Chandigarh, the dream city of India's first Prime Minister, Pundit Jawahar Lal Nehru, was planned by the famous French architect Le Corbusier. Picturesquely located at the foothills of Shivaliks, is known as one of the best experiments in urban planning and modern architecture in the 20th century in India. Chandigarh derives its name from the temple of "Chandi Mandir" located in the vicinity of the site selected for the city.
Location:
Chandigarh serves as stopover to major tourist destinations in Himchal Pradesh & Punjab. But, Chandigarh deserves much more than a stopover City.
Delhi to Chandigarh
about 240 kms / 5 hr drive
Chandigarh to Shimla
about 120 kms / 3 hr drive
Chandigarh to Amritsar
about 220 kms / 5 hr drive
Chandigarh to Dharamsala
about 215 kms / 7 hr drive
Chandigarh to Manali
about 270 kms / 8 hr drive
Connectivity: Well connected by flight from Delhi, train and bus from major cities in North India.
Recommended duration of stay: 2 nights / 3 days
Best Time to Visit: Though Chandigarh is a all season destination, the best time to visit is the period between mid August and mid December, when the weather is neither too hot nor too cold.
Major Tourist Attractions are as below - Leisure Valley
This theme garden begins from Rajendra Park in Sector 1 that is basically used for long walks, yoga and other fitness workout activities and stretches till the Bougainvillea garden in Sector 3.
Rock Garden
Located in Sector 1 (between the Capitol Complex and Sukhna Lake), highlights delicate artwork made from industrial and urban waste. This is an archetype of creativity and innovation. The credit for laying its foundation goes to Nek Chand, who was the then Road Inspector in the Engineering Department of Chandigarh Capital Project.
Rock garden has been established in the form of an open-air exhibition hall. The garden houses sculptures made by using a variety of different discarded waste materials like frames, mudguards, forks, handle bars, metal wires, play marbles, porcelain, auto parts, broken bangles etc.
Sukhna Lake
This 3 km long manmade lake is done by damming the Sukhna Choe, a seasonal stream.
Sukhna Lake serves as a great picnic spot and a suitable place for pursuing water sport activities like boating, yachting and water skiing etc. The atmosphere over here is very serene and thus apt for meditating. Also, you can relish the melodious humming of birds.
Open Hand
This monument is located in sector 1 in the Capitol Complex. Open hand monument has been designed in the form of a giant hand made from metal sheets that rotates like a weathercock, indicating the direction of wind. This giant hand is 14 metres high and weighs around 50 tonnes. The significance of open hand is that it conveys the social message of peace and unity that is "open to give & open to receive." Open hand is the city's official emblem.
Capitol Complex
capitol complex houses the seat of Government. Initially, it served as the seat only for the Govt of Punjab, but now it has the headquarters of both, the Govt of Punjab and Haryana. Located in Sector 1, capitol complex in Chandigarh, India consists of three main edifices, namely, the Secretariat, the Legislative Assembly and the High Court.
Places to Stay
Luxury
Hotel Taj Chandigarh
Deluxe
Hotel K C Cross Road
Standard
Hotel Solitaire
KURUKSHETRA
Kurukshetra is a place of great historical and religious importance, revered all over the country for its sacred associations. It was here that the battle of Mahabharta was fought and Lord Krishna preached his Philosophy of "KARMA" as enshrined in the Holy Geeta to Arjuna at Jyotisar. In the very first verse of Bhagwat Gita, Kurukshetra is described as DHARAMKSHETRA i.e. field of righteousness.
Location: Kurukshetra is located about 160 km North of Delhi, 40 km North of Ambala & about 90 before Chandigarh while driving from Delhi.Major tourist attractions are as below:
Krishna Museum:
Established in the year 1987, Krishna Museum depicts the multi faceted personality of lord Krishna through the various artefacts from 1st Century AD to 11th Century AD. The museum displays various articles from all over India and it portrays the different aspects of Krishna’s character like namely an incarnation of Vishnu, an astute statesman, an epic hero, a great philosopher and a supreme lover. The first thing that attracts the visitor is beautiful statue of lord Ganesha in a dancing posture.
The exhibits in the galleries encompass exquisite woodcarvings, wooden panels, bronze casting, ivory works, palm- leaf etchings, stone sculptures, archaeological artefacts and miniature paintings.
Brahma sarovar:
Brahma Sarovar is a lovely water body where history, legends and beauty coincide with each other. As per Hindu mythology, it was from here that Lord Brahma created the mother earth. So Brahama Sarovar is often called as the cradle of Indian civilization. Encircled by a number of holy shrines Brahma Sarovar presents an enchanting environ to the religious people. This huge water body of 1800 meter length and 1400 meter width Braham Srovar witnesses amazing number of devotees in the Solar eclipse since it is believed that a holy dip during the eclipse will absolve all the sins.
Chandigarh, the dream city of India's first Prime Minister, Pundit Jawahar Lal Nehru, was planned by the famous French architect Le Corbusier. Picturesquely located at the foothills of Shivaliks, is known as one of the best experiments in urban planning and modern architecture in the 20th century in India. Chandigarh derives its name from the temple of "Chandi Mandir" located in the vicinity of the site selected for the city. 
Rock Garden
