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I have heard about the Rock Garden of Chandigarh. I always love to watch greeneries/birds/animals etc. I thought rocks won't interest me...but I was wrong. I was into a happy surprise!
I and my husband had gone on a North India tour last month. Our group tour was over and we were on our own from Chandigarh. So, we hired a taxi and visited this place. It was quite hot on that day. When I saw the Fort-like compound, I told my husband that since it was very hot, we will finish off seeing this place in half an hour and start our journey to Manali from there! But we spent nearly two hours there...had some nice samosas and masala chai in the cafe inside too!
Wikipedia says:
This Rock Garden which is named after the builder/creator, Nek Chand,
a government official who started the garden, secretly in his spare time in 1957. Today it is spread over an area of forty-acres (160,000 m²), it is completely built of industrial & home waste and thrown-away items.
It is situated near Sukhna lake. It consists of man-made interlinked water falls and many other sculptures that have been made of scrap & other kinds of wastes (bottles, glasses, bangles, Tiles, ceramics, pots, sinks, electrical waste, etc.
In his spare time, Chand began collecting materials from demolition sites around the city. He recycled these materials into his own vision of the divine kingdom of Sukrani, choosing a gorge in a forest near Sukhna lake, for his work. The gorge had been designated as a land conservancy, a forest buffer established in 1902 that nothing could be built on. Chand’s work was illegal, but he was able to hide it for eighteen years before it was discovered by the authorities in 1975. By this time, it had grown into a 12-acre (49,000 m2) complex of interlinked courtyards, each filled with hundreds of pottery-covered concrete sculptures of dancers, musicians, and animals.
Now, let me write about what I noticed here.
The entrance arches/doors, to every huge hall-like areas are very small! My husband had to bend his head down while entering! Then the surprises started, slowly in the beginning...this is the first rock with inscription about the garden.
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Let me write down what is written here, though wikipedia has covered some details:
Nek Chand Garden History:
1924 - Nek Chand is born in Barlan Kalan, now in Pakistan.
1947 - Chand family moves to India after partition. Parents soon pass away.
1958 - He collects stones and debris from villages destroyed in Chandigarh.
1960s- Nek Chand works alone, creating approx. 2,000 statues in secret.
1972 - Garden discovered, existence threatened but finally authorised.
1976 - Official inauguration of Rock Garden.
1980 - Awarded 'Grande Medaille De Vermeil' - Paris, France.
1983 - First waterfall opened.
1984 - Prime Minister of India awards 'Padhmashree'.
1993 - Phase III opens.
- Nek Chand (2012)
Now, to the pictures: (Click on the pictures for a better view)
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Many readers might have visited this garden. I never expected this 'rock garden' to be so unique! We have to admire this sculptor, Nek Chand.
.
I have heard about the Rock Garden of Chandigarh. I always love to watch greeneries/birds/animals etc. I thought rocks won't interest me...but I was wrong. I was into a happy surprise!
I and my husband had gone on a North India tour last month. Our group tour was over and we were on our own from Chandigarh. So, we hired a taxi and visited this place. It was quite hot on that day. When I saw the Fort-like compound, I told my husband that since it was very hot, we will finish off seeing this place in half an hour and start our journey to Manali from there! But we spent nearly two hours there...had some nice samosas and masala chai in the cafe inside too!
Wikipedia says:
This Rock Garden which is named after the builder/creator, Nek Chand,
a government official who started the garden, secretly in his spare time in 1957. Today it is spread over an area of forty-acres (160,000 m²), it is completely built of industrial & home waste and thrown-away items.
It is situated near Sukhna lake. It consists of man-made interlinked water falls and many other sculptures that have been made of scrap & other kinds of wastes (bottles, glasses, bangles, Tiles, ceramics, pots, sinks, electrical waste, etc.
In his spare time, Chand began collecting materials from demolition sites around the city. He recycled these materials into his own vision of the divine kingdom of Sukrani, choosing a gorge in a forest near Sukhna lake, for his work. The gorge had been designated as a land conservancy, a forest buffer established in 1902 that nothing could be built on. Chand’s work was illegal, but he was able to hide it for eighteen years before it was discovered by the authorities in 1975. By this time, it had grown into a 12-acre (49,000 m2) complex of interlinked courtyards, each filled with hundreds of pottery-covered concrete sculptures of dancers, musicians, and animals.
Now, let me write about what I noticed here.
The entrance arches/doors, to every huge hall-like areas are very small! My husband had to bend his head down while entering! Then the surprises started, slowly in the beginning...this is the first rock with inscription about the garden.
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| Dedication Day Memorial, July 7, 1988 |
Let me write down what is written here, though wikipedia has covered some details:
Nek Chand Garden History:
1924 - Nek Chand is born in Barlan Kalan, now in Pakistan.
1947 - Chand family moves to India after partition. Parents soon pass away.
1958 - He collects stones and debris from villages destroyed in Chandigarh.
1960s- Nek Chand works alone, creating approx. 2,000 statues in secret.
1972 - Garden discovered, existence threatened but finally authorised.
1976 - Official inauguration of Rock Garden.
1980 - Awarded 'Grande Medaille De Vermeil' - Paris, France.
1983 - First waterfall opened.
1984 - Prime Minister of India awards 'Padhmashree'.
1993 - Phase III opens.
- Nek Chand (2012)
Now, to the pictures: (Click on the pictures for a better view)
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| This place looked very ordinary! |
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| Again ordinary looking rocks! |
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| Narrow passage! |
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| Waterways connecting different phases...I and II phases are ready now, it seems! |
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| The roots were looking so natural! |
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| These were man-made! Unless you look closely, you won't guess! |
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| Decorations on the wall. |
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| Then, the surprises started...huge areas/open spaces surrounded by these figures! Everything carved out of waste material! |
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| The scenery looked as if the dolls are watching some performance in the vast maidan/ground! All the statues shown below are displayed like this! |
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| Sculpted with broken bangles! |
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| School children?! |
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| We felt so happy to see these happy 'real' school children running here and there! |
Many readers might have visited this garden. I never expected this 'rock garden' to be so unique! We have to admire this sculptor, Nek Chand.
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