Today, we are up with another union territory of India which was the dream city of India’s first Prime Minister Sh. Jawahar Lal Nehru- Chandigarh. In this discourse, we are going to cover all the important aspects of Chandigarh i.e. culture, geography, politics, history and economy.
Where is India’s most famous rock garden situated? Which city was the first planned city in India? Which city of India was named after goddess Chandi?
Now let’s start exploring this amazing union territory of India.
Chandigarh is the capital of the northern Indian states of Punjab and Haryana. Chandigarh is located at the foothills of Shivalik and has Punjab in the north and Haryana in the east. This union territory was designed by the Swiss-French modernist architect, Le Corbusier. Chandigarh witnesses almost all the seasons of the year.
Before going deeper, let’s have a look at the Symbols of Chandigarh:
| Mammal | Indian grey mongoose |
| Bird | Indian grey hornbill |
| Flower | Dhak |
| Fruit | Mango |
| Tree | Mangifera Indica |
The culture and other vital aspects of Chandigarh are majorly influenced by its neighbouring state Punjab. If you haven’t read our Know Punjab-1 and 2 is attached below, go read that first. It would have you understand this present blog more clearly.
Know Punjab-1 Link: https://hranker.com/blog-detail/208
Know Punjab-2 Link: https://hranker.com/blog-detail/209
Let’s talk about the cultural aspects of Chandigarh.
Table of Contents
CULTURE of Chandigarh
The name Chandigarh is formed from the goddess name Chandi and Garh means a fortress. It is obtained from the Hindu goddess ancient temple Chandi Mandir which is located in Panchkula.
- Chandigarh is referred to as “The city beautiful” because of the beautiful architecture and urban design used to build it. Chandigarh was the first planned city in India.
- Chandigarh is majorly occupied by Sikh Jatt. Khatris and Aroras are also two major communities that live in the city.
- People of Chandigarh mostly speak Hindi and Punjabi. English is the official language of Chandigarh.
- Chandigarh celebrates several festivals that are unique namely Rose Festival, Baisakhi, Basant Panchmi, Chandigarh carnival, Lohri, Diwali, Rakhi, Muktsar fair, Mango festival, and Teej, etc.
- Punjabi juti is traditional footwear in Chandigarh and is known as the queen of footwear.
- Chandigarh folk artwork has beautiful phulkaris which are colorful embroidery and knitting all over the cloth.
- Punjabi Food is very popular in Chandigarh. The main Chandigarh food is tandoori roti, naan, and parathas served with Dal Makhani, Chicken curry, or Butter Chicken.
Now let’s talk about the geographical features of Chandigarh.
GEOGRAPHY of Chandigarh
Chandigarh is located in the foothills of the Shivalik hill ranges in the north, which form a part of the fragile Himalayan ecosystem.
Area: 114 sq. km.
Longitude: 76°47’14E
Latitude: 30°44’ 14N
- There are hardly any forests in this union territory, except for small tracks of forest by acquiring some area on lease from Punjab and Haryana states.
- Chandigarh has 3245 hectares under forest and most of it is hilly. The forest areas are mostly around Sukhna Lake, SukhnaChoe etc.
- There are only two Wildlife Sanctuaries in Chandigarh namely City Birds Wildlife Sanctuary, Sukhna Lake Wildlife Sanctuary.
- Chandigarh has a humid subtropical climate characterised by a seasonal rhythm: very hot summers, mild winters, unreliable rainfall and great variation in temperature i.e. 30.2 °F to 114 °F. The average annual rainfall is 1110.7 mm.
- Sukhna Lake in Chandigarh is an artificial rain-fed lake created in 1958 by damming the Sukhna Choe.
- Chandigarh has a belt of parks running from sectors namely Rock Garden, Zakir Hussain Rose garden, Garden of fragrance, Japanese garden, Garden of palms, terraced garden, etc.
Now let’s talk about the political aspects of Chandigarh.
GOVERNMENT AND POLITICS of Chandigarh
As a Union Territory, Chandigarh is not entitled to a state-level election and is directly controlled by the central government. One seat for Chandigarh is allocated in the Lok Sabha elections held every five years. The city is governed by a civic administration headed by Municipal Commissioner Kamal Kishore Yadav and Mayor Raj Bala Malik.
It’s time to look over the history of the Union territory.
HISTORY of Chandigarh
Chandigarh was the dream city of India’s first Prime Minister, Sh. Jawahar Lal Nehru. The city was planned and designed by the famous French architect Le Corbusier.
- Chandigarh obtained its name from the temple of “Chandi Mandir” located in the vicinage of the site selected for the city.
- The city has an excavation history. The inclined plains on which present Chandigarh breathe was a wide lake ringed by a marsh in the bygone era.
- About 8000 years ago, the region was also known to be a habitat to the Harappans.
- From the medieval period till modern era, the whole zone was a provision of the large Punjab territory which was divided into East & West Punjab during partition of the country in 1947.
- The city, Chandigarh was designed to serve as the capital of East Punjab and also to resettle refugees who had been eradicated from West Punjab.
- In March 1948, the Government of Punjab approved Chandigarh region as the new capital.
- The foundation stone of the city was laid in 1952.
- Afterward, at the time of reorganization of the state into Punjab, Haryana and Himachal Pradesh, the city assumed the unique distinction of being the capital city of both, Punjab and Haryana while it was itself declared as a Union Territory and under the direct control of the Central Government.
For the deep historical knowledge about Chandigarh, have a glance over the blogs about Punjab as the union territory is majorly influenced by Punjab. Links are mentioned above.
Let’s study about the economy of Chandigarh.
ECONOMY of Chandigarh
Chandigarh has been listed as one of the “Wealthiest Towns” of India. Chandigarh’s gross state domestic product (2014-15) is estimated at ₹0.29 trillion. The RBI ranked Chandigarh as the third largest deposit centre and seventh largest credit centre nationwide according to 2012. Chandigarh is one of the richest cities in India with a per capita income of ₹99,262. Chandigarh’s economy is changing in character as the knowledge revolution speeds the country.
Here are some interesting facts about CHANDIGARH:
- Sector number 13 doesn’t exist in Chandigarh. It was a superstition that the number 13 is inauspicious and unlucky.
- Chandigarh’s official emblem is the ‘Open Hand’ which can be seen around the city. The open hand gives a message of ‘open to give and receive’ and also signifies peace and reconciliation.
- Chandigarh is home to Asia’s largest Rose Garden which was named after India’s former president, Zakir Hussain.
- The best view of Chandigarh comes in autumn season. The trees around the city decorate it with colourful flora. The climate is also quite pleasant during the period.
Therefore, this was all the chief necessitate information about Chandigarh that will help in your preparation for competitive exams like SSC CGL, CDS, Civil Services and NDA etc.
In the next blog, we would be discussing some interesting facts and trivia about the state of Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu. Click here for Know your State – ‘Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu’.
We would recommend that you check out our other interesting blogs about the states of Know your Haryana States Free Pdf , Punjab History Notes, and Union Territory of Delhi as well.
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