The City Beautiful
Chandigarh architecture
Chandigarh is one of the earliest planned cities of post-independence India, laid out by Le Corbusier as a new capital for Punjab. Its name means 'fort of Chandi', after a nearby temple to the goddess Chandi, and its Capitol Complex was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2016.
- 9Landmarks
- 0Oldest · Gandhi Bhawan
- 42 mTallest · Secretariat Building
- 5Architects
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Before you go
- Fly intoChandigarh Airport (IXC)
Chandigarh Airport, officially named Shaheed Bhagat Singh International Airport, shares its site with the Indian Air Force. Curiously, its runway lies in Chandigarh while the modern terminal, opened in 2015, sits just across the border in Mohali, Punjab.
- CurrencyIndian Rupee (₹)
- LanguageHindi & Punjabi
Hindi is the most widely spoken language in Chandigarh, followed by Punjabi, while English serves as the official language of the union territory. Government schools even use textbooks in all three languages.
- Getting aroundCTU Buses
Le Corbusier gave Chandigarh a seven-tier road hierarchy, called 'les Sept Voies', that separates fast traffic from cyclists and pedestrians. Public transport is run by the Chandigarh Transport Undertaking, whose buses depart from terminals in Sectors 17 and 43, and the city has the highest number of vehicles per person in India.
- Where to stayFind hotels in Chandigarh on Expedia Vacation rentals on Vrbo
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- Tours and ticketsFind tours in Chandigarh on GetYourGuide More tours on Viator
Skip-the-line tickets and guided tours of the landmarks. Stamped! may earn a commission.
9 landmarks in Chandigarh
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Photo: duncid, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons Palace of Assembly
Capitol Complex, Sector 1, Chandigarh 160001, India
Le Corbusier's legislative building is home to both the Punjab and the Haryana Legislative Assemblies. Its assembly hall is circular and sits beneath a thin, dramatic concrete shell roof that spans the chamber without any internal columns. Inside, a great forum invites conversation, and movement through the building flows without stairs. Completed in 1962, it became part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2016.
- Built
- 1962
- Architect
- Le Corbusier
- Style
- Brutalism
- Today
- Legislative Assembly
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Photo: Sanyam Bahga, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons Secretariat Building
Capitol Complex, Sector 1, Chandigarh 160001, India
The largest structure in the Capitol Complex is a long slab of raw concrete, about 254 metres long and 42 metres tall. Le Corbusier composed it from six eight-storey blocks joined by expansion joints, with rows of concrete sun-shading screens giving the facade its rhythm. Completed in 1953, it was built for the offices of East Punjab's Chief Secretary and is now shared by the governments of Punjab and Haryana. Its roof holds a cafeteria and promenade terrace looking out over the city.
- Built
- 1953
- Architect
- Le Corbusier
- Style
- Brutalism
- Height
- 42 m (138 ft)
- Stories
- 8
- Today
- Government Offices
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Photo: Sanyam Bahga, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons Punjab and Haryana High Court
Capitol Complex, Sector 1, Chandigarh 160001, India
Known as the Palace of Justice, this court building is one of the three great edifices Le Corbusier designed for the Capitol Complex. The High Court moved into its new home in Chandigarh in January 1955, having sat in Shimla since 1947. Like its neighbours, it is cast in rough concrete, and patterned tapestries in the courtrooms were designed to soften the acoustics. It joined UNESCO's list of Le Corbusier's architectural works in 2016, and India's Supreme Court has since stepped in to stop unauthorised additions to it.
- Built
- 1955
- Architect
- Le Corbusier
- Style
- Modernism
- Today
- Court
-
Photo: Nicholas.iyadurai, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons Open Hand Monument
Capitol Complex, Sector 1, Chandigarh 160001, India
This giant metal hand is the emblem of Chandigarh's government and stands for 'the hand to give and the hand to take'. It is the largest of Le Corbusier's many Open Hand designs, rising 26 metres in total. The 14 metre metal vane on top weighs around 50 tons and was designed to turn in the wind like a weathervane. Le Corbusier dreamed of it for years, but it was only realised in 1985, twenty years after his death.
- Built
- 1985
- Architect
- Le Corbusier
- Style
- Modernism
- Height
- 26 m (85 ft)
- Today
- Monument
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Photo: UnpetitproleX, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons Government Museum and Art Gallery
Sector 10, Chandigarh, India
Le Corbusier designed this exposed-concrete museum with Pierre Jeanneret, Manmohan Nath Sharma and Shiv Dutt Sharma, and it is one of only three museums he ever built. Construction ran from 1962 to 1967, and the museum was inaugurated in May 1968. Its collection was born from the Partition of India, when the Lahore Museum's holdings were split between Pakistan and India. Today it holds one of the world's largest collections of Gandharan sculpture, alongside Pahari miniature paintings and modern Indian art.
- Built
- 1968
- Style
- Modernism
- Today
- Museum
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Photo: Ijon, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons Rock Garden of Chandigarh
Near Sukhna Lake, Chandigarh, India
In 1957 a public works inspector named Nek Chand Saini began secretly building a fantasy kingdom from broken ceramics, glass bangles and other city waste. He kept it hidden for 18 years until the authorities discovered it in 1975, by which time it covered 12 acres. Instead of tearing it down, the city backed his work and opened it to the public. Today the garden stretches across 40 acres of courtyards, waterfalls and more than 5,000 recycled sculptures.
- Built
- 1957
- Architect
- Nek Chand Saini
- Today
- Sculpture Garden
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Photo: UnpetitproleX, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons Gandhi Bhawan
Panjab University, Chandigarh, India
Designed by B. P. Mathur with Pierre Jeanneret, this sculptural auditorium appears to float in the middle of a pool of water. Its three-part pinwheel plan and bold play of sharp angles and curves reflect the International Style. The surrounding pools recall Mughal tombs set on water terraces and the bathing tanks of Hindu temples. Dedicated to the study of Mahatma Gandhi, it greets visitors with the words 'Truth is God' and houses a large collection of books on his life and work.
- Built
- 0
- Architect
- B. P. Mathur & Pierre Jeanneret
- Style
- International Style
- Today
- Auditorium & Gandhi Study Centre
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Photo: Unpetitprole, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons Sukhna Lake
Sukhna Lake, Chandigarh, India
This three-square-kilometre lake was created in 1958 by damming the Sukhna Choe, a seasonal stream flowing down from the Shivalik hills. It was planned by Le Corbusier and chief engineer L. Verma as a calm retreat for the new city. Le Corbusier insisted that motorboats be banned from the water and cars kept off the promenade along the dam. Pierre Jeanneret's ashes were scattered here in 1970, and in 2026 the lake was named India's 103rd Ramsar wetland site.
- Built
- 1958
- Architect
- Le Corbusier & L. Verma
- Today
- Reservoir & Promenade
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Photo: Sanyam Bahga, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons Chandigarh College of Architecture
Sector 12, Chandigarh, India
Le Corbusier, who drew up Chandigarh's master plan in 1951, pushed for this college to be founded as part of the 'Chandigarh Experiment'. It opened on 7 August 1961 and has trained architects for the whole north-western region of India ever since. The campus sits within the grounds of Punjab Engineering College in Sector 12. Every year the students mark Le Corbusier's birthday with guest lectures by leading architects.
- Built
- 1961
- Architect
- Le Corbusier
- Today
- College
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