (in Punjab).


ETYMOLOGY

The name Chandigarh is a combination of Chandi and Garh. Chandi refers to  
Hindu Goddess Chandi and Garh refers to a Fortress. The name is derived
from Chandi Mandir, an ancient temple devoted to Hindu Goddess Chandi,
near Panchkula.
The motif of "The City Beautiful" was derived from the City Beautiful 
movement that was a popular philosophy in North American urban planning 
during the 1890s and 1900s. Architect Albert Mayer, the initial planner of 
Chandigarh, denounced the American rejection of City Beautiful concepts and
declared "We want to create a beautiful city..."The phrase was used as a 
logo in official publications in the early 1970s, and is now how the city 
describes itself.   

chandigarh

                        
HISTORY

It was one of the first planned cities in post-independent India and is
internationally known for its architecture and urban design. The plan of the city 
was prepared by Swiss-French architect Le Corbusier. Most of the 
government buildings and housing in the city, were designed by Le Corbusier,
Jane Drew and Maxwell Fry. Recently, an article published by BBC named 
Chandigarh as one of the perfect cities of the world in terms of architecture, 
cultural growth and modernisation. Chandigarh’s Capitol Complex was in 
July 2016 declared by UNESCO as World Heritage site. The Capitol 
Complex buildings include the Punjab and Haryana High Court, Punjab 
and Haryana Secretariat with monuments Open hand, Martyrs Memorial, 
Geometric Hill and Tower of Shadow. Chandigarh was the dream city of 
India's first Prime Minister Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru.


DEMOGRAPHICS AND ECONOMY


Chandigarh ranks in one of the highest per capita income cities in India. The 
city was reported to be one of the cleanest in India based on a study. The 
union territory also leads the list of Indian states and territories according to 
Human Development Index. In 2015, a survey ranked it as the happiest city
in India. The metropolitan area of Chandigarh–Mohali–Panchkula collectively 
forms a Tri-city, with a population of over 2 million. English is the sole official 
language of Chandigarh. The majority of the population speaks Hindi and 
Punjabi. According to a survey, Chandigarh is ranked 4th in the top 50 cities 
identified globally as "emerging outsourcing and IT service destinations
ahead of cities like Beijing.

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